Hot Air Ballooning
May 2007
- continued
As you can tell from the view, we are the first to take flight. We are leaving the other three balloons behind. Pretty scenic, eh?
After the flight, we all talked. We agreed that ballooning is very cool and not scary. However, at some point, we all experienced the realization of how high we are in a wicker basket. The others said it was during our rapid assent. I was so busy looking around that it didn't hit me until later. We drifted over a road and I heard a car underneath. I was curious how big the car looked, so I stared straight down. For a split second, I thought "holy smokes," but then it immediately passed and I really enjoyed the flight with no fear what-so-ever.
The other balloons soon follow. Because the balloons rely on altitude for winds and direction, they talk to each other to let everyone know if a certain altitude has a wind going a particular direction and speed. Each balloon also has a chase vehicle that follows the balloon. Since balloons cannot steer, where you land depends on conditions.
This was our view if looking straight down
When we were at lower altitudes, we saw lots of animals. I think the roaring propane heaters scared them. We saw all kinds of animals running -- cows, dogs, deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc.
This gives you some idea of our altitude. Mandy said the conditions were very good on our flight. Therefore, she was able to vary our altitude for optimum sensations. For a while, we fly moderately high (somewhere between 1,100 and 1,500 ft) and at other times we flew moderately low (right above the tree line).
Charlottesville is very scenic; check out the nice river
To share a funny story, early in the flight, all four balloons were fairly close. As I looked over at one of the other balloons, I saw it cranking a steady heat into the balloon. Despite the propane flame, it looked like this balloon was sinking like a rock. I was thinking to myself I was glad not to be on that balloon and was even wondering if this balloon was in trouble. Turns out I wasn't the only one to see this illusion. Mandy said this balloon wasn't even moving. She said we were increasing our altitude which gave the appearance that the other balloon was sinking. It was a really bizarre observation. You really cannot tell who is going up and who is going down. Even after she explained this phenomenon, I couldn't tell. Luckily, the balloons have altimeters. If not for this, I'd be in real trouble as a balloon pilot.
The balloons all dropped right down to the river. One or two actually dipped their basket into the water. We didn't touch the water, but we sure came in close. Check out the two balloon reflections in the water. For a little while, we also bumped the high tree tops as we approached the river. Its a weird sensation to look down and see the basket bump tree tops knowing that these trees are very tall.
You'll also notice the yellow balloon hitting the gas for heat. This is not a random thing. The balloons require heat constantly so the balloon driver is often hitting the gas. This is noisy and warm. Because our temperature was on the cool side, I thought the heat felt nice :-)
Continue with Ballooning
