This weekend we met with long time friends, Tim and Sheri Gale and their son Andrew for a weekend of ballooning at the Albany Air and Art Festival. We seem to have a need to do everything the hard way. The bicycle instead on a car, a sailboat instead of a speedboat. Now we joined a balloon team over an airplane. The balloon is named Checkmate. It has a red, white and black design that includes a knight chess piece. Photos are included at the end of this post.

Judy and I joined the crew along with Ed and Sarah, our sailing buddies. The crew has three distinct functions. First: they assemble the balloon on the launch field, get it inflated and set upright ready to fly. Second: they chase the balloon on the ground and even contact the land owner of the intended landing field. Third: They pack the balloon back into the trailer and bring it and the crew back to the launch field.

The first two days, Friday and Saturday, we all helped and then we chased in Ed and Sarah’s van. Gary rode shotgun with the laptop computer showing the map as we tried to avoid dead end roads and keep up with Checkmate.

On Sunday, Gary and Judy chased Checkmate on Path, our recumbent tandem bicycle. We started in Timber Lynn Park, the launch site. The wind was blowing the balloons north west at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. Albany is nice and flat to the south west but we quickly got into hilly country out north of town. We got to Jackson, but had lost track of Checkmate. A quick call on the cell phone verified that they had landed less than a mile away and they had it mostly packed up before we could get close.

Let me describe the early morning sequence of launching the balloon.

First you get up at five am and go to the launch field. The balloon arrives in its own little covered utility trailer. Each team is assigned a spot about the size of a small home lot to launch from. The vehicle and trailer are at one end. First you pull the basket out. Three people can carry it handily. Then we roll the bag holding the envelope (the balloon itself) out of the trailer. This takes four good people to carry/drag the bag into position in front of the basket. Then comes a big gasoline powered fan to inflate the balloon. The basket is laid on its side and tethered to the trailer. The shrouds are all connected and the propane burner rigged.

The pilot, Tim, meanwhile attends the pilot’s briefing; when he returns he personally double checks every connection. Finally we start the big fan and begin the cold inflation. The balloon is blown up to its full size lying on its side on the ground. One last walk around by the pilot and then it is time to light the propane pilot flame. Tim then climbs partly into the basket, aims the big burner down the throat of the balloon and shoots a huge flame into its heart. A bubble of warm air collects on the upper side of the balloon and the fan is shut down. More heat is applied and the balloon slowly swings erect and pulls the basket and pilot upright. Soon the passengers climb in and crew members drape themselves over the edge of the basket for extra ballast as the pilot brings the temperature in the envelope up. Soon the aircraft is “light.” And the pilot signals the flight director/safety officer. When he gets the O.K. the crew back away and Tim shoots more flaming propane into the balloon and they gently float away in the morning breeze.

After packing the gear the chase vehicle follows the balloon as it follows the whim of the breezes. The pilot can direct the balloon somewhat by selecting the level of flight, however the chase vehicles must do their best following the roads. When the pilot finds a nice field with harvested crops he or she controls the decent with the apex valve and burner. Finally everything has to happen in reverse to put the aircraft back in the trailer.

This has gotten a bit long, so I will close here. Just to remind you all, however. From time to time step out of your comfort zone and try something completely different.

Gary and Judy