LTA Research's Pathfinder 1 airship flew south from its home at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View to Salinas Municipal Airport on Tuesday, Oct. 27, the first time the proof-of-concept aircraft has landed away from its home base, the company said.
Why it flew the coast
The airship flew along Monterey Bay, and people across Monterey County reported seeing it overhead, KSBW reported. LTA said it was the longest stretch its crew has flown over open water. The coastal route exposed the airship to more varied weather and terrain than it sees near Moffett. Pilots and flight test engineers on board experienced those conditions while the aircraft recorded data for later analysis.
How big is Pathfinder 1?
- Length: 406.5 feet
- Width: 66 feet
- Power: 12 electric motors on the sides and tail (KSBW)
- Type: rigid airship
LTA describes it as the world's largest aircraft currently flying. The FAA has authorized it to fly in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of California, according to LTA.
Background
The FAA issued Pathfinder 1 a Special Airworthiness Certificate in 2023, and in May 2025 it left the Moffett airfield and flew over San Francisco Bay for the first time, LTA says. The company says lessons from these flights will feed into larger future airships built in Akron, Ohio, for uses such as disaster aid.