Thr Zeppelin is back !!!

The 246-foot zeppelin Eureka, which can carry 13 passengers and a crew of two, flies over Long Beach Harbor, with the Queen Mary in the background. The German-made airship, which is filled with nonexplosive helium gas, is permanently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It will offer a limited number of Southland scenic tours out of Long Beach Airport.

The last time something like this was seen in Los Angeles was 1929, when the Graf Zeppelin dropped in on Westchester's Mines Air Field before starting its nonstop Pacific crossing during its record-setting around-the-world flight.

The era of the rigid-framed zeppelin came crashing to an end in 1937, when the hydrogen-filled Hindenburg exploded as it attempted to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. Thirty-six people were killed. But now the zeppelin is back and filled with non-explosive helium. A privately run company based at the Bay Area's Moffett Field has returned the German-made craft to California skies.

Although airships such as the Goodyear blimp are a common sight in the Los Angeles area, blimps are smaller than zeppelins and carry only six passengers. The 246-foot zeppelin, called the Eureka, can carry 13 passengers and a crew of two. Those on board have unobstructed views of landmarks through giant plexiglass windows that line all sides of its cabin.