Most people who read Balloon Life have flown in a hot air balloon on
numerous occasions. Each flight is a new experience to be savored. Often
the post flight "hangar flying" stories evolve into "war stories"
embellished and repeated.
Most people who read Balloon Life have flown in a hot air balloon on
numerous occasions. Each flight is a new experience to be savored. Often
the post flight "hangar flying" stories evolve into "war stories"
embellished and repeated.
I'm willing to bet that the first flight you took in a hot air balloon holds special memories. You may have a flight certificate, empty champagne bottle, balloon pin, trading card or other memento of the experience somewhere in your house.
When you see that reminder does it bring back wonderful memories? When other people see the item do they ask questions?
The first flight in a hot air balloon is a special experience. Whether the person taking the flight is a crew member, prospective pilot, paying customer, sponsor or guest, do you have something special to present to them at the end of the flight-something that will remind them of the great time they had?
Ballooning is a shared sport and through that sharing we often attract new participants. The first flight certificate is one of the best and easiest vehicles available to promote interest in and expand the sport of hot air ballooning.
With these thoughts in mind Balloon Life decided to sponsor this first ever First Flight Certificate contest. Our objective was to stimulate you and start your creative ideas flowing. And, to share them with our readers as building blocks to come up with new variations on a theme.
The idea of the contest was presented to Balloon Life by Rick Wallace of Santa Monica, California. He and Anson Stelmak and their wives and crew chiefs, Cindy and Connie, formed the judging panel. One of the important aspects that Rick recognized was that crew chiefs play an important role in first flight certificates. They help organize a pilot by gathering the pen, certificate, and the correct spelling of passenger names.
Our panel of judges had a difficult time whittling down the 44 entries, some of which had multiple ideas, to just one winner. The certificate has value well past the flight in promoting ballooning ,which can be seen in the many creative designs submitted.
Creativity did not stop with just the certificate. Some arrived with bottles of champagne and champagne glasses. During the entry deadline Sacramento was experiencing severe rain and potential devastating floods. At least one certificate arrived a little soggy. Formats ranged from stick on labels to works of fine art. Early Times presents their certificate on the side of a filled miniature whiskey bottle.
The judges liked the desk top easel type of frame that can be proudly displayed at the office, and the wallet size version that could be shared in conventional gatherings. Both are powerful word of mouth promotions of hot air balloon flights and the operator. The presentation of the first flight certificate as a package of these variations of the same ride certificate could be a powerful marketing technique with a package including a standard 8.5 by 11 inch certificate, an easel mount for the office desk, and the carry around wallet size.
To maximize the real value of the certificate, the judges felt the certificate should boldly state "First Flight." Some nice items to include were the balloonist prayer, a photo window for a picture of the actual balloon or a Polaroid of the passengers in the balloon.
The often overlooked back side of the certificate was a great place for the history of ballooning and ride operator information.
The judges though that advertising on the front of certificate did not detract when minimized and seemed appealing. Spaces for the crew chief's signature, the launch site or the event launched from also added a nice touch.
Creativity was also exhibited in the phrases used to describe the "event." Here are some examples: Certificate of aerostation, Ascension in Aerostat, Honorary aeronaut, First lighter than air flight, First hot air balloon flight, Ascended into sky, First time rider, Ascension into heavens, Broken the bounds of Gravity, Sailed into the sky, Flown free of the earth, Danced on the winds and Sensational voyage. Recipients were initiated as an Aeronaut, proudly announced, received recognition of the fact, and became honorary aeronauts.
After much discussion and narrowing the field down to their top three the judges finally selected Ken Smith's entry, shown on page 50, as the winner of our $200 cash prize. Ken lives in Port Jervis, New York.
Represented on these pages are a few of the ideas that our entrants had. In future issues we will present some of the other certificates.
We hope that is contest and article have started you thinking about your first flight certificate and how it can help promote ballooning and provide a valuable reminder to rider, one that they will cherish for many years to come.
Some other First Flight Certificate ideas.
