The Bay Area skies stirred curiosity today when a vast, unmarked white airship was spotted drifting over the Bay. Hoodline San Francisco witnessed the airship flying over the Bay from the Presidio Tunnel Tops. It approached the Golden Gate Bridge, then turned and headed south.
Tracking data identifies the craft as registration N125LT, a prototype rigid-airship named “Pathfinder 1” developed by LTA Research & Exploration LLC — a startup backed by Sergey Brin. The company confirms the Pathfinder 1 undertook its first flight over the San Francisco Bay on May 15 2025.
Eyewitnesses reported a massive white craft moving at slow speed, much slower than typical commercial aircraft. The prototype, which also was seen back in May, is roughly 124 meters (400 ft) long, powered by twelve electric motors, and designed to carry cargo or people as a next-generation lighter-than-air vehicle, according IEEE Spectrum.
For San Franciscans, the low altitude (around 800 ft) and its path over key landmarks make this more than just a spectacle. It signals the region’s evolution from tech hub to aerospace testbed. The craft’s home base is at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View, and its presence overhead raises local questions about air-traffic integration and civilian visibility.
Regulatory & technical angles
Flight-tracking registries list the Pathfinder 1 as experimental and operating under special certificates issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to reports this permits limited flights around Moffett and over the southern Bay, per the Vision Times…