Up, Up And Away!
We were treated to a super colorful show last weekend at the Quechee, Vermont Balloon Festival. There were more than twenty huge, lighter than airships all inflating and taking off at around the same time. The clean, crisp air and green mountains of Vermont was the perfect environment for this spectacle.
Do you want to pilot a balloon? Ballooning is a physical sport. You will be expected to assist in handling equipment weighing several hundred pounds, be able to withstand hard landings and work outdoors in temperature extremes. Still interested? Great!
First you have to unpack the nylon balloon itself and start blowing it up. At this stage you don't use hot air, you use a big ole fan.
Now it's time to apply the hot air using two redundant flame throwers (you really do want a backup, just in case).
Then it's time to hop in the basket and lift off.
Time to lift off. How cool is that?
And, at the end of the day you can gather with your fellow balloonists and show off a little.
