Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta ~ The Mass Ascension

Day #5 & 6 (Saturday and Sunday)

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta ~ 

The Mass Ascension

 

We originally planned to go to the Grand Canyon for the last part of the trip but John found out about the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. We diverted our trip to be able to see the last two days of this 9-day annual event which started almost 50 years ago and was said to include over 500 balloons. 

We arrive in time to take part in the final sunset dawn patrol event where skydiving starts and is followed by ballooners who open their balloons for all to see. It is warm and sunny with band music. People seem very relaxed lying on the grass and waiting for more than 100 balloons to open up. 

Laying out the Ground Cloth and Balloon: 

The balloons are brought into the grounds (a golf course) via vans.
So if you decide to take on this hobby you will need a van or big carrying truck. 

Ground cloth

Balloon envelope

The team pulls out a ground cloth that is put on the ground to protect the nylon balloon envelope that is spread out next. This envelope can weigh as much as 400 pounds and traditionally is the inverted tear drop shape. We will shortly learn there are many other shapes now available as well. 

Pilot

Hooking up balloon to gondola and installing uprights and burners: 

The team pulls out the rectangular wicker gondola basket which is at least another 400 pounds and can vary in size with most able to carry 3-5 people. The next step is the burner unit which gasifies liquid propane and directs the flame into the mouth of the envelope. It is supported rigidly over the basket. I am told this is a bit like starting up propane barbecue.  The gondola basket load cables are latched to the back of the truck.  

Inflation:The ground crew open the balloon mouth and an inflation fan fills the envelope with cool air. 

Inflation fan for cold air

Aiming the burner into the envelope 

Balloon fills and gondola goes upright 

The pilot inspects the balloon. When the inflation is 2/3 filled with cold air then the pilot aims the burner and flame into the envelope so the hot air rises to the top causing the balloon to lift. A crew member at the top of the envelope helps control the rising of the balloon with a rope. The balloon and gondola eventually go upright and is ready for take off. The ground crew folds up the ground cloth and pack up; then the van follows the balloon and keeps in touch via radio.

Balloons being inflated 

The Chase: At the top of the balloon is a vent that can be opened by a control line to release hot air when starting a descent.  Steering of the hot air balloon is limited and can be changed by changing the balloon altitude. Different altitudes can have different wind directions which can allow the pilot to switch course.  A commercial pilot must have a certificate to take paying passengers. At the end the pilot tells the ground crew where he will land and the procedure of packing up everything in reverse order takes place. This is always followed by a celebration of the team effort.

The winds have welcomed you with softness,

The sun has blessed you with his warm hands.

You have flown so high and so free

That God has joined you in laughter

And set you gently again

Into the loving arms of mother earth. 



The Ascension: The next morning before sunrise while it was still very cold, we arrive with our “gondola member tickets” at 6 am for breakfast to watch more approximately 500 balloons of all shapes, sizes and colors take off sequentially as the sun rises.

Before the sun rises 

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Balloons ascend in a sequence

Sunrise 

Soon the early morning sky is dense with colorful balloons floating gently above us. The sky is sprinkled with brilliant colors. I wish to be up there. There is every kind of balloon design you can imagine.   One balloon was developed as a depiction of their family dog. Others advertise their business, university, or Smokey the Bear, or a pig, or Humpty Dumpty, or just have beautiful colours.  

Humpty Dumpty

Smokey the Bear 

Missouri  where our son, wife and grandson live.

Some of the gondolas are rectangular, a few are triangular shaped and then there are some where people sit alone in a ski chair without a gondola! 

No gondola!

Clearly this balloon flying process is a carefully synchronized event involving a team lifting balloons and gondolas and a ground crew following where they go and then helping them land safely. We feel incredibly lucky to have viewed the final two days. We have heard that as many as 80,000 people have come to each of the events over the past 8 days. We met one 87-year-old woman who was celebrating her birthday with her children (her birthday was the same day as mine) who said this was her 7^thtime being here. Clearly this event is a happy, childlike time and experience.  Quite magical in every way.

Some of the balloons descend in the same spot they took off from but most descend elsewhere.

Celebrating after the descent

Afterwards we go to the Anderson Abruzzon International Balloon Museum which gives us a history of hot air ballooning back to 1783 when the first balloon carrying sheep, a duck and a rooster stayed in the air for 15 minutes before crashing. Women as early as 1784 were not deterred from this daring event. The gondolas by then were not particularly safe. 





The hot air balloon was the first successful human-carrying flight technology launched in Paris in 1783 and then Philadelphia in 1793. We watch an hour long movie of a 62-year-old woman (Anderson) and younger man in his 30’s (Abruzzon) who were passionate about ballooning together and unfortunately died in a cross the world race near Italy. People can die in these events because of colliding balloons, hitting a power line causing a fire, not being able to manage a storm and crashing. This museum was named after these two people and provided a fascinating history of those who have ballooned since the late 1700s.  I am struck by the passion, commitment and danger involved in hot air ballooning and wonder how the death or injury rate compares with accidents due to car crashes, skiing, biking, hiking and mountain climbing. Are you enticed to take this up? Most pilots we saw seemed to our age!