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2012 Art and Balloon Festival
page 17 Monday, August 27, 2012
On the runway, festival volunteers are setting up
the target space for the competition that takes place
during the fly-in. Among the crowd, one person will
explain how the balloonist will steer his or her vessel
over the target and, at the hopefully perfect moment,
drop the yellow-tailed bag.
While many who are there already know the
process, hearing it spoken out loud validates what
they believe to be true.
As conversations lull and folks enjoy the
freshness of the day, someone finally shouts out,
“There’s one!”
Everyone takes notice, and soon all are scanning
the sky so they might be the first one to see the
second one. Within minutes they are satisfied, as they
spy another brightly colored balloon heading toward
the target.
As the balloons erupt on the horizon and draw
near, folks on the ground shout out to the pilots, who
in return wave and shout back, before turning to the
job of the day -- hitting the target on the ground.
Strategy for hitting the target varies from pilot to
pilot. Some choose to bring their balloon as low to
the ground as possible and then simply drop the bag
into the target zone. Others fly a bit higher and toss
the bag toward the target. Some hold the bag by its
yellow tail and swing it around and around, letting
go at what they hope is the perfect time for it to soar
through the air and land strategically in the center of
the target.
As the bags hit the ground, shouts and cheers go
up for the various pilots who have come close to the
center mark.
There are also those balloonists who miss the
mark, by a long shot. Almost every year a balloon
will experience a change in the wind, and when it
arrives at the airport, it is dozens if not hundreds of
feet from the target. Spectators watch with sorrow and
sympathy as they come to realize that this balloonist
is really not even in the competition.
While some eyes are turned to the skies watching
the balloons arrive, others soon turn their attention
to what is going on after the pilots throw toward the
target. Some of those who fly low to the ground will
land their crafts at the end of the runway. Landing a
basket isn’t an easy task, and just for the record, not
all the baskets land on their bottoms.
While their “crash” landings usually take place in
what is almost slow motion, it is kind of a rough and
somewhat comical landing for some. As the audience
turns their eyes on these landings, they see the baskets
sometimes hit the ground in a kind of “skip,” take
back to the air a foot or two, then slowly and almost
painfully fall on their sides, leaving the pilot and his
guests with no option but to just hold on and brace for
the landing.
Then there are those who choose to stay in the sky
because, after all, it is a perfect morning for flying.
Those who watch will often comment: “Where are
they going? When will they land?”
And some will try to guess: “They’re going to the
college. That one is headed for the high school.” And
some will surmise, “He’s up there and he isn’t coming
back!”
When the morning is done, it is almost a letdown.
It’s like taking a bite when you’d really like to eat the
whole thing. Some wish there were more, some linger
awhile, hoping there will be one last balloon, and some
just sigh, because they know it’s over and it’s time to
go on back home, or out to breakfast, and all that is left
until next year is the memory of the thrill of the fly-in.
[By NILA SMITH]