by Joseph Dovala
If favorable statistics are the only measure of a successful event, then the first Festival Aeronautical held in Culiacan, Mexico last December was probably not a winner. Yet, if you talk to the American balloonists who took part in it, you would find an almost unanimous thumbs-up. Besides a south-of-the-border adventure, lasting bonds were created with many of the local participants. And in the end, some of the balloons flew.
Assuredly, arranging for seventeen balloons, related equipment, the pilots and crew to be transported and housed eleven hundred miles into Mexico was a challenge. Eric Drickerson took care of the endless tasks and details with help from his crew chief, Alex Just. Together with the boundless energy of the local volunteers, the air show took
The first day was spent transferring baskets from a stuffed semi trailer to an extremely diverse collection of waiting vehicles. It was late afternoon before all the balloons were gassed and delivered to their sandy launch sites. During this time, the balloon captains were busy instructing their Mexican crew members about the flying machines and their responsibilities. Most of the volunteers had never seen a balloon.
The evening glow showed off the brilliant colors of the envelopes. It was hard to tell which was more exciting to the spectators - the light show or the sudden ignition of propane! Energy levels were high in anticipation of the following morning launches. A "Hare and the Hound" race was scheduled as the first event.
The wake up call came an hour late; which was OK, as our ride was also an hour late. As the uniquely decorated bus sped us to the field it became apparent, to those of us with at least one eye open, that the diffused appearance of the street lights was due to fog. A rare occurrence we were assured.
By mid morning the fog still hadn't lifted, so out came the ropes and trucks. Free flying was out, but tethered rides worked like a charm. In reality, the entire four days were plagued by fog until nearly noon. As the clock ticked away on our last day, it appeared that none of the fancy airships were going to take wing. Then suddenly, the words we had waited for: LAUNCH AT WILL. Travis Cooksey, crew chief and Peggy Cooksey, pilot for their balloon Krayola, got us off the ground quickly because the wind was picking up.
At last we were flying over Mexico. Not for long however. After a few minutes in the air, Peggy noticed that the vent line was stuck up in the envelope. We found the nearest clearing and she deftly put the balloon down on target using the red line. Unfortunately, our chase crew had no idea where that target was because our radio batteries died. After a search (apparently quite an adventurous ride - but that' s another story) they found us. The balloons had to be prepared for shipment, therefore all the propane needed to be vented. Rather than waste the 30 gallons on board, Travis came up with a fantastic idea. After some extensive in-field jury rigging, the remaining gas was transferred to empty tanks belonging to the people we had dropped in on. They were poor farmers and the gift was very well received.
The truck ride back to the field was a very satisfying one. We were tired and dirty but the smiles spoke volumes! We didn't log much flight time, but the goodwill, camaraderie, and spirit of the people made the festival a success just the same.
