April2000
thecurrent WorldHot-Air
Balloon Champion, calls Red-mond, Or-
egon home, even though he does most of
his flying elsewhere.
Hewasthefirst—andpossiblyonly—
balloonist tohaveflownonallseven
continents.
“Themost erraticconditions I’ve
flown in are here in Redmond, except in
the Arctic and Antarctic,”he said.
Arras, who flew hang gliders prior to
ballooning, said the challenging condi-
tions in Redmond helpedmakehima
better pilotby trying tovisualize whatthe
air is doing.
“Living in a place where the condi-
tions are challenging forced me to learn
how to fly a balloon, or else I’d be in the
trees,” Arras said.
Indeed, there are lots of trees in Or-
egon. Nicknamed the Beaver State, Or-
egon has 30 millionacres of forest and is
the country’s largest producer of lumber.
Arras said there have even been “a
number ofinterestingfiascoes”involving
lighter-than-air craft to helplift lumber in
the past.
Yet much of Oregon is desert.
“People envision Oregon as awet,
green state,”Arras said. “The majorityof
itisnot. I’m inthe highdesert, withlotsof
sunshine. There’s a lot to explore in Or-
egonbecausemuchof ithasn’tbeenflown.
You have tulips in the springtime, volca-
nic mountains and the Columbia River
gorge.”
He’salsohadseveralflightsover the
Cascades,which reachto10,000 to11,000
feet.
“Theyaresnow-cappedyear-
around,”he said. “Youbring fullsurvival
equipment, snowshoesandfood. I’ve done
a lotof cross-country flights. You can get
out in the middle of nowhere where you
are 40 or 50 miles from a paved road.”
Mostof Oregon’s ballooning isdone
in the fertile, more predictable winds in
the Willamette Valley, from Portland to
Eugene.
Jim Desch of Salem, says the area is
“probablythe bestplace tofly. The winds
are consistent and we’re sheltered.”
Flights there can take him over the
whichflows through
Salem, over farming communities, vine-
yards and berry farms.
“Quiteoften, on almost every flight,
we do a splash and dash on the river,”
Desch said.
Balloonists there can obtain special
usepermitsfrom area communitieswhich
allow them to take off or land in some of
the parks.
“Wecanusethe schoolsoccer fields,”
Desch said. “We’re usually there before
thejanitor isthere, sowe havekeysforthe
locked fences.”
Pilotssay they don’t know of anyone
flying balloons west of the coastal range
of mountains. It’s so windy in the morn-
ings because of onshore breezes.
Nearly all ballooning in Oregon is
donein themornings. Windsroutinelyare
breezy until well after sunset. And not a
lot offlyingisdonefromNovember
throughMarch, when it’srainyinthewest
and windy in the east.
“It rains a lot in Oregon. We all use
tarps,”saidMarianneLeDoux,of
Jefferson.
Twice, in the heart of the winter sea-
son, when crews needed aballoon fix,
pilots managed to get current with three
take-offs and landings by tethering inside
amassiveblimphangeratTillamook
NavalAir Station. At1,072feet long, 192
feet highand 296 feet wide, itis regarded
asthe largestwoodenstructurein the
world.
Thirtyballoonswere inflatedandteth-
ered in the hanger at once.
The hanger, on Tillamook NavalAir
Base, ishome to an air museum featuring
plenty of lighter-than-air exhibitsas well
as historyof blimpsduringWorld War II.
Nearby Hillsboroishome tothe larg-
estblimpmanufacturerintheworld.
American BlimpCorp. has manufactured
more than 20 blimps theresince 1990,
said CEO Jim Thiele.A five-passenger
blimp retailsfor $1.9 million, while a 10-
passenger,150,000-cubic-footblimp runs
$3.5 million.
“Oregoniswhere I am from andI like
ithere,”Thielesays.“We have theconve-
nience of using the hanger in Tillamook
usethe FAA officein Seattle,
which, with Boeing, means it’s probably
the largest certification office.”
Of the10 commercial blimps cur-
rently in the U.S., ABC has built half of
them:Budweiser, Sanyo, Vegas.com and
two Monster.com blimps.
ThreeGoodyearblimps,Fuji and
TommyHilfigerwere builtbyothermanu-
facturers.
“Probably alloftheothersin the
world we built,” Thiele said.
LeDoux said development that oc-
curs in other parts of the country, which
forces balloonists to move farther away
from cities hasn’t happened much in the
Willamette Valley. Residents zealously
protect their natural beauty, she said.
“Peoplecan’t justsprawlout intothe
country,”she said. “We have very strong
urban boundaries.”
There’s a fair number of commercial
ride operators in thestate,who charge
between $150 and $190 per person.
Roger Anderson is the largest com-
mercial operator in the state. He has five
balloons and eightpilots in his company,
whichofferpassengersridesover thewine
country ofNewberg, between Portland
and Salem.
“It’s very pretty, with rolling farm-
lands and the vineyards in the near dis-
tance and the Willamette River,” he said.
Mt. Hood, Oregon’s highest moun-
tain, at 11,235feet, looms inthe distance.
Anderson figures his balloons man-
age 75 morning flights a year, “April to
November if we’re lucky.”
Vineyards are on the hills (the Or-
egongrape isthe officialstate flower)and
traditionalcrops are often inthe flatlands,
he said.
Vineyards are obviously not a place
toland a balloon, buteven acres of green-
ery can causeproblems. Oregonis the
largestproducer ofgrass seed inthe coun-
try. Landingprior tothe mid-July harvest
would ruin the crop.
“It’s avery expensivecrop,don’t
ever land init,”Anderson said.“It’snotso
much the damage you do to the crop, it’s
the damage you do to the landowner.”
Most of the 40 active balloonists in
April2000
primarily to Washington, for annual in-
spections.
ButOregonpilotsdon’thave totravel
far to attend a balloon festival. There are
six annual rallies in the state.
At the Albany rally in July, pilots
take along teddy bears and a runner for a
flight. Once on the ground, the runner - of
varying age and skillrange - must race to
a designated location a few miles away
from the start, carryingthe bear. Thebears
are later donated to the fire department
and given to children who are victims of
fires or accidents.
In Madras,tensions mountedover
theyearsbetween NativeAmericanswho
lived in thearea,and others, including
seasonalmigrantworkers,oftenfrom
Mexico.
Officialsdecided to holda festival to
celebratediversity in theregion.Other
thanballoons,whichhaveauniversal
attraction, a fair, entertainment and craft
showare alsofeatures. Andit’s allfree for
spectators.
Balloonistshelpspreadthe good-will
byprovidingdemonstrationsatlocal
schools a week before the festival.
InPendleton,balloonistsfly from the
Crazyhorse Casino Resort, and drift over
rolling hills. Often, they find box winds.
Tigard, near Portland, hosts 45 bal-
loonists, the largest rally in the state. Pi-
lotsflyincompetitionforan$8,000purse.
Upto 100,000 spectatorsattendthe three-
day event.
And an event in Grants Pass offers
balloonistssheer beauty.
“I enjoy the scenery, the light morn-
ingwinds and the beautifulgreen scenery
all the time,” said Bill Woodhead, who
helps organize the rally over the Rogue
RiverValley.“We’reina bowlsurrounded
by 3,000-foot peaks, tall trees and open
pastures.”
Occasionally,balloonistswillflyover
the mountains into the neighboring val-
ley. The calm valley winds usually al-
ways mean stand-up landings.
“In the past five years, I’ve had only
twoorthreehigh-windlandings,”
Woodhead said.
NorthwestBallooningAssociation,nearly150members,from northwestern
states; the club hosts a safety seminar, holds two meetings a year, and has a
reference library. Dues are $15, or $20 per family and include the newsletter
“Downwind News.” Contact: Derek Hancock, treasurer, 18965 SW Olson
Court, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.
Willamette Aerostat Society, 80members,monthlymeetingsinWilsonville,
with club business and guest speakers; annual fall fly-in, summer picnic,
Christmas party; landowner program, pilot cards. Dues are $15 a year for
individuals,$20per family;includesmonthlynewsletter “Aerostat.”Contact:
16065 SW Barrington Place, Tigard, OR 97224.
Collage of Culture, in Madras, 15 balloons in mid-May; two morning fun
flights, on Saturday andSunday as part of a free community festivalthat also
featuresa fairandlive entertainment,with Mt. Hood asa background.
Contact:Derek Hancock, 18965 SW Olson Court, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.
503-638-3254.
Wild Rogue Balloon Festival, in Grants Pass, first weekend in June, 25
balloonsflythree mornings, Friday through Sunday, nightglow Saturday;all
flightsare for fun over the Rogue River V alley. Contact: GrantsPass Visitor
Center, 1720-A Redwood Ave. Suite 46, Grants Pass, OR 97527. 541-476-
5510.
Tigard Festival of Balloons, near Portland in mid-June,45 balloons fly
morningflightsFridaythroughSunday incompetitionfor $8,000 purse;Night
glows Friday and Saturday; crafts, concessions, entertainment and carnival
rides; 100,000 spectators. Contact: Bruce Ellis, 11575 SW Pacific Highway,
Box 131, Tigard, OR 97223. 503-590-1828.
Great BalloonEscape, in Albany, 30 balloons fly the last weekend in July;
four morning flights, from Thursday through Sunday in fun competition,
including a teddy bear/running race; Friday glow; arts and crafts, concerts.
Contact:Albany VisitorsAssociation, P.O. Box965, Albany, OR97321. 800-
526-2256.
RougeValley BalloonRally, inMedford, 25 balloons.ContactRex Johnson,
RVBR, PO Box 4704, Meford, OR 97501, 541-664-2171.
skyline with Mt. Hood in the background.
in Pendleton, 25 balloons fly the third
weekend in October; five flights, three
morning, two afternoon in fun competi-
tion, Friday glow. Invitational. Contact:
Scott Spencer, 111 Broadway Ave. Suite
133, Boise, ID 83702. 208-375-0512.
