Doug Kerr
Well-known member
This past weekend, 2012.09.15-16, the 21st White Sands Balloon Invitational was held in the Alamogordo, N.M. area. This is one of the country's premier hot air balloon festivals, although it is dwarfed in size by the The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. But the pilots invited to participate are the most skilled in the country.
This festival is marked by a truly unique launch site, the White Sands Dune field (in particular, the White Sands National Monument). You'll see it shortly. But that is augmented by an "in town" site, the Alamogordo Balloon Park built by the city of Alamogordo a few years ago in an industrial area southwest of town.
This year that was especially good, since no balloon operations would have been permitted at White Sands on Saturday owing to a planned missile shoot at the adjacent White Sands Missile Range (actually the National Monument is within the greater boundaries in the range. (In fact it is only during the balloon festival are private aircraft ever allowed to overfly the Sands.
About three weeks before the festival, I became concerned over the ambiguous information on the festival Web site about the venues for the various events. There was an inscrutable mixture of information about last year's and this years events. So I called festival director Ed Brabson, who had founded the festival in 1992.
He was very accommodating, and said in fact that, owing to uncertainty about the conflicts with the Missile Range, they had not yet frozen the schedule. He suggested I call him a few days later to get the final word.
I did just that, and he said that Carla and I should be sure to look him up when we go the to Saturday morning liftoff, which it turned out would be at the Balloon Park in town. We did just that, and it turned out to be a fateful encounter in a very positive way.
Carla and I had seen in the paper the reminder that this was not an event in which balloon rides were offered to attendees. Carla said that was just as well—she was not at all interested in going up in any such vessel. (There had been a fatal accident at a balloon festival near Dallas some years ago, and that was enough for her—and in any case, she claims to be afraid of heights, as you could clearly see from the shots of her at the edge of the Grand Canyon!)
There were 58 balloons setting up at the Balloon Park site, all in a wonderfully organized way.
Here we see the open mouth of the balloon Cool Beans (the first one aloft both days). It is being inflated by a powerful gasoline-engine powered blower. Later, the burners will be fired, completing the inflation and erection with hot air.
Douglas A. Kerr: Hot air balloon Cool Beans under air inflation
As the balloons came up and then ascended, it was a wondrous sight.
Douglas A. Kerr: Up and then off
This one is especially pretty:
Douglas A. Kerr: Hot air balloon whats-its-name
As they were fully aloft, the scene took on a new kind of beauty.
Douglas A. Kerr: Two beauties
Soon the sky was filled with these beautiful creatures.
Douglas A. Kerr: The air is full
But the most exciting part is yet to come.
[continued]
This festival is marked by a truly unique launch site, the White Sands Dune field (in particular, the White Sands National Monument). You'll see it shortly. But that is augmented by an "in town" site, the Alamogordo Balloon Park built by the city of Alamogordo a few years ago in an industrial area southwest of town.
This year that was especially good, since no balloon operations would have been permitted at White Sands on Saturday owing to a planned missile shoot at the adjacent White Sands Missile Range (actually the National Monument is within the greater boundaries in the range. (In fact it is only during the balloon festival are private aircraft ever allowed to overfly the Sands.
About three weeks before the festival, I became concerned over the ambiguous information on the festival Web site about the venues for the various events. There was an inscrutable mixture of information about last year's and this years events. So I called festival director Ed Brabson, who had founded the festival in 1992.
He was very accommodating, and said in fact that, owing to uncertainty about the conflicts with the Missile Range, they had not yet frozen the schedule. He suggested I call him a few days later to get the final word.
I did just that, and he said that Carla and I should be sure to look him up when we go the to Saturday morning liftoff, which it turned out would be at the Balloon Park in town. We did just that, and it turned out to be a fateful encounter in a very positive way.
Carla and I had seen in the paper the reminder that this was not an event in which balloon rides were offered to attendees. Carla said that was just as well—she was not at all interested in going up in any such vessel. (There had been a fatal accident at a balloon festival near Dallas some years ago, and that was enough for her—and in any case, she claims to be afraid of heights, as you could clearly see from the shots of her at the edge of the Grand Canyon!)
There were 58 balloons setting up at the Balloon Park site, all in a wonderfully organized way.
Here we see the open mouth of the balloon Cool Beans (the first one aloft both days). It is being inflated by a powerful gasoline-engine powered blower. Later, the burners will be fired, completing the inflation and erection with hot air.
Douglas A. Kerr: Hot air balloon Cool Beans under air inflation
As the balloons came up and then ascended, it was a wondrous sight.
Douglas A. Kerr: Up and then off
This one is especially pretty:
Douglas A. Kerr: Hot air balloon whats-its-name
As they were fully aloft, the scene took on a new kind of beauty.
Douglas A. Kerr: Two beauties
Soon the sky was filled with these beautiful creatures.
Douglas A. Kerr: The air is full
But the most exciting part is yet to come.
[continued]
Maggie