My partner Jo took me Hot-Air Ballooning yesterday, and man, what a buzz!!!
We were told the night before that the flight would be cancelled due to weather, but then received a call at 20 to 7 in the morning informing us we had 20 minutes to be at the meeting point!
Setting it up:
Kruizin Kol
Going up...
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And up....
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and blast off!!!
well not really, this would have to be the smoothest take-off I've ever experienced!
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Goodbye ground-crew...
It was really quite amazing watching the Troop-carrier getting smaller and smaller, then we got above the trees and hills into the current and moved off quite rapidly... all without the faintest trace of a ripple!
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Sugarloaf reservoir...
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Awesome views!!
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Jo, with her in-flight champagne! and what a buzz that was... I mean, ya can't really drink champagne while you're skydiving, can ya? 😉
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Sugarloaf again... the other ballon in the picture went skimming across just a couple feet above the surface!!! We went and did some turf-surfing instead. 😀
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Just to prove I was actually there!!
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And our fellow 'basket-cases' 🙂
I must say, hot-air ballooning is a buzz! It doesn't really rate as an 'extreme sport', because it's just not. The flight was very calm, and even I (who has a fear of heights) never felt vertigo at any time. The landing was absolutely perfect and gentle, the only drawback possibly is the requirement that you help set-up and pack-up the balloon, and it is heavy!! I definitely recommend it as something worth trying at least once! :thumb
Kruizin Kol
good stuff, I used to do a bit of crewing for hot air ballooning.. did quite a but of chasing in and flying.. the fun part is chasing a balloon on the ground wondering where they are gong to come down... spent many early mornings around forbes doing this.
did they do the standard thing where you all stand inside the balloon for a photo while they inflate it?.
Nope. A couple people held the bottom open, and a guy held tension on the top rope to keep the whole thing open for inflation.
Kruizin Kol
Good stuff Col
Man.... i just thought how long ago it was that i went up......about 1987!!
Thanks Col.... now i feel OLD!!!
Anyway... it is a buzz. The sound, or lack of is weird. Thenthe blast of the burner.
We landed in a archery range near Cessnock some where much to the anger of the shooters.
But there is bugger all you can do about where you are going to land :P
Futue te ipsum!!!
AWSOME
Looks like heaps of fun.
Is it expensive?
Hope you had fun🙂
yeh looks bloody awesome.
i want to go now!
MOB: 0423890217
I've always wanted to go to the canberra balloon festival, think its in march, but always seem to have more needy things to do at that time.... as well as being in financial recovery mode from christmas.
Chris.... kombi pilot, oval dreamer... finisher #26971 2005 city to surf
my partner bought me a hot air balloon ride for my 30th birthday last year - we went over the MCG on Grand Final morning !!! It was absolutely amazing, to go through the city and see your own reflection in the buildings.... I'd definelty do it again, it was brilliant.
I didn't pay for it, as it was my birthday present from Jo, and she bought an accomodation package with the balloon trip, but I believe that the balloon ride was around $300 for a one-hour flight and breakfast afterwards.
Blue, you aint kidding about the blast of the burner! Several times we tried to talk to our pilot, but he didn't hear us. I'm sure it was a case of 'industrial deafness', because we could all hear each other perfectly (when the burner wasn't firing!)
Kruizin Kol
My dream is to sky dive out of one of those.
As for the champagne while skydiving KK, i accept your challange.👍
some people are like slinky's
they have no useful purpose
but they are fun to watch
when you push them down the stairs
Beautiful pictures Kol 🙂
Still don't think I'd be brave enough though.
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