RomerOnline Exhibition of Aviation Photos of Early Miami - Aerial Views
This photograph shows the "Defender" on the ground at Opa-Locka with her sister ship the "Puritan" approaching the field. Opa-Locka became the home of the first Florida based Goodyear Blimp in 1929 when the "Mayflower" began spending the winters in Miami. A succession of Goodyear Blimps used the hangar at Opa-Locka until the airship base was moved to Pompano Beach in the 1980s. Blimps were a common site on Watson Island near downtown Miami, where passengers boarded the airships for sightseeing cruises of the city and beaches.
