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Continuing the Photo Tour of my Life in
Flight.
 | Flying a hot air balloon is a unique and thrilling experience. As the first form
of flight for man, it has many similar characteristics to all other forms of flying and is
a beautiful sight from both the air and ground, especially in a mass ascension.
 
Oh what a glorious sensation it is to drift along gentle breezes in a hot air
balloon; to fly high at 10,000 feet, or to skim the earth inches above desert cactus,
river washes, and tree tops; to experience flight silent without engine or wind noise
punctuated only by the intermittent roar of the burners to keep hot air in the balloon or
occasional human voices and barking dogs on the ground; to do a "splash and
dash" in a lake as a seaplane would do a touch & go or to sail on the water for a
while before lifting back into the air; to hover over one spot as in a helicopter, or to
use well honed skills and cooperating winds at different altitudes to fly a box pattern
back to the takeoff point as airplanes would do at their airport; to pass near to quail
and rabbits and coyotes like gliders circling near to hawks; to fly with other balloons
not unlike "formation" in the military; to enjoy all of this with welcome
passengers as in commercial and corporate flight; and to do it all in "slow
motion" so one can savor every moment; that is just a part of what flying a hot air
balloon is all about.
A Splash & Dash or sailing on the water is part of the excitement of ballooning.
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| I did my training and fly with the Unicorn Balloon Company which operates out of
Scottsdale, AZ and Snowmass, CO.
Visit and fly with Unicorn (two
sites).
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| Balloon flights in Arizona are usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon
with most commercial passenger flights enjoying sightseeing in the desert. The
balloon sizes I have flown carry from three to eleven people.
A few of the chase vehicles,
trailers with balloons and baskets.
An integral part of ballooning is the chase crew which many find as enjoyable,
exciting and challenging as the flying. Here they prepare for inflation.
 
Commercial passenger flight.
Looking back at
the departure site.
The view from a mile high.
 
Skimming Cholla cactus and hopping over Sahuaro cactus.
 
Brushing Mesquite and Ironwood, and following a dry river bed.
 
Contour flying over and around hills, and packing up
after landing.
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| Commercial balloon flights are also used for advertisements and usually fly over
populated areas which requires good navigation of the prevailing winds, altitude control,
often a challenging landing site.
 
Departure
from a church parking lot, and flying over a freeway intersection.
 
Flying over a neighborhood at altitude and viewing homes from above. From
1,000 feet above the ground you can easily visit with people in their yards.
Early morning flight near Pinnacle
Peak, AZ.
 
Flying down golf course fairways before many are
awake.
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| Giving friends and family private flights is fun for all of us.
 
My cousin helping with inflation and uprighting of the
balloon.
 
Liftoff for our flight, and deflation after
landing.
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| Solo flying is also fun, but sharing the adventure with others is by far much more
enjoyable.
 
Piloting the USA balloon.
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| Piloting and crewing balloons is a thrilling experience, and the very sociable
ballooning community is always looking for new members and volunteers. You can learn
to fly as a pilot or serve on a chase crew at any age. You can also learn more about
ballooning, balloon festivals in your area, and find instructors (all commercial pilots)
from the Balloon Federation of America.
Visit the BFA.
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| There are two other forms of flying to address, one similar to ballooning and one unique
form of flight that is both quite different and yet with many similarities to all forms of
flight discussed so far.
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Follow the Thread
Other Flying
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