We are 4 dedicated crew members running around in a pick-up truck. Everyone is looking UP to pick our Balloon out of several hundred. So, we have about 500 pickups (many pulling trailers) cruising around with all eyes in the sky. Adds excitement to this old fellows day to say the least!
<<< Can you find our balloon in this picture? No? OK try the picture below.
Still cannot find it? OK, ‘X’ marks the spot in this view. Note that very few of the balloons fly with an X over them.
Our first landing was without incident in an industrial park. Very soon a large crowd assembled who were eager to help with the heavy lifting and packing the balloon. Akin to packing a parachute this must be critically over looked by the pilot. A lot of this work is repetitive and done on Hands & Knees. In my later years I have avoided this type of work; Anything on the ground is my enemy!
At Dusk, our balloon participated in a ‘Glow’. Several hundred Balloons were setup and lit their burners to a wonderful effect. The set-up and storage was the same as a regular flight, minus the excited kids to help repack it. We got home at 10:00 exhausted.. We fly tomorrow so there will be another 4:45 wake-up.
Now to introduce you to Susana and Julian, our great flight crew!
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