The world's largest inflatable building: Goodyear's hanger stands tall in America

The hangar is designed to house a giant airship at Goodyear’s headquarters in America.

Goodyear – which shut its landmark Wolverhampton plant in the summer – has its iconic logo emblazoned along the side of the hangar.

The firm turned to Oswestry-based Per Lindstrand Technologies to create it.

Per Lindstrand is an aeronautical engineer, pilot, adventurer and entrepreneur.

He is particularly known for his series of record-breaking trans-oceanic hot air balloon flights. Executives from Goodyear flew to Britain for the first look at the building back in the summer, when it was tested in fields just outside the town.

The hanger was constructed from 73 miles of polyester at the Lindstrand Technologies factory in Oswestry – and is no small matter of 107 metres long, 32 metres wide and 25 metres high.

Now is is standing nine storeys tall on land along Interstate 405 south of Los Angeles in suburban Carson.

It will house Wingfoot Two, which began flying over college football games in Los Angeles in October.

Wingfoot Two, which is technically a dirigible rather than a blimp, is scheduled to leave its temporary home at Long Beach Airport and arrive in Carson, when it was due to enter its new home for the first time. Goodyear, which has long connections to the West Midlands, including its recently closed factory in Wolverhampton, has operated from the base in Carson since 1968 and plans to mark its 50th anniversary next year.

The inflatable hangar is a far cheaper option than a traditional building and has the advantage of being able to be deflated and moved to a new locaiton if necessary.

Mr Lindstrand has widened the work at his Oswestry factory to include inflatable structures.

He said the Goodyear hangar, which is produced using air cell technology, was a challenge simply because of the scale, adding: “If we laid the material out, it would stretch from Oswestry to Chester and back.”