Wacko idea? Ron Paul blimp takes politics to new heights

HOW DARE people say North Carolina and Virginia have no pull in the presidential primary process.

Sure, Virginia's Feb. 12 primary is late. And North Carolina's even worse, with its balloting May 6. Iowa kicked off the primary season Thursday by choosing Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee.

But our neighbors in northeastern North Carolina will make their presence felt another way this election: through a blimp. And not just any blimp. It's reportedly among the largest ever built, even bigger than the famous one for Goodyear.

Yes, the contribution will come in the form of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's amazing blimp. (Technically, they prefer the term airship, but no one's offended if you call it a blimp.)

The giant balloon was born and raised in Pasquotank County, and is proud to still call the area home. It's been touring the East Coast with huge banners on its side, promoting the second-tier candidate from Texas.

That's better than what a whole lot of other states are offering.

"It makes everybody laugh because it's such a wacko idea," said George Spyrou, president of Airship Management Services, a Connecticut-based company that operates the blimp out of its repair station and technical facility in Pasquotank County.

Spyrou is right. It is a wacko idea. And an awesome idea. Because who doesn't get excited about blimps? It flew over Norfolk last month.

Years ago, when Pepsi launched Slice, the giant cola company leased a blimp to advertise. Spyrou asked one of the suits what convinced the company to do it.

The executive pointed to his stomach. It felt right in his gut.

There's a good reason for that: Everybody loves blimps.

And Paul, a 10-term congressman from Texas who's often referred to as Dr. No for opposing nearly everything, needed the love.

See, Paul is not exactly the most popular of presidential candidates right now. He's not even invited to some of the debates. Sure, he has some homemade signs along highways hyping his "revolution," and sure he won a straw vote among Virginia Republicans earlier this year. But he finished fifth among Republicans Thursday in Iowa.

And besides, Paul didn't really have the chance to say no to the blimp. An army of Internet supporters, distanced from the formal Paul campaign, has raised more than $400,000 to keep the blimp going for a month. It costs about $10 a minute to keep the 250,000-cubic-foot balloon in the air and helps pay for a crew of 20.

One side reads "Google Ron Paul."

Pasquotank County has a long history with airships. In the 1940s, the Navy built two giant hangars there to handle blimps that were used for submarine surveillance and escorting ships back to the States. As the Cold War ebbed, the blimps became commercial advertising vehicles. Following Sept. 11, some blimps were used again for surveillance.

Today, the hangars are used by TCOM, the company that built the balloon-looking part of the Paul blimp, called the envelope.

Next door is Spyrou's company, Airship Management, which lists the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard, New York Police Department, British Ministry of Defense, the government of Trinidad and Tobago, Fujifilm, Ameriquest and, most recently, The Palm resort project in Dubai as customers. It owns four blimps.

Unless you see the hangars or attend a Wednesday afternoon tour, it's easy to forget about the area's niche airship industry.

But now the Ron Paul blimp is attracting attention. Even more than something that size is used to.

The Ron Paul blimp has its own Web site, where you can follow its path as it glides over football games and beaches. (But not up to New Hampshire - the weather was too rough). There's even a doctored YouTube video of the blimp burning.

"It seems to attract a lot of attention because it's above the clutter. It puts people in a pleasant mood. It's nice, warm, fuzzy," Spyrou told me.

That's not something you can always say about politics. Especially in presidential years.

Spyrou said, "People are calling in. 'Why isn't it there? My grandmother's having a birthday in Idaho. Can you go?' "

The crew, based out of Elizabeth City, has had to get used to a different clientele as well. A majority of the time, the blimp's most casual customer was the type who really let loose by wearing flowered shirts - tame by the standards of the younger and wilder Paul supporters.

Some of the Paul blimp people told Spyrou that Hillary Clinton was thinking about a blimp as well.

Spyrou is still waiting for the call.

A funny thing has happened with all the attention. Candidates in Puerto Rico and Georgia (not the one really South, but formerly of the USSR) started calling Airship Management. Now they're thinking about blimps.

And if it happens, that means more money for Pasquotank County.

Maybe it's a revolution after all.

Mike Gruss, (757) 446-2277, mike.gruss@pilotonline.com