UTAH MAN WANTS TO BECOME BILL GATES OF BLIMPS

UTAH MAN WANTS TO BECOME BILL GATES OF BLIMPS

OREM, Utah (Wireless Flash) -- It may sound like a bunch of hot air, but a man in Orem, Utah, wants to become the Bill Gates of blimps. Aspiring aviator Darrell Campbell wants to build a fleet of giant turtle-shaped airships that he claims could hold up to 600 people and travel at speeds of 150 miles per hour. The 48-year-old inventor says the airships will be like giant cruise ships and feature cocktail lounges, libraries, health spas and staterooms. Campbell says today's helium airships are much safer then the hydrogen-filled "Hindenburg" which exploded in a ball of flames in 1937. However, his plan won't take flight until he raises $50,000 for a three-man prototype. Then he hopes to raise enough interest through a cross-country blimp journey before selling stock in the budding "blimp-line." Campbell discusses the future of blimps in a new book, "Helium Phoenix: The Rise Of Turtle Airships" (Campbell Publishing).

CONTACT: Darrell Campbell, ****; Orem, UT; (801) 426-9247