The late Constance Wolf of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, was in love with ballooning. Over the years Connie shared her joy with the city of Philadelphia. One such occasion was a cold January morning in 1982.
Connie decided to recognize the 300th anniversary of the founding of Philadelphia with a balloon flight. She contracted with Piccard Balloons to build a 75,000 cu. ft. hot air balloon. The balloon’s fabric color was specified to be a dark sky blue. On opposite sides of this beautiful balloon would be twenty foot tall depictions of William Penn, the man who received a Land Grant from the King of England. The name of this tract of land became known as Pennsylvania or “Penns Woods.”
The author of this article had the privilege to unpack and assemble the William Penn balloon on the front yard of Philadelphia Mayor William J. Green. The balloon tethered twenty feet over the mayor’s home as a special introduction to ballooning for the mayor and his family. And, to assure that the system was airworthy for the scheduled flight over the city.
Mayor Green presented Connie with a rare Lenox The Patriots Bowl 1776- 1976, appropriately engraved in appreciation, as a gift from the city of Philadelphia
On January 9, 1982, the William Penn balloon was inflated, appropriately, at Penns Landing, Philadelphia. The bridge which can be seen behind the William Penn balloon is the Ben Franklin bridge which stretches from Philadelphia to New Jersey.
After a telephone call to the Philadelphia Airport Control Tower for clearance, the balloon lifted skyward. In the basket were Connie Wolf and Richard Hess, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Level flight was reached at a low 2,000 feet above the ground as a layer of thick clouds were spread in the sky above.
Gathering clouds, biting cold, and an unexpected snow squall resulted in a descent to a gentle landing in a school yard in Delran, New Jersey. The flight lasted a brief 51 minutes.
Connie’s husband, Alfred L. Wolf, followed the balloon in his single-engine Cessna airplane. A family friend snapped photographs of the blue balloon against the white sky.
It was a glorious event. A gracious gift to the city of Philadelphia. An event of importance in the history of modern day ballooning. An example of the generosity and the uniqueness that was Connie Wolf.
This story has an ending that is as unique as the flight from Penns Landing. The
ending is similar to the final moments of the movie, Raiders of the Lost Arc.
The William Penn balloon was donated to the Franklin Institute and
Science Museum of Philadelphia. The blue balloon was to be carefully placed,
somewhere in storage. Never to be inflated. Never to again lift into the morning sky.
The flight of the William Penn was a unique adventure. A fun time for those who participated as crew, for those who watched the lift-off from Penns Landing. Connie Wolf loved ballooning. Connie Wolf gave us special memories.
