Above It All
To Fly is Freedom
As told to Chris Brunson
Photos by Penelope Christy
Imagine this: It’s about an hour after sunrise. There’s a strange “whooshing” noise outside.
“Hey kids! Get up! There’s a hot air balloon landing in our yard. Look at its colors glowing in the sun!”
This is a common scene when balloonists land in Connecticut after a morning flight. Not only do people come out to greet the aviators when they land, but they also can pitch in to help pack up the balloon. If the winds are calm enough, the balloonists occasionally take the neighborhood children and parents up for a tethered flight.
The members of the Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society (CLAS) represent and promote the sport of ballooning in Connecticut. CLAS is a club that consists of about 80 members, most of whom are Connecticut pilots and crew members. They fly or chase hot air balloons (1-2 hour flights) and there are a couple of them who also fly gas balloons (1-3 day flights) and compete in the annual Albuquerque America’s Challenge gas balloon event. Each month CLAS organizes friendly flying competitions at various locations or events around the state. A recent event was the annual Plainville Balloon Festival presented by the Plainville Volunteer Fire Department at Norton Park in August.
Balloonists fly all year, usually in the morning when the winds are calm. Conditions favorable for flight are: daytime, with visibility of 5 miles, no rain or fog, surface winds 5 knots or less, clouds above 3,000 feet, and at 3,000 feet, the winds are less than 25 knots.
Many balloonists fly in the Farmington valley, where, from an altitude of 2,500 feet, they can see most of Hartford and New Haven counties, parts of Massachusetts, and, occasionally, New York. Balloonists travel all over the state to fly in different areas with other balloonists who fly in the Woodstock, Mystic, Jewett City, Litchfield, Woodbury, and Southbury areas.
Passengers seem to prefer flying during autumn when the fall foliage provides a brilliant seasonal color display. The winter landscape with trees bare of leaves reveals the terrain, streams, rivers, and animals that are camouflaged in other seasons. The snowy landscape is special for its white-on-white scenes. Spring is breathtaking with the light green outlines of the tree buds bringing the promise of new growth.
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Pilot Charles Perreault of Southington introduces some of his neighbors to a tethered flight.For those interested in taking a hot air balloon ride, many members are commercial pilots who provide balloon rides, flight training, FAA flight practical examinations, balloon sales, balloon repairs and other services. See the CLAS Web site at www.lighterthanair.org for a comprehensive listing under “CLAS Commercial Operator Directory.”
According to the facts presented on the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning Web site www.balloonfestival.com, “In order to fly a balloon, you must be an FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) licensed hot air balloon pilot” and “must first obtain a student pilot’s certificate.” Other requirements include being at least 16 years old, passing a written exam, logging in hours of flight time with a certified instructor (much as when getting a private pilot’s license for an airplane), and passing a flight test.
The cost to own your own balloon can range from $20,000 and up (designer balloons can ring up at $200,000 and more), according to a fun site with many facts, www.hotairballooning.com, which also lists festivals around the country (and world).
Resources:
Contact Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society, P.O. Box 53, Southbury, CT 06488; (860) 857-8757. Or e-mail info@lighterthanair.org. Meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at the Plainville Municipal Building; business meetings with educational/safety segments alternate with educational presentations. Check with the group if interested in attending or visit www.lighterthanair.org. The group’s monthly newsletter features local and international news, stories and photographs of the members’ balloon-related experiences and news of upcoming balloon events. Each year CLAS publishes a calendar with beautiful ballooning images selected from members’ photos at the September meeting. An annual winter educational activity is a day-long safety seminar where pilots, crew and interested friends gather from all over New England to refresh their ballooning safety knowledge.
For details about the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which attracts pilots and visitors from all around the world, visit www.balloonfiesta.com or write to Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Inc., 4401 Alameda N.E., Albuquerque, NM 87113; call (505) 821-1000. For corporate information and sponsorship call (505) 228-9874.
