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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Not Just A Lot Of Hot Air Ballooning Grows In Popularity

Graham Vink Travel Editor

The roar of the gas burners sounds like a jet plane at takeoff, but there is no thrust, no vibration, no sensation of speed.

Instead, our balloon gently lifts off the ground and we climb almost straight into the Montana sky at 500 feet per minute, a rate many small planes would find hard to match.

Then our pilot, Steve Davis, turns off the burners and we are truly floating, enjoying a bird’s-eye view of our launch spot in Kalispell, Flathead Lake to the south and the mountains of Glacier National Park to the east.

We move with the wind, so there is almost no sensation of vertical or horizontal movement, just an occasional mild bump as waves of hot air hit the top of the balloon.

Our flight alternates between near-silence and noisy, hot blasts from the twin propane burners, which must be fired up regularly to maintain altitude. And the wicker gondola is quite cramped with its pilot and five passengers; we have elbow room, but that’s about all.

Davis wants to land northwest of Kalispell, but the air currents at low levels are not cooperating; we are being blown too far west. So he pumps heat into the balloon to make us rise to 1,500 feet, where the winds are blowing in the correct direction.

“A lot of people don’t understand that you can’t always control where you’re going,” says Roger Stadtmueller, owner of American Hot Airlines, a Spokane ballooning company. A pilot’s only navigation tool is the propane burners, which allow the balloon to rise and fall.

After floating for a half-hour, Davis reduces altitude (a vent can be opened in the top of the balloon to speed the process), and we skim at treetop height above fields and roads. Davis is in radio contact with our chase van, and its driver meets us as we make a perfect landing in a gravel parking lot, the gondola skidding to a gentle halt as we touch down.

Short of more daring activities like sky diving or hang gliding, ballooning is as close as it gets to a magic carpet ride. On a warm summer evening, with the setting sun casting a golden glow across the landscape, we are truly at one with the sky and the wind, our earthbound cares left far behind.

It’s been more than 200 years since two French brothers, Jacques Etienne and Joseph Michel Montgolfier, began experimenting with hot-air balloons (though they initially thought it was smoke, not heat, that made them rise). But ballooning, both as a sport and as a business, really took off about 20 years ago and is still growing in popularity.

Modern balloons are typically made of synthetic fabric (coated nylon or Dacron, for example), heated with propane (usually two separate systems, as a safety measure) and carry a wicker or aluminum gondola to hold pilot and passengers.

Commercial balloon operators now offer flights in many tourist destinations and major cities, including Spokane. Balloon festivals are growing more common; two regional events are coming up the first weekend in October in south-central British Columbia and northwest Montana.

“It’s a great way to get a bunch of balloon pilots and spectators together,” says Davis, whose Air Big Sky is hosting the Flathead International Balloon Festival. “Flying with other balloons is just absolutely gorgeous. It’s fun for the pilots and the community - they get to see this explosion of color in the sky.”

Balloon festivals typically feature rides for passengers, “hare and hound” races (one balloon makes a short flight, lands, and other balloons try to reach the identical location, sometimes throwing bean bags at a target on the ground), and other aerial-related activities (sky divers jumping from balloons, for example).

An extremely popular activity is the evening “glow.” Balloons are lined up in a field as dusk falls and the burners are lit - just enough to illuminate the huge, colorful balloon canopies in a beautiful display.

Unfortunately, ballooning is not cheap. A complete setup - balloon, gondola and burners - costs from $20,000 to $30,000. That translates into rides that usually range from $70 to $150 per person, depending on the location and the length of the flight.

Most balloon pilots have minimum ages for children - typically 7 to 9 years old - because they can be frightened by heights and are at a slightly greater risk of being hurt if the landing is bumpy. Also, children generally don’t find scenery particularly interesting, meaning it’s debatable whether it’s worth the cost of taking them up.

“Kids get bored,” says Davis.

More fun for children are tether rides, frequently offered at festivals, in which the balloon rises 25 to 30 feet but remains tethered to the ground.

Like any outdoor adventure, there are risks involved in ballooning, but the sport is considered quite safe. Commercial pilots are licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration, and their balloons are inspected at least once a year.

In the Northwest, most balloon rides are offered in early morning and late afternoon, when the winds are lightest. The most likely scenario for possible injury would be a windy landing, with the gondola tipping over and being dragged, its occupants inside, before the balloon deflated.

But commercial pilots say they are very conservative about weather conditions. “Our cutoff (for wind) is about eight knots,” says Stadtmueller, of American Hot Airlines.

“It’s a very, very safe sport if done properly,” says Davis, who has been flying since 1987. “I have made close to 500 flights, and I have yet to see anyone turn an ankle or walk away with a bruised knee.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 4 Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: More on ballooning Festivals Flathead International Balloon Festival, Kalispell, Mont. Oct. 7-8. About 18 balloons are expected. Events include pancake breakfast, sunrise balloon launch, evening balloon illuminations, hare and hound balloon races, skydivers, entertainment. Rides will be offered to public on Monday, Oct. 9, typically at $125 to $150 per person. For information, call Flathead Convention and Visitor Association, (800) 543-3105. Balloon Rendezvous, Armstrong, British Columbia (about 45 miles northeast of Kelowna), Oct. 6-8. About 15 to 20 balloons are expected. Events include balloon flights with passengers on all three days (rides are approximately $110 U.S.); a Saturday barbecue; helicopter rides; a choreographed Saturday evening glow with music; and hare and hound races. For information, call Stardust Ballooning (604) 868-8382, or Armstrong Chamber of Commerce, (604) 546-8155. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico, Oct. 7-15. This festival attracts more than 650 balloons and 1.6 million spectators from around the world. For information, call the fiesta office at (505) 821-1000 or the Albuquerque Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at (800) 284-2282 or (505) 243-3696. Operators: American Hot Airlines, Spokane. Flies in Portland and Spokane in summer, Las Vegas and Phoenix in winter. Spokane flights typically offered through end of October, depending on weather. Half-hour evening flights are $69 weekdays, $79 weekends. Hour-long morning flights are $79 weekdays, $89 weekends. Flights usually launch from north Spokane, occasionally from Riverfront Park. For information, call 324-2303. Avian Balloon Co., Spokane. Company manufactures balloons and also offers balloon flights, usually launched from the Spokane Valley. One-hour flights are $100. The company also offers a gourmet dinner flight (a chef prepares a five-course meal in the gondola, using a stove that hangs over the side) at a cost of $595 for two people. For information, call 928-6847. Air Big Sky, Kalispell, Mont. Company offers morning and evening flights above the Flathead Valley for $125. For information, call (406) 862-3432.

This sidebar appeared with the story: More on ballooning Festivals Flathead International Balloon Festival, Kalispell, Mont. Oct. 7-8. About 18 balloons are expected. Events include pancake breakfast, sunrise balloon launch, evening balloon illuminations, hare and hound balloon races, skydivers, entertainment. Rides will be offered to public on Monday, Oct. 9, typically at $125 to $150 per person. For information, call Flathead Convention and Visitor Association, (800) 543-3105. Balloon Rendezvous, Armstrong, British Columbia (about 45 miles northeast of Kelowna), Oct. 6-8. About 15 to 20 balloons are expected. Events include balloon flights with passengers on all three days (rides are approximately $110 U.S.); a Saturday barbecue; helicopter rides; a choreographed Saturday evening glow with music; and hare and hound races. For information, call Stardust Ballooning (604) 868-8382, or Armstrong Chamber of Commerce, (604) 546-8155. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico, Oct. 7-15. This festival attracts more than 650 balloons and 1.6 million spectators from around the world. For information, call the fiesta office at (505) 821-1000 or the Albuquerque Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at (800) 284-2282 or (505) 243-3696. Operators: American Hot Airlines, Spokane. Flies in Portland and Spokane in summer, Las Vegas and Phoenix in winter. Spokane flights typically offered through end of October, depending on weather. Half-hour evening flights are $69 weekdays, $79 weekends. Hour-long morning flights are $79 weekdays, $89 weekends. Flights usually launch from north Spokane, occasionally from Riverfront Park. For information, call 324-2303. Avian Balloon Co., Spokane. Company manufactures balloons and also offers balloon flights, usually launched from the Spokane Valley. One-hour flights are $100. The company also offers a gourmet dinner flight (a chef prepares a five-course meal in the gondola, using a stove that hangs over the side) at a cost of $595 for two people. For information, call 928-6847. Air Big Sky, Kalispell, Mont. Company offers morning and evening flights above the Flathead Valley for $125. For information, call (406) 862-3432.