An education:

[BAW0343]

so wait, the big ones are advertising for tires and the small ones are a band? or wait.. no...  huh??  ;)

[RichieB16]

Well said Woody, it irritates me as well when people mistake these things too.

But, my understanding was the size has nothing to do with an airship vs. a blimp.

[Woodlouse2002]

[quote]Well said Woody, it irritates me as well when people mistake these things too.

But, my understanding was the size has nothing to do with an airship vs. a blimp.

[RichieB16]

However no blimp ever has or ever will reach the fantastic size that the airships reached in their peak and so calling a Zeppelin a blimp or vice versa is just unforgiveable. (To me anyway.)

Thats true, to me I hate it when people mistake airships and blimps.  I would imagine it wouldn't be possible to build a blimp to the scale of those great airships.  I would think the physics wouldn't hold up because of the shear size without structure...but I could be wrong.  

[Hagar]

A Zeppelin might not be a blimp but 'blimp' is simply a name for a type of airship.

Q: What Kinds of Airships are there?

A: There are four categories of airships, Rigid, Semi-Rigid, Non-Rigid and Hot Air Airships.

Rigid Airships
As their name implies, rigid airships have an internal frame. The Zeppelins and the USS Akron and Macon were famous rigid airships. The rigid structure, traditionally an aluminum alloy, holds up the form of the airship. In general rigid airships are only efficient when longer than 120 Meters (360ft.) because a good weight to volume ratio is (or was) only achievable for large airships. For a small airship the solid frame would have been too heavy. There is hope that the use of composite materials will change this.

Semi-rigid Airships
Semi-rigid airships were more poplular earlier this century. They usually comprise a rigid lower keel construction and a pressurized envelope above that. The rigid keel can be attached directly to the envelope or hung underneath it. The airships of Brazilian aeronaut Alberto Santos-Dumont were semi-rigids. One of the most famous representants of the type was Italia, the airship which General Umberto Nobile used on his attempt to reach the North Pole.

Non-rigid Airships or Blimps
Non-rigid airships, also known as Blimps, are the most common form nowadays. They are basically large gas balloons. Their shape is maintained by their internal overpressure. The only solid parts are the passenger car and the tail fins. All the airships currently flying for publicity use are of that type; the Goodyear Blimps, the Budweiser and the Metlife Blimps in the USA, and the Fuji Blimp in Europe.

Hot Air Airships
Hot air airships, also known as thermal airships, are counted as a fourth kind even though they are technically part of the non-rigid category. Hot air airships are derived from traditional hot air balloons. Early models were almost like balloons with an engine and tail fins added. Pretty soon envelopes were lengthened and the tail-fins and rudder were pressurized by air from the wash of the propeller. Newer hot air airships maintain their shape with internal overpressure in the whole envelope, a feature which older models did not have.

Q: Where does the term "Blimp" come from?

A: The popular story is that during World War II, a military general visited one of the many airship stations operated by the U.S. Navy. Trying to find out what material an airship was made from, he tapped his finger against the fully pressurized envelope of a non-rigid Navy airship. The general described the sound he heard, "blimp," and blimps have been called blimps ever since.

http://www.myairship.com/faq/index.html

[Woodlouse2002]

[quote]
I would imagine it wouldn't be possible to build a blimp to the scale of those great airships.

[RichieB16]

A Zeppelin might not be a blimp but 'blimp' is simply a name for a type of airship.

Wow very interesting, I didn't know that-thanks for the info!

[Hagar]

[quote]
Wow very interesting, I didn't know that-thanks for the info!

[flyboy 28]

So is this like, "It's not a boat, its a schooner"?

[RichieB16]

Cheeky young whippersnapper.

That me.  

[Woodlouse2002]

So is this like, "It's not a boat, its a schooner"?

Almost. But a schooner is always a boat. A boat is not always a schooner. It's all to do with method of propulsion (wind/motor) and the hight and positioning of the masts and the type of sails set on them.