Atomic Blimp

Template:Infobox vehicles The Atomic Blimp is a blimp featured in Grand Theft Auto V. It can be seen flying over Los Santos, and it is also available to fly for those who pre-ordered the game or have Special/Collector's Editions. It can be used by calling the blimp contact on the phone and going to its location.

Design

The Atomic Blimp is based on Goodyear Blimp. This is because Atomic is based on Goodyear.

Performance

Despite being a blimp, it's quicker and more agile than the vehicle type suggests. Its handling is comparable to that of a helicopter. It has good maneuverability and modest acceleration, and it has very little turbulence in-flight, making it a very good choice for flying around San Andreas.

Rockstar said that the Blimp will be even faster and more maneuverable in the Next-gen version, making it much more useful and one of the best choices to fly around the map.

Handling

The Atomic Blimp, despite being considered an aircraft, shares the same control setup and flight style as a helicopter. When you press (PS3) or (Xbox 360), you hear the engine speeds increase. But interestingly, instead of what should technically happen (which would be the blimp moving forward), you actually climb vertically.

Locations

GTA V

• Can be ordered on a special in-game app after completing Franklin's intro mission. Has to be picked up at the location given on the map. These locations are the Vinewood Racetrack and Los Santos International Airport.
• Landing a helicopter on the top of the blimp, be cautious because you can fall off and die unless you have a parachute. Get out off your helicopter and while on top of the blimp, press (PS3) or (Xbox 360) and you should appear in the gondola flying the blimp (only works if you have the blimp code already).

Gallery

An Atomic Blimp in the Vinewood Racetrack.

An Atomic Blimp in the Los Santos International Airport.

An Atomic Blimp exploding.

AtomicBlimp-GTAV-SocialClub.jpg

The Atomic Blimp on Rockstar Social Club.

Pre-order promotional poster.

Video

File:GTA 5 - Atomic Blimp airship flight - HD 720p-0

Trivia

• Upon exiting the Blimp, be careful not to walk into the propellers until they are fully stopped. Walking into a moving propeller will result in instant death.
• It is near impossible to deploy a parachute upon exiting the Blimp in mid-flight as the player will tumble into free-fall on their back.
• Shooting down the other uncontrollable blimp will give the player an instant 3-star wanted level.
• When landing, be careful not to strike the ground in such a way that the propellers come in contact, as doing so can destroy the blades, severely hindering the performance of the blimp.
• When taking off near Los Santos International Airport, be careful not to fly over the terminals or runway (unless you purchased them) as doing so counts as trespassing and will instantly give you a 3-star wanted level.
• The Blimp is useful for exploring the scenery thanks to its steady flight and moderate speed.
• When loading a quick save file in which the player is piloting a Blimp via Cloud or memory storage onto another console, be sure to save a copy of the Blimp unlock file as well. Upon loading the save file without the Blimp unlock file, the Blimp will be nowhere to be found. This is especially dangerous if the player quick saved mid-flight as they will more than likely fall to their death upon starting the game.
• This is the second Grand Theft Auto game to feature a blimp. The first being the the Gash Blimp in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City which was inaccessible and only available to customize with mods.
• Unlike most vehicles, the blimp will remain afloat if crashed into the water.
• It is not recommended to jump out of the blimp while it is moving forward, as you run the high risk of getting killed by the rotating propellers behind the cockpit. It is safer to keep the blimp as still as possible, then jump out
• The Atomic Blimp is classified as a fixed-wing aircraft in the game's internal files, despite the fact that its handling is more similar to a helicopter's. This could be because game developers wanted to add moving control surfaces to the blimp.
• If the player is chased and shot at by the police whilst in the Blimp, a warning noise will sound if the Blimp receives too much damage, shortly after the engines will stall/cut out and the Blimp will begin to fall out of the sky. It is highly recommended that the player be over the water at this point because, if falling from a great height, there will be no explosion or death on impact with the water. The blimp will detonate in a large explosion when it hits the ground.
• The name "Atomic Blimp" is obviously a play on "atomic bomb", probably poking fun to its large explosion when destroyed or crashes.
• Simply bumping into a building or a car will cause the Blimp to explode. Extra care must be taken when piloting it.
• The Atomic Rubber Company and the Atomic Blimp are references to the real-world Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and the Goodyear Blimp respectively.
• When shooting out the pilot, it will play the same sound as the helicopter sound (when falling from driver death). and will interestingly start to turn to the left when going down, simular to how the helicopter will spin out of control when shot out. 

Glitches

• The player may see a second blimp flying around the city. The second blimp may be flying around Los Santos at a higher speed than normal. Turning the in-game cam around and back will result in the blimp not being in the sky anymore.
• The blimp will be parked in a weird position if the player lands it in the parking lot of the Los Santos Country Club and plays golf, will find it in a strange place upon leaving the activity.