Police blimps in Gotham City...

[BWDK]

Why does the GCPD have blimps? Is it common in big cities that police departments have blimps?

I think it must be hard to handle a blimp, especially when you have pass by those skyscrapers...Just imagine what could happen ***BOOM!***

[optimal321]

I don't think it's common practice nowadays, but perhaps in the 1940s or whenever much of the BTAS style is based off of. I'm not even sure if they ever did, but it sure is cool they use 'em in BTAS. It just looks sweet

[James Harvey]

It was common practice, actually. They were replaced by Helicopters. Only a few big major cities like New York and L.A. had blimps to patrol with.

[Firefly]

Is BTAS outdated? I mean look at there police cars there outdated too. But the blimps are pretty cool and give the police something high tech. All of this stuff gives a great feel to the show.

[James Harvey]

BTAS is supposed to have the retro look to it. It's not outdated. They just mixed the retro look with some futurstic stuf flike the Batcomputer so an exact date couldn't be pegged for the show.

[Clayface]

Originally posted by DickGrayson
BTAS is supposed to have the retro look to it. It's not outdated. They just mixed the retro look with some futurstic stuf flike the Batcomputer so an exact date couldn't be pegged for the show.

Yep, and that's probably my biggest gripe with TNBA. I could have handled the redesigns better if they had at least kept that same timeless setting. But instead they went for a less retro, more modern backdrop, and it really ruined a lot of the modd, in my opinion.

[BWDK]

Actually all vehicles in BTAS look outdated (except for our beloved Batmobile of course )

I think they just wanted to give the series a remarkable look, something which will not be connected to any other TV show.

And the blimp was important for each BTAS intro (The morph from the WB logo to a blimp)

[finster]

The look of Gotham was heavily influenced by the Mr. X comic book series of the 1980's. Eric Radomski (B:TAS producer) said that Mr. X was the single biggest influence on the background look of the show. Mr. X took place in a cool deco-styled Radiant City, which had blimps dotting the sky.
Dean Motter, who created Mr. X and has a series out now called Electropolis, is currently working on a project called Batman: Nine Lives, which I'm looking forward to with great anticipation.