|
 Though a bit nervous about being airborne, I went up in the "Luck
Is In The Air" balloon piloted by Ed Dowling of Lincoln. Dowling and
his family gave it this name because the balloon has a rainbow
descending from a pot of gold.
Lifting off from a spot near the runway, the balloon rose about 300
feet in the air, smoothly gliding over the cornfields and landing
near the hangars several hundred feet away. It was a very calm
experience floating along with the wind and seeing an aerial view of
the world.
After a bit of a bumpy landing with some assistance from Pat Doolin,
the crew, which included Joe Jones, Rick Zimmer, Hayden Zimmer and
Eric Henrichsmeyer, got to work rolling up the "envelope," which
looks a bit like rolling up a very large sleeping bag. The balloon
was then put into a bag and loaded up in a trailer.
Once the balloon was put back in the trailer, Dowling gave the
traditional champagne toast, reciting the balloonist's prayer, which
states "The winds have welcomed you with softness. The sun has
blessed you with its warms hands. You have flown high and so well
that God has joined you in your laughter and set you gently back
into the loving arms of Mother Earth." Dowling explained that this
tradition started back in the 1780s when balloonists offered it to
pacify the farmers whose field they landed in. The balloon website
explains that "The champagne convinced the farmers that they were
not in fact demons and acted as an apology for disturbing the land
and animals grazing in the field." Now, it is a way to toast a good
flight.
Dowling has piloted hundreds of flights. He has been involved in
ballooning since 1974. He stated that after going to the national
balloon races in Indianola, Iowa and seeing all the beautiful
balloons, he decided he wanted to become a balloon pilot. He soon
began training for his hot air ballooning license in a banker funded
club. When Lincoln's balloon festival started in 1989, Dowling got a
new balloon and helped train the first crews.
For Dowling, his wife, Marcia; and daughters Jennifer, Julie, and
Kelly, ballooning has often been a family affair and they have even
traveled to the festival in Albuquerque, which is the largest one in
the world. He said that ballooning has been such a big part of their
lives that when friends would say to his daughters, "Your dad has a
balloon?" they would respond with "Doesn't everybody?"
Dowling has also had many memorable experiences during his years of
ballooning. He says that at least a dozen couples have gotten
engaged in his balloon. He has also taken newly married couples up
in his balloon as they leave the church, since a balloon ride is
more unique than the traditional limo ride. In addition, he has
spread a man's ashes during a balloon flight.
[to top of second column] |
Another memorable moment Dowling shared is the "long jump" flight he did one
February, flying 86 miles from Lincoln to Charleston (6th place in the United
States). He called it a spur of the moment trip, stating that he got the balloon
up to 10,000 feet and just kept going at about 80 mph until he ended up in
Charleston. Dowling explained that balloonists can go up to 14,000 feet without
oxygen, and he once went up to 16,000 feet, but his passenger started to feel
ill at that altitude.
Other experiences are memorable for less exciting reasons. For instance, one
time, Dowling's balloon was stolen from his trailer in Iowa. After articles in
the newspapers there alerted residents to the theft, someone found the balloon
along the Des Moines river. When Dowling got the balloon out of the river, he
discovered that it was still airworthy. Another time, Dowling landed his balloon
on top of the Walgreens in Centralia, Illinois, and the fire department had to
assist in getting it down.
Dowling has also won some awards over the years. He says that one time, there
was a contest at a Mattoon balloon festival where pilots had to complete various
tasks such as landing on a sponsoring business, going up to a high altitude and
hugging or kissing a passenger, flying the highest distance, throwing Irish
Spring soap out the basket, and flying crepe paper between two balloons without
breaking the paper. Dowling said that he and balloonist Cindy Wooge of St. Louis
won the prize for flying the crepe paper between their balloons. Dowling also
scored in the top eight at last weekend's balloon festival in Centralia,
Illinois.
Dowling says that he has hundreds of other stories from his years of piloting a
balloon. Having spent more than half his life piloting balloons, it is a major
part of his life, one that appears to bring him great joy.
[Angela Reiners] |
