Up, Up, and Away !

Hot Air Ballooning requires a warm, still day, and a head for heights!  Though neither of these are a problem for Liz, the descent IS.   The flight is scheduled to start from Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, so her eldest lad has been roped in to provide transport to and from the venue.  Time then to don reporter's hat, and get literally "out in the field" again.  The flight itself is expected to take about an hour, and is set for the early evening.  So,  whilst Liz has her head in the clouds, we'll try to gain some in-depth info. from the ground crews.

This unique mode of flight, though not any different in principle than in the days of the Montgolfier brothers, is a somewhat high technology activity which belies the simple basics.   Envelopes are available in a wide range of shapes and styles, and are a perfect source of advertising with style.   The biggest drawback is that a large ground area is required for the initial inflation of the envelope and, as a free-flight craft, a support crew for recovery from whence it lands.   To achieve this end, radio equipment and satellite navigation aids are required, along with all-terrain vehicles.  All in all an expensive hobby!

The burner produces approximately 30,000 BTU, and is a very efficient heat source.  Great care must be exercised when inflating the envelope to avoid a potential fire hazard, which could destroy it entirely.  Liquid propane gas is used by this device, and the temperature of the air in the balloon controls the altitude of the flight.  A removable panel in the top of the envelope (called a parachute) provides a means of a quick deflation at the end of a flight;   ultimately useful in a constrictive area.   But now, it's time for Liz to take us on a guided tour at closer quarters.

The night before saw us making the final preparations.  We planned the best route to get us to Shugborough, avoiding the mess which is the M6, particularly around Birmingham, and debating which car and driver would be best.  The oldest lad, Ian, who was co-conspirator in my voucher, who just had to be there to see the spectacle.  Ian thought it could be fun, as he's never flown at all, and I get him all to myself for at least an hour, without him having to "dash off" somewhere else.  There's very few places to dash off to in a basket under a balloon somewhere in the sky!

With video camera collected, the cameras are packed with film, ready.  A mad scramble occurs to find the vouchers which become certificates to prove you've flown when the pilot signs it. All we need is a favourable weather report, and we're off.  The weather has been glorious, baking hot, very little breeze and a cloudless sky.  Fingers crossed!  The event has already been cancelled once due to adverse weather with rain and high winds precluding a flight in May.   July has got to be better, surely.

The morning dawns bright and clear, with a cloudless sky.  As the day progresses, the sun scorches the pavements, and the sky remains clear.  There is a welcome breeze and I check with the balloon company to confirm the flight time.  Unfortunately, they can't give us confirmation yet.  Yesterday's flights had been superb as well as the flight in the morning, but it's the breeze.   Whilst it's welcome to us on the ground, it's above 15 miles per hour which is too risky, so it's a further wait to see if it drops.  As the place is quite near to us at only an hour and a half drive away, it is suggested we phone again at 4pm to check that all is go, and the breeze has dropped.

Who said that July was foolproof?   July is also a dismal failure - great weather, but the winds are too strong.   Likewise August, despite several attempts to "get airborne".  Maybe September will come right !

Slowly, the year ticks by, with September drawing ever nearer.  Summer ends, and the days get shorter.  September in the UK can have summer-like qualities, producing an "Indian Summer", temperatures are lower, but the days can be dry and sunny.  This year's summer has been a record breaker in terms of heat and sun, with little rain, but with a fair amount of welcome breeze.  Less welcome when hot air ballooning is your treat.   At the beginning of September, a flight was booked yet again on the 17th and we crossed our fingers.   The weather forecast did not appear to be favourable, with rain and winds predicted.

On the weekend before the 17th, the skies brightened, and the wind dropped, washing was drying again outside, and it looked hopeful.  September mornings were cooler, with mist at dawn, but skies became clear.   Summer was back again!  Weather reports claimed that it would break with rain and winds, but drawing ever closer to the 17th, the weather remained favourable. 

On the evening of the 16th, we met and discussed our plans for the following day.   Weather reports were claiming rain on the 19th now, and it was certainly still, clear and warm.  The morning of the 17th dawned dry and bright, with no breeze.  The excitement began to mount.  The video camera is unpacked once again and the batteries charged.   We wait until 12 o'clock to phone to get confirmation and a flight time.

I finally get through and am disappointed yet again.  In the meantime, a breeze had sprung up, and again, there is no chance of a safe flight.  Another date is booked, and we play the weather lottery once again.  This kind of disappointment is quite common with this activity.  With everyone's safety and passenger enjoyment in mind, even the slightest wind can cause difficulties.  It does not always cancel a flight, in many ways it can depend on which way the wind is blowing.  The May flight had been cancelled due to the wind direction carrying us over the Pennines, deemed far too risky for both balloon, crew and passengers, particularly when landing.  Visibility has to be good, too.  There is no point getting aloft to see very little of the countryside over which you are travelling.   The average cancellation rate is three, the longest wait being 21 attempts, with some lucky souls managing a flight on their first booking.

As the date chosen is only a week later, we are still fairly confident of the chance of decent weather, and daily checks are made on the internet to see how the weather is shaping up in that part of the country.  It's unimportant what conditions we have at home, it's where we will be taking off from that matters.   By Wednesday, the forecast looks hopeful, and we play the waiting game again. 

Saturday is finally here, and by 11.00 hours the prognosis is good.  Wind chimes erected outside are silent, the weather reports are good; all that remains is for the weather to remain as it is for the flight to take place.  Regretfully, Baz can't make it - so here goes anyway!   As an observer, he has lost a little of the excitement due to the constant deferment of flight dates, anyway.

A check at 12.30 with the ballooning company, finally gives us the okay;  the flight is on.  We are given a time to meet at Shugborough Hall, 4.45pm, and a further phone call is made to Ian, who had forgotten we had booked the flight for Saturday.  After confirming that it was not a Sunday flight, he dashes back from a computer fair to pick me up in his car.   A quick stop to collect his ticket and some cash, and we're away up the A5.

We pass the entrance to Shugbourgh Hall nearly an hour early, so we decide to stop for a meal at a pub.  Unfortunately, although the meal was excellent, service was a little tardy, leaving us very little time to arrive.  We arrive 15 minutes late, to cheers and relief from fellow passengers who had waited for us.

Three balloons were making the flight, and were laid out on the ground, the baskets tethered on their sides ready for inflation.   Our pilot gave the safety speech and lift off and landing procedures, then we split into our respective groups and made our way to our balloons and pilots.  For those wishing to chase the balloons by road, the support/recovery vehicles were identified by coloured boxes on the trailers matching their balloon colours, making it easy to spot both from the air and road.  We were invited to help inflate the balloon, first by large fans, and then when the envelope was sufficiently full of air, the pilot used the burners to fully inflate the balloon until the basket raised into an upright position.

We were then invited to climb aboard, using footholds in the basket, couples first, with solo fliers slotting in to balance the weight.  There were five compartments in the basket, the middle one being reserved for the pilot and gas bottles.   The remaining gas in the first bottle was used to give a little lift, and was off loaded before we took off.  As the weight reduced in the basket, we could feel the balloon straining to break free from it's mooring rope, and the basket moved free from the ground.  At last the retaining cable was un-clipped and we floated free.  A short burst from the burner, and the ground fell away.

As there was little breeze, extra heat was required to rise until we found some wind to enable us to travel.  As we rose higher, we could see the other two balloons still on their tethers, waiting until we had cleared the area, so they could join us.  Although we all take off together, depending on the wind and thermals, we could all travel in different directions.   This was proved so on our flight, with two balloons travelling in the same direction, with the last one disappearing on another course some half an hour into the flight.   Also aloft that night were two other balloons from the same company, which we could spot in the distance.  One was an experienced pilot accompanying a new balloonist who was increasing his flight hours and experience before joining the team of pilots.

      

In our quest to find wind we rose first to 1000 feet, and as visibility was good and the cloud base higher, we rose further, finally stopping at 4,500 feet.  This is as high was the balloon was allowed to go, as any further height meant encroaching into flight paths of commercial aircraft.   The air temperature surprisingly was still comfortable, although as in aircraft, air pressure left us trying to clear the ears.  Visibility was so good we were able to see 40 miles distance.  Having found no wind, we descended a little and communications between pilots found the best area for travel.  It was a slow flight and few miles were covered, but views were stunning, and the pilot pointed out places of interest.  It helps when your pilot is based locally, as he knows the area well, including possible landing sites.  As balloons require a large area to return to earth, fallow fields are a favourite place, and once the direction of flight is known, a landing site is pre-determined by the pilot, allowing him to direct the ground crews via radio.  The ground crews are responsible for contacting the farmer to gain permission for access to his field, with a supply of whisky on board the Land Rovers to appease the lucky owner of the land.

As we were travelling so slowly, we were going to be lucky to clear Stafford which we were approaching before we ran out of gas.  To gain air speed, we needed to descend quite low, lower than is usually allowed over built up areas, which caused a great deal of excitement among the local populous.  Some landing sites were discounted due to their unsuitability, ie the local sewage works, the train track and a wood!   Flying over the town of Stafford, we were afforded good views of the houses and gardens, with people coming to watch as we floated over their roof tops.  We could have conversations with those below, and waved as they took photographs of the nutcases in the balloon which they thought was going to crash.   We weren't the ones to crash however - two boys on bicycles looking up at us, failed to look where they were going and one ended up in the ditch!

With the field in sight, we descended even lower, attracting local residents to the field to watch the landing.  The pre-harvested field was at the side of a busy road, and cars stopped to watch, with kids on bicycles streaming in through the gateway, and others watching around the fence.   It was a gentle and totally controlled landing, in the centre of the field.  The basket touched the ground, held for a moment, gently lifted, then with a gentle bump, finally settled, with the balloon still upright and inflated.  After a few minutes, as we were attracting too much attention from road users, it was decided to bring down the balloon to prevent accidents on the road.  One person from each corner of the basket alighted, and took hold of lines released from the top of the balloon, and began to pull while the canopy vent was opened, allowing air to escape.  Rapidly the envelope collapsed and was pulled to the ground.  Once the balloon was down, we were free to leave the basket to assist with packing up.  There were many willing helpers among the gathered children, who in return for a chance to climb in the basket, were more than willing to help tidy up.  It caused much relief and enjoyment to the friendly people of Stafford, and has left them with a wonderful memory, as it did all of us who took part.

Our accompanying balloon also descended in an adjoining field, leaving two ground crews searching for the correct balloon.  We had two ground crews in our field, our own and the other who had got confused and lost!  After directions they were reunited with the correct balloon, among much merriment from the crews and locals.

The ground crew assisted in packing the balloon into it's bag, loaded it into the trailer box, then backed the trailer toward the basket, which was lifted up by willing members of the flight at one end, and slid onto the back of the trailer.   After being deftly tied down, we settled into the seats of the Land Rovers for onward travel back to Shugborough Hall.  There the pilots could sign the certificates and debrief, sharing jokes and reminiscences with us, and discussing their flights.   The third group had still not returned when we departed for home.  How they fared is still unknown but our crews were not worried.   All crews and pilots remain in contact with each other until they return to base.  If assistance was required, the returned crews were happy to help rescue others.

As Ian had never had the opportunity to leave the ground before, he had been a little apprehensive during the first few minutes.   His verdict half an hour into the flight was very different.  After returning to Shugborough Hall, he wanted another opportunity to fly again, as did I.  Others too were thrilled at the prospect, one couple having waited for 3 years for that moment, suffering 21 cancellations!   So if your interest has been fired, and you have patience and understanding that the weather can be fickle, give it a try.  This is a highly recommended experience of a life-time for anyone with the courage to try something different, and certainly rates among my 10 things to do before you die.  Shop around on the internet, prices do change between operators, and time of year, varying from £125 to £1200, depending on your requirements.

Many thanks to all staff from Wickers World  (www.wickersworld.co.uk),  especially Jon Rudoni, the pilot, Lizzie, ground crew chaser, and Sandra and Ian, my off-spring responsible for the whole event.  An absolutely fabulous birthday present, finally taken a year and 4 days later!

Liz & Baz
Photos mostly taken by Liz, with extras used with permission.
Some taken by Patrick Lichfield.