Blimp makes unplanned landing at South Farmingdale school, police say

After battling high winds and lost altitude, a pilot landed an advertising blimp safely in a Farmingdale schoolyard Thursday morning with the aid of onlookers who helped him guide the airship to the ground.

The blimp started its abbreviated journey at Republic Airport in Farmingdale with plans to advertise a Manhattan health care training school, said pilot Trevor Thompson, 47, of Atlanta.

Alone on board, Thompson said all was fine as he guided the blimp with intentions of flying a four-hour course within a few miles of the airport.

"I took off and flew three miles west for two hours," Thompson said. "I had wonderful flight conditions. Everything was functioning well."

But then winds -- an ever-present workplace worry for any blimp pilot -- whipped up and Thompson figured he'd better head back to Republic.

It was no easy going, said Thompson, who was not injured.

Progress was difficult as he navigated the blimp through the gusts. Thompson said he suddenly had much more on his mind than a four-hour blimp trip. He figured he had enough fuel to make it to the airport, but with the strong gusts the blimp lost altitude and air.

Thompson scanned the ground below in search of a place to land. He radioed the Republic air traffic controllers to alert them of his troubles. Then he told them he found a field.

Too small, Thompson soon discovered. Instead, he set a course for another field about a mile away at Woodward Parkway School.

On the ground, residents looking above took notice of Thompson's troubles. Several 911 calls followed.

A Nassau County police spokeswoman said the first calls came in at 9:22 a.m. reporting an aircraft flying low over North Massapequa.

That's where the barking from Mike Cerullo's dogs gave the North Massapequa resident the first sign something wasn't right outside. Cerullo, 30, said he looked toward the sky and saw the deflating airship scraping neighborhood treetops.

"It was literally over our house, about 100 feet overhead, and we heard the engine going in and out like something was wrong," Cerullo said. "We saw the blimp start to deflate midair. . . . It was nothing crazy, but the wind began to push it to its side and at that point, we followed it to make sure it didn't hit a house."

Inside the blimp, Thompson knew his last-minute change of landing plans meant his crew, charged with following in a truck, had lost him and he'd likely have to land and secure the blimp alone -- a daunting task. So Thompson looked below at those gawking up at him -- some taking pictures and video with their cellphones -- and yelled for help.

"I came in at a very slow rate," he said. "It's an open-air cockpit. I can lean my head out the side, and I asked two gentlemen to grab the nose line. They followed my instructions, helped me get it to the ground and even helped me deflate it."

Cerullo had decided to follow the blimp. When he got to South Farmingdale, he hopped a fence at the school and was among those on the makeshift landing crew who grabbed lines hanging from the blimp and guided it to the ground.

"We were hoping a gust of wind didn't take it onto the roof of a house on Thanksgiving," Cerullo said.

For the all the excitement it caused on an otherwise sleepy Thanksgiving morning, Cerullo and the others exchanged quick pleasantries with Thompson and headed home for the rest of the holiday.

"We shook hands and they said 'Happy Thanksgiving,' " said Thompson, who returned the greeting after the 9:47 a.m. landing. "And off they went."

Thompson said he planned to return to Georgia Thursday night. Another pilot is scheduled to take the blimp aloft again today.

"The blimp is 100 percent fine," he said. "It is being refueled right now. It was a soft landing in a grassy field, so no injuries, no damage."