The DirecTV blimp is in town and Brett Viets is at the helm as the acting chief pilot.
Viets and other crew members are in town for spring training. The giant blue blimp with a 70-foot TV screen is tethered to a tall pole, called the mast.
"It takes about 10 people on the ground to launch the airship," Viets said. "And then it takes that many to land it."
Airships hop from event to event, all over the U.S. You may have even seen one of the Metlife blimps during the Super Bowl. And it’s kind of a big deal, because Viets said there are only about six airships flying in the U.S. right now.
"It’s unique so people notice it," he said. "There’s so many different things out there, but so few airships that it’s always going to get noticed."
Viets said he’s one of about 30 active airship pilots in the country, which means a lot of travel time.
"With our company, it’s 330 days a year that you’re on the road," he said. "330 nights a year in hotels."
And hundreds of hours gliding over the country at a steady 35 miles an hour.
The crew from Van Wagner Airship Group are in Phoenix to film the spring training games.
"Basically it’s just the same type of camera you’d find on a television news helicopter," Viets said.
If you see dazzling aerial shots while watching a Cactus League game, it might be from this blimp. But so are some of the close-ups.
"Yeah, that camera zooms in great," Viets said. "Once in a while, you know, at football games and things, they’ll do the instant replays off the airship shots."
So the next time you watch a major sporting event, you might get to enjoy the same view as Viets. Or, you can check out the video of our ride-along.
