Blue View – Up, Up, and Away

During our visit to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, I got an invitation to go aloft in one of the balloons. It wasn’t my first time - I’ve been up four times previously - but the exhilaration and excitement of going up in a balloon haven’t diminished in the least. In case you’ve never had the opportunity, I thought I’d talk about the adventure…

Pre-flight

The first step is configuring the gondola. The burner assembly is mounted, the propane tanks are connected, and the various gauges are attached and checked. The burners are checked to ensure they are operating correctly. The gondola is then laid on its side and is attached to the chase vehicle with a line to keep it tethered until ready for takeoff.

Gondola with burners attached

Next, the envelope (balloon) is attached to the gondola and then stretched out downwind. This requires a lot of space, BTW. The envelope can be as long as a ten-story building is high. A preliminary check is done to ensure none of the lines are tangled or twisted.

Envelope attached and stretched out

A large, gas-powered fan is used to push cool air into the envelope and begin the inflation process. One crew member directs the fan, while two more hold the mouth (or throat) of the balloon open. (The inflation fan was an important invention, by the way. Before these were available, someone had to stand in the mouth of the envelope, holding it open while the burner heated the air inside enough to begin inflating it. This luckless person was nicknamed 'Cremation Charlie'.) A fourth person stretches a line out from the top or crown of the balloon, and once the inflation process gets underway, will keep tension on the line to keep the envelope from swinging around and/or rising too soon.

The fan pumping air into the envelope

The pilot begins the pre-flight check. The envelope is inspected for tears or chafe and the lines are checked for tangles. At the top of the envelope is a large vent, called the deflation port. The balloon’s ascent and descent are partially controlled by opening or closing this vent. Air pressure keeps the vent closed normally, and the pilot can open the port by pulling on the appropriate control lines. The pilot positions the vent in the closed position and ensures the control lines are routed properly.

Once everything is checked out, the pilot begins heating the air in the balloon by turning on the burners and shooting short blasts of flame into the envelope. This part always amazes me… I am convinced the flames will melt the synthetic lines or envelope fabric, but these folks know what they’re doing and this never happens. The fan remains in place for a few minutes to move the hot air further into the envelope, then it is moved away. The balloon begins to rise and the crown line is released.

Heating the air

The balloon begins to rise

The pilot intermittently heats the air in the envelope, ideally providing just enough lift to keep it vertical, but not enough lift to carry the gondola away - although it is often necessary for the crew members to put their weight onto the gondola to keep it on the ground.

The Flight

The passengers are asked to climb aboard. All the balloons we’ve flown in had small wicker gondolas and held 4-6 people. To board these, it’s necessary to climb into the gondola, which can be embarrassing for the first few attempts. Once you know where to grab and where to put your feet, it gets easier. Larger, commercial balloons often hold 12 or more people and actually have gates that can be opened to allow easy entry.

Once everyone is aboard and ready, the pilot lifts off by shooting several long blasts of flame into the envelope. Once aloft, the balloon floats with the winds – the pilot can only control the altitude of the balloon.

Our launch site below

The views aloft were stupendous

Some great special shapes

Something I didn’t know before my first flight is that the winds often blow in different directions depending on the altitude. In Albuquerque, for example, oftentimes the lower altitude winds blow southward, and the higher altitude winds blow northward. It’s possible to take advantage of the lower winds to fly a few miles in one direction, then rise up and ride the higher altitude winds to return to the starting point. This is called the Albuquerque Box and, with ideal conditions, the box can be flown two or three times before landing in the same spot as takeoff.

The Albuquerque Box

The Landing

More often, however, the balloon floats several miles downwind, and the pilot begins looking for a place to land, while the chase vehicle, as the name implies, chases after the balloon, keeping it in sight. The pilot maintains radio contact and tries to provide information to the chase vehicle about likely landing spots. Depending on the winds and terrain, this can be frustrating for the chase crew – the pilot often doesn’t know exactly where he/she will be landing until the very last minute. Meanwhile, the chase crew may have to backtrack or reroute several times to get to the landing spot.

Our chase crew in the red pickup

If the winds are light and an acceptable flat spot can be found, the landing is usually gentle, and the envelope can remain inflated until the chase crew arrives. The passengers disembark from the gondola, a crew member uses the crown line to guide the envelope downwind and the pilot opens the deflation port to deflate it.

This is how most of our flights went, but Marcie and I had one flight in Napa Valley that ended with quite an adrenaline rush. We had a very enjoyable one-hour flight, but when it was time to land, the winds began to pick up. The pilot could only find a landing spot in a small field... with power lines on one side and heavily trafficked roads on the other three sides. The landing was quite hard, then we dragged 20-30 feet, almost tipping the gondola over until the pilot could get the envelope deflated. No injuries, electrocutions or soiled underwear, thankfully.

The winds on the day of my flight were light and fickle. We stayed somewhat in place for a while, then floated a half-mile to the southeast, then westerly, then back southeasterly… eventually, we landed about a quarter-mile south of the take-off point after 45 minutes aloft.

An okay landing spot - except for the power lines, trees and vehicles

Our landing spot was just past one of the Balloon Fiesta parking lots, and the chase car, with Marcie aboard, arrived within a minute or two of the landing. The envelope was stretched out, all the air was squeezed out, and it was stuffed into its bag. The gondola was dragged onto the lift gate of the chase vehicle – in this case, a pickup – then lifted and stowed in the bed. Ditto the envelope. Once everything was strapped down, the vehicle headed back to the launch area.

We could have ridden back with them, but it was only a quarter-mile or so away, so we opted to walk back.

The Celebration

Tradition calls for a champagne toast at the end of every successful flight. We joined the pilot and crew for a glass of bubbly and some light snacks. Also, everyone involved, from the crew to the passengers, gets to sign the balloon banner.

Stay tuned for more balloon blogs in the next few days…

Signing the balloon banner