Ascension in Asunción

The main reason that our sponsor wanted the balloon to be in Paraguay at this time, was to fly or tether at the Choko Car Rally. This Rally is the largest event held in Paraguay and captures media attention from around the world. The Choko is an inhospitable region, laden with forest, wild boars and jaguars, which is geographically situated in the center of South America. The weather in October is traditionally very hot and windy. Although it may be the perfect setting for an off-road rally, it seemed to me that it was a less than ideal location for a Hot Air Balloon. Nonetheless, I felt that if the terrain was not suitable for free- flying, then maybe if the winds abated, at least I could find a spot to tether.

About ten days before we were scheduled to leave, we packed up our Aerostar S-55A (AX-7) system, six extra tanks, equipment and ground tarp and loaded it into an air cargo container for shipment to South America. In my research, I had discovered that the fuel that I would be utilizing, would be a mixture of propane and butane. Unfortunately, I could not find out what percentage of each fuel was in the mixture, nor could I find out what type of filling mechanisms were required. I therefore included every type of filling adapter I have ever used, with my equipment. Anticipating a lack of fuel pressure, I packed a regulator and also wanted to ship a nitrogen cylinder, but air cargo restrictions prohibited me from doing so. I did manage however to get permission to ship a small helium cylinder with the system.

Our trip from Toronto to Asuncion (pronounced Ah-Sohn-See- Yon) would take twenty two hours, with lay-overs in Miami and San Paolo, Brazil. Traveling with me, was Bruce Robinson from Labatt International Breweries. Since I would be flying an AX-7, I did not bring any of our crew for this trip, as I was told that there would be plenty of help for me there. When we arrived in Miami, we were told that the balloon had not yet arrived in Paraguay due to the fact that the air cargo jet had experienced mechanical difficulties. We were told that the balloon would be loaded on another aircraft and would arrive the next morning.

Upon our arrival in Asuncion, we were greeted by the owners of Arnun, (the importers of Labatt in Paraguay) and escorted to our hotel in order freshen up. We were told that the balloon had just arrived and it would be a couple of hours before it could be cleared through Customs. While we were waiting for the balloon, I discovered that according to all local sources, there had never been a free-flight of a Hot Air Balloon over Asuncion. However, I did learn that approximately ten years previously, a balloon from Brazil had been in Paraguay and did tether, but never flew. This heightened my excitement and solidified my decision to attempt a flight over the city. The country of Paraguay has a population of approximately 4 million, with 2 million people in the metropolitan area of Asuncion.

Late in the afternoon, the balloon was released from Customs and we immediately proceeded to an "Autogas" station to fill our tanks. Although I had brought several adapters, none of them were suitable and a custom adapter had to be made. It was during the filling of the tanks that I finally learned of the fuel mixture - 88% butane and 12% propane. A quick hook up of my burners showed that this gave me a fuel pressure of 50 pounds. This lack of fuel pressure did not concern me that much, since that evening I had only planned to tether.

We proceeded to the head office of Arnun, where I found a small dirt field directly across the street from their main warehouse. I set-up the balloon and tethered for a couple of hours. Although I have been flying commercially for eight years and during that time have done numerous promotions, I have never seen a reaction to a balloon similar to what I experienced that night. The traffic literally stopped, buses unloaded their passengers and the empty field quickly transformed into a sea of spectators. The low fuel pressure coupled with the high concentration of butane gave my burners a bright yellow flame which enhanced the "glow" effect.

The next day we proceeded to the Choko. The balloon was being trucked, while we were flying there in a small twin engine aircraft. This allowed me to see the region from the air. Although I felt that there were numerous places to land, there was only one road through the area, with no other accessibility for retrieval. Without a helicopter to get me out, I felt that a flight in this area would be very risky and quite possibly, a one-way trip. When we arrived in the Choko, it was very hot and very windy. Even though I have tethered in strong winds, the 60 MPH gusts that I experienced that day, prohibited me from even attempting an inflation.

The next day however was completely different. The area received its first rain in nine months and the dusty, windy conditions were transformed into a muddy and calm mess. Utilizing our much needed ground tarp, we inflated and tethered for most of the day. It was at this time when I regretted not bringing knowledgeable ground crew with me. Although the locals were eager to help, the language barrier (/ do not speak Spanish) and lack of experience created many tense situations. I discovered that speaking slow and loud as well as utilizing numerous hand gestures does not necessarily mean that you are understood. A case in point would be when I put someone on the crown line and explained what to do. When I asked them if they understood, they said "Yes". This did not mean that they really understood, but rather that "Yes", was the only word that they knew. As soon as I began heating the envelope, the person on the crown line immediately let go. I went back to him and gestured to hold on to the line and when I began heating again, I could not stand the balloon up. I stopped burning and went back to the crown where I saw approximately 10 people holding the crown line as tight as they could...

Our experience in the Choko was a good one and upon our return to Asuncion, although the client was very happy, I was yearning to fly this supposedly, balloon-virgin city. My opportunity came on our last day in the country. The skies were clear and the winds were light. Due to the fact that aviation and upper level wind forecasts were non-existent, I had to use pibals and experience, to decide whether a flight was feasible. I requested a map of the area and was given a map of the country. This was equivalent to planning a flight over Toronto and being given a map of Canada! I was also provided with a very rough city map which showed only the streets.

I found a launch location which would take me directly over the city core. Asuncion is bordered by a river which winds its way around the city limits. According to my maps, it appeared as though my flight path would take me over this first part of the river, the city of Asuncion and then over the river again to Argentina. Through an interpreter, I conveyed my intended flight path to my entourage and was told by a person from Arnun, that I could not fly into Argentina. He further explained that if I did cross the border, it would be several days before they could get me out and it was possible that the balloon would have to remain there. Since my maps were not in detail, I then asked him if there were landing fields before I crossed the river and I was told "Mucho" (lots). I then showed the local people that were with me, my flight path on the city street map and asked again if there were fields in which to land, prior to crossing the river and entering Argentina. I was again told that there were plenty of landing sites. With that information, I prepared for the flight. I utilized my regulator and small helium cylinder to pressurize my two 15 gallon tanks and inflated.

I decided to take Pablo, a local pilot, who spoke English and Spanish with me on the flight, to act as navigator and assist me with the deflation of the balloon once I landed. The skies were beginning to become overcast, but the winds remained light at around 6-8 knots. Prior to take-off, I asked Pablo once again about the landing fields and he reassured me that he has flown the area numerous times in his plane and that we would have no problem finding a spot to land.

We took-off at 3:15 p.m. and I immediately climbed to approximately 800 feet to see where we were heading. The winds remained constant and were taking me directly over the city, but to my dismay, I discovered that there were no fields at all on the other side and that the city was entirely built up to the river’s edge. I questioned my passenger on where the promised fields were and he pointed in a direction 90 degrees opposite our flight path. I told him that we were not going that way and if we could not find a spot to land, then we would have to fly into Argentina. He told me quite emphatically that we could not cross the border. I immediately began a descent over the first part of the river and did a quick "splash and dash" in it. I continued to fly low as I approached the city, keeping a keen eye out for a possible landing site. I came over a Guarni village (The Guami Indians are the native people to the country), and several of them were out, looking in amazement at this silent flying craft. As I hit the burners, they all went flat on their faces. As soon as I stopped burning, they began to run and as soon as I burnt again, they would assume the face down position.

Once clear of this village, we continued over the main part of the city. I flew rooftop level, looking for any clear space in which to touch down. During the entire flight, people were exiting their homes looking at us with amazement. Many of these people had never heard of a Hot Air Balloon, let alone seen one flying at 10 feet over their homes. The winds began to increase in speed and it became apparent that there was nowhere to land. I asked Pablo how deep was the river? He told me that it was three feet deep. I told him that we would land in the river and bring the balloon back to the shore. His expression became horrified and he told me "Not the river - mucho Pirhanna"! I then told him that if we could not land in the river, then we had no choice but to fly on into Argentina. Just as I said that, I spotted a country club bordering the river’s edge with a small concrete soccer/tennis court in the back. The only problem in landing there was that the court was at the bottom of a hill, bordered by 50 foot palm trees on the upwind side and surrounded by lighting posts. In addition, I only had about 60 feet in which to land at an estimated airspeed of 6 knots. Since I had no choice, I briefed my passenger for an impact landing and began my approach. I used the palm trees to slow me down and once clear of them, ripped out and nailed the center of the tennis court. We were down! Unfortunately, a portion of the envelope ripped on one of the lighting posts as it deflated. The only thing bruised was my ego, as it would have been nice to end the flight with a stand-up landing. At least we were not eaten by Pirhanna or held as illegal aliens in Argentina!

The repercussions of this flight were great. There were numerous mentions in the media and the people of the city are still talking about the balloon. In hindsight, although the general topography of the area is suited to ballooning, I would not attempt a similar flight path again, nor would I rely on inexperienced people for crew. With this knowledge, I am ready for another flight in this country, which will occur next year in our special shape Labatt Can!