George Brich in front of the Columbia II blimp. Order #00113103
In a story that ran in the Valley Times on January 1, 1964, intrepid staff photographer George Brich rode along with pilot Lee Cermack in the new Goodyear Blimp, the Columbia II, and captured stunning aerial views of the Valley.
Staff reporter Jerry Custis wrote of the experience, “From the air the Valley is an incredibly green, unbelievably broad land. It’s tree-shaded residential areas, jutting buildings, jammed parking lots — even the mosaics of its swimming pools — stretch further than the eye can distinguish. It’s like no other part of the city.”
Check out the images in the gallery below.
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- Blimp engine hovers over Lockheed Air Terminal, Burbank. Order #00113108
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- NBC Studios between Ventura Freeway and Olive Avenue in Burbank. Order #00113110
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- Lankershim Blvd and Vineland Ave cross in North Hollywood. Order #00113107
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- Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. Laurel Canyon crosses the Los Angeles River. Order #00113111
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- Bullocks Fashion Square with the Ventura Freeway in the foreground. Order #00113102
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- Panorama City – Van Nuys Boulevard, center, running north toward San Fernando and the San Gabriel Mountains. Order #00113100
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- Buildings in Valley Administrative Center are in center with Van Nuys City Hall to the left. Order #00113101
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- Van Nuys, looking towards the West Valley, the Ventura Freeway crosses the San Diego Freeway. The Los Angeles River is to the right. Order #00113109
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- Blimp pilot Lee Cermack surveys Sepulveda Dam and the interception of the Ventura and Sepulveda Freeways. Order #00113099