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- Ground crews prepare their balloons for launch at the Walla Walla, WA, Balloon Stampede.
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- Pilots and ground crew take their jobs very seriously anytime they fly – especially at a balloon rally.
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- The crews also have a lot of fun and enjoy what they’re doing – flying beautiful hot air balloons!
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- Ballooning is safe and enjoyable if you pay attention to all the details of both your balloon and the greater environment around you.
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- There are a lot of technical details behind the beautiful colors of a balloon, and as in many sports like flying fixed wing planes, parachuting and SCUBA diving – you can’t neglect your equipment or your planning.
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- As the saying goes…take good care of your equipment and it will take care of you.
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- Balloon rallys and stampedes involve spirited competition between pilots and ground crews as well.
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- There are all sorts of events and “tasks” that are possible for the pilots to compete in at a balloon rally.
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- One such competition is maneuvering over a set course – which given unpredictable winds, can certainly be challenging.
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- There are various goals, targets and scoring areas during a balloon competition.
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- There are also time and distance limits that are devised by the rally organizers when planning the competition.
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- You might drop markers – like small bags of flour – over turnpoints or targets on the ground, that are then scored for accuracy.
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- The “marker” may also be a small sandbag with a streamer attached for visibility.
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- Observers on the ground measure the distance the marker is away from the target for a score, which contributes to the overall score for the competition.
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- “Hare and hound” balloon racing is also very popular at rallys and competitions.
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- All balloons launch from a common area – a “hare” balloon takes off first and the rest of the balloons give chase.
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- The rest of the balloons are called the “hounds” and pursue the “hare” balloon across the countryside.
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- The “hounds” attempt to closely follow the “hare” or lead balloon, and drop the closest marker once the “hare” balloon has landed and put out a target on the ground.
