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When Elephants Fly The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

t the Albuquerque International

Balloon Fiesta, 700 hot air balloons

launch in a mass ascension at dawn.

I arrived at Balloon Fiesta Park at 5:30 a.m.

to watch the Dawn Patrol launch 15

balloons to verify wind conditions prior to

the main event.

Despite the frost-covered grass on this brisk

October morning, there was an illusion of

warmth all around. One could feel the

radiating heat as huge fans blew hot air into

the balloon envelopes held open by flight

crews. Burners roared as the pilots threw

flames into the balloons to superheat the

air. When the air inside the envelope grew

warmer than the brisk morning air, the

balloon would rise into its upright position,

secured by ropes until given permission to

launch. Each balloon emitted an orange

glow as the fire burned within its belly. The

pre-dawn chill was forgotten.

The 15 balloons illuminated the darkness

like enormous paper lanterns. Then, eager

anticipation erupted into cheers as the

Dawn Patrol ascended into the sky. As the

balloons alternately ignited burners or

drifted quietly, the intermittent glow was

like fireflies appearing and disappearing in

the dark. The Dawn Patrol seemed to

beckon the sun to rise and shine, for the

first hints of light brightened the sky,

preventing the balloons from disappearing

into the darkness.

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Mesmerized by the balloons, I wandered

south across the 78-acre launch field,

following their trajectory. Suddenly, I

snapped back to reality. Trucks and trailers

began racing across the field to their

designated launch sites as the first wave of

balloon teams began to line up in rows. Like

hundreds of drill teams doing what they

had been trained to do, each team

unloaded its gondola basket, spread a huge

tarp on the ground, and unfurled its balloon

across the tarp.

Thirty feet away from me a truck and trailer

came to a stop, and a team in pink jumped

out of the super-cab. They scurried around,

throwing open the doors of their trailer.

The inside of each door was decorated in

pink, with the personal memorabilia and

flourishes of each team member. It

reminded me a bit of a Hollywood dressing

room as each lady opened her respective

door, checked the mirror, and donned a

pink feather scarf. Their attire alone caught

my attention, but then one of them poked

her head in the cab for a moment and the

stillness of early morning erupted into

booming techno pop.

The entire team began to dance around for

the duration of the tune, celebrating their

anticipated liftoff with great exuberance.

After their personal pep rally, they were all

business as each performed her task to

prepare for launch.

Intrigued by this display, I lingered to find

out more about this team wearing grey

camouflage pants with pink baseball caps.

Pilot Peter Van Overwalle and the ladies on

his Nelly-B Balloon Team traveled all the

way from Belgium for this world-famous

event.

Balloon teams from around the world

converge upon Albuquerque for nine days

every October for the Balloon Fiesta. During

the two-hour event I attended, I spoke to

teams from the U.S., Canada, Great Britain,

Germany, Belgium, and Brazil. There were

many others, to be sure.

The Nelly-B sported a sign on the gondola

basked that read: “Beware of attack

elephant.” I wondered if that was some sort

of inside joke as I watched the bright pink

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Nelly-B inflate. When the heat lifted the

balloon upright, I understood: The special-

shaped balloon sported enormous ears and

an elephant’s trunk.

As the first wave of balloons departed, the

flight crews quickly packed their rigs and a

second wave of trucks occupied their

assigned launch sites to keep the process

going. For two hours, the balloons were

launched. In every direction, as far as the

eye could see, balloons peppered the sky.

Balloon Fiesta is more than the sights and

sounds; it’s the people. It is one of the only

aviation events that allows you to wander

the field and talk to the pilots and crews as

they prepare to launch. Watching the crews

unpack, a 10-year-old boy asked his father if

he could help. The pilot nearby heard the

question and told the boy to grab a handle

and help spread the balloon out on the

grass. The pilot gave me a nod, so I grabbed

a handle too. Four of us pulled the balloon

out like an enormous flat kite.

The Albuquerque International Balloon

Fiesta is fun for all ages. If the grandkids

come along, be sure they ask each pilot for

his card. Most of the pilots carry trading

cards with a photo of their balloon on the

front and some interesting facts on the

back. Some pilots, however, only hand out

cards during the Friday and Saturday

evening Balloon Glow events, which attract

the most families.

A single event at the Balloon Fiesta may

draw crowds of 100,000 people, with as

many as a million people attending the

fiesta each year. Even so, the crowds are

not overwhelming since Balloon Fiesta Park

consists of 365 acres. The launch field alone

is about 78 acres, the size of 54 football

fields!

Launching more than 700 balloons in two

hours is a sensory experience unparalleled

by anything I’ve ever encountered. While

focused on the spectacular array of colors,

shapes, and sizes on the launch field and in

the air, I suddenly became aware of the

tingling thrill of hearing hundreds of

burners roaring as pilots fill their balloons.

After an hour I gave up trying to view it

threw a camera and just stared wide-eyed

at the astonishing scene, hoping to etch the

details in my memory.

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Ballooning History

In 1783, ballooning began in France

when Jacques Charles and Ain

Roberts ascended over Paris in a

hydrogen-filled La Charli’re on

December 1.

In 1872, Jules Verne captured

imaginations with Phileas Phogg’s

balloon adventure in the book,

Around the World in Eighty Days.

In 1972, Albuquerque hosted its first

Balloon Fiesta with 13 balloons.

Since then, it has grown to be the

largest balloon event in the world.

For additional information about the

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta,

visit www.balloonfiesta.com.

©2009 Christy Bower. The author grants

permission to share print or digital copies of

this article with this copyright notice intact.

www.ChristyBower.com (Photos ©2006

Christy Bower)