The six middle-sized blimps, off Lakehurst, N.J., looked as deceptively innocent as exploding cigars. They made up the first lighter-than-air squadron the Navy has sent aloft in World War II.

As for the airship, the carbon-fiber blimp is held down by secure ropes until ... faster travel than conventional ships of a similar size," the studio said in a statement at the time.

Jeff Capek: You know, everybody likes to see a blimp. Michael Dougherty: It's just so big, you can't miss it. It's so unique to watch, and they're not even a national icon but a world icon.

Almost double the size of a Goodyear blimp, the floating aircraft is a modern take on an old concept to revolutionize the skies with “lighter-than-air” ships. LTA, an aerospace research and ...