Oregon Public Broadcasting

If you want to see an honest-to-goodness zeppelin, keep your eyes on the sky for the next couple of weeks. A California company is bringing its massive airship to the Northwest for sightseeing flights and research.

Just don't call it a blimp.

A zeppelin has a rigid internal structure and tends to be longer and narrower than a blimp. In fact, this zeppelin is longer than a Boeing 747.

You might be able to make that comparison yourself if you head over to Paine Field in Everett, Washington in the next two weeks.

That's where the dirigible will set up shop as California-based Airship Ventures offers sightseeing rides starting at $375 apiece.

More than 100 people took them up on that offer during stopovers in Salem and Medford, says Airship Ventures spokeswoman Rachel Loya.

Rachel Loya: "You can get up and walk around, as opposed to a helicopter where you're often strapped in to your seat. The airship has 360 degrees of windows so it offers really, really dramatic views of the landscape and things that are around."

Loya says the zeppelin will also take researchers on a low-flying trip over Puget Sound to look for orcas. The helium-filled airship will return to its San Francisco headquarters in early September.

On the Web:Airship Ventures:http://www.airshipventures.com/