Zeppelin - not the Robert Plant kind

Interesting aeronautical news today. Zeppelins have returned to the skies - 71 years after the Hindenburg disaster put a damper on people's enthusiasm for the giant airships.

I know what you're thinking - why? I mean, aside from the $500 price tag, what's the point? Blimps have been around for years, so why do we need zeppelins? And what's the difference anyway?

Well, to answer the last question, according to the article, the difference is that zeppelins have an internal frame. Blimps, I guess, are just giant balloons with a motor.

To the second question (what's the point?), the point appears to be marketing. You can put a big logo on the side and rent it out for parties, etc.

But none of that really answers the question of simply "why"? I mean, you can rent a blimp, right? You can put a logo on a blimp, right? You can even rent blimps with electronic signs on the side. So, why zeppelins?

I figure it's just so people can say the word and sound superior. "We rented a zeppelin for our wedding rehearsal dinner." "Robert Plant played your rehearsal dinner?" "No, you plebe - we rented an airship. A zeppelin." "You mean a blimp?" "This is why you weren't invited to the wedding."