August2000
thespotwheretheWright
Brothersfirstflew isabout theworstplace
to go ballooning in North Carolina.
“The whole state is excellent flying,
except the Outer Banks which have high
winds and marshlands,” said Chip Parks,
of Fayetteville.
Despite that, the restof the state, rich
with rolling hills and riverbasins, is a
great place to go ballooning, pilots say.
“North Carolina is the best state in
the country to fly in. There’s justa gob of
roads and back roads here,” said Kristie
Darling, president of the Carolinas Bal-
loon Association.
The eastern 10 percent of the state is
coastal, the western 10 percent is moun-
tainous, “but the 80 percent of the center
of the state all isflyable,”said BillMead-
ows, of Statesville, who has been flying
balloonssince 1969. “Youcanprettywell
go anywhere in the state and go in any
direction.”
Thereareacouplesmall national
parks,restrictedairspaceandmilitary
bases—Camp LeJune and Fort Bragg—
to avoid.
Statesville,inwest-centralNorth
Carolina, offers flying up to 300 days a
year, said Sid Conn, who with his wife
Elenor, operate The BalloonWorksthere.
“North Carolina has three mountain
ranges: the Brushy, the Blue Ridge and
the Great Smokies. If you get up 7,000 to
8,000 feet, youcan see all three,” he said.
“Thereare hardwoodforests and open
meadows here and the peoplearevery
friendly.”
Statesville’s rally,which beganin
1974, had as manyas165 balloonsflying,
but the event has been scaled back in the
past decadetohelppreservesafety,a
family atmosphere, their budget and to
little elbow roomat asmaller
launch site. Other events have been held
in GreensboroandAshevilleoverthe
years.
The Carolinas Balloon Association
alsoholds an informal, unadvertisedrally
each year for new pilots. About six bal-
loons attend each year.
“The low-hour pilot balloon rally is
forpeople who havenever flown in a
balloon rally before, so you can fly with
your mentor and learn how to register at
an event, what to expect if there’sa ramp
check and competition,” Darling said.
About 140members—fromNorth
Carolina and surroundingstates—belong
tothe CBA, which started nearly 20years
ago and hosts a popular safety seminar
each winter.
“Alot of founding members are still
for along, longtime because we just enjoy
each other so much.”
Meetings are scheduled only during
balloonfestivalsand seminars aroundthe
region.
“Peopleare from so far away, if you
have itata ballooningevent, more people
come,” Darling said.
There are at least 40 active pilots in
the state, several repair stations and Don
Cline,adesignatedexaminer forballoons.
Anabandonedwomen’sprisonin
Charlotte was originally home to North
Carolina’s first balloon company. Tracy
Barnes,wholivedinMinnesotaand
wanted tostarta ballooncompany,moved
to North Carolina after—like the Wright
Brothers—heresearchedwherethe
weather would be the best for flying.
“When youlook at theoverallcondi-
tions, North and South Carolina are the
better states where you can expect good
conditions almost all year around,” said
Meadows, who worked with Barnes for
many years. “The weather is not too ex-
tremeand there arelight winds nearly
every morning and evening.”
They do gettheir share of hurricanes
now and then, however.
Barnesstarted BarnesBalloons in
1972,then moved30milesawaytoStates-
villein 1974. The Conns boughtthe com-
pany in 1982, retained the recognizable
triangular basketdesign,andrenamedthe
company The Balloon Works.
To date, about 5,700 Barnes or Bal-
loonWorksballoonshave been manufac-
tured,and about 750 Galaxy Balloons,
SidConn said.
OriginallyfromCalgary,Conn
wanted to remain in Statesville, which he
says offers a great location forballoon
August2000
“We’reright in themiddleof the
furniture and textile industries,” he said,
adding that North Carolina State Univer-
sity, in Raleigh, is the best textile school
in the world and assistwhen he develops
new fabrics.
Conn is chief test pilot for special
shape balloons, so residents have grown
accustomedto seeingodd thingsflyover-
head, from the Old Lady Who Lived in a
Shoe, to Jesus Christ emerging from the
clouds, to the world’s largest condom.
“We surprise them a lot,”Conn said.
“Every time we fly something strange, I
get dozens of phonecalls frompeople
wantingtotakea ride. Butasthe company
test pilot, Inevertake passengers. Just
sand bags.”
Conn encourages anyonetraveling
southon Interstate 77 tostop infor a tour.
The factory is visible from the highway.
There could be as many asfive or six
balloonsin the air around Statesvilleon a
nice weekend,but more balloons filled
the skyin the 1970sas pilotsfrom around
thecountrycame toStatesvilletogettheir
rating at a flying school at the Balloon
Works, Meadows said. The schoolclosed
in 1979.
In 1990, Tracy Barnes tried his hand
at manufacturing airships and built three
prototypes before focusing on manufac-
turing heliumadvertising balloons.He
still lives in Statesville, but rarely flies
balloons today.
Meadows saidhe hopestopickupthe
idea of manufacturing ultralight airships
once he can builda hanger in Burlington.
North Carolinians are proud of their
state, so it wasn’thard to raise $50,000 in
private donations to buy the official bal-
loon of North Carolina, Parks said.
“It was a gift from the people, who
askednothing in return,” hesaid.The
state’smountains,seaandtheWright
Brothers’ plane are depicted on the blue
balloon.
“What we wanted was government
support, butnottohave taxdollarspay for
it,”Parks said. “The donorsbelieve inthe
people of North Carolina and the state-
ment of NorthCarolina—that we want to
make North Carolina a multifaceted type
of state, a friendly state, and we welcome
people to our state.”
He says 100 percent of his balloon
Carolinas Balloon Association, 140 members, slightlymore pilotsthan crew,
from North Carolina andsurrounding states;quarterlymeetingsalternating in
Charlotte, Burlington, Statesville, and a Christmas party in Greensboro; the
club sponsors a three-day safety seminar held in the winter in Charlotte, an
instructor’s seminar and a low-hour pilotrally. Annual dues are $12 a year, $6
for additional family members, plus a one-time $5 initiation fee that covers
yourpinandpatch.Membershipsalsoincludethe bimonthlynewsletter, Cloud
Chasers. Contact: 399 W. Page Hager Road, Cleveland, NC 27013.
http://members.xoom.com/ballooniacs/
Iredell Aeronauts Society,40members,mostly crew,monthly meetings
October through May, Christmas party, occasional club flights. Annual dues
are $12; no current newsletter. Contact: P.O. Box 57, Barium Springs, NC
28010.
The Hospice League Balloon Festival/Airshow, in Burlington, late May or
early June, 75 balloons, five flightsFriday evening through Sunday evening,
sanctioned competition, $10,000+prize purse, passenger rides.Proceedsgoto
the Hospice League for terminally ill patients; more than $300,000 has been
raised since 1994. Contact:The Hospice League, P.O. Box 2122, Burlington,
N.C. 27216. 336-538-8048. www.hospiceac.org/leagueor
www.ntrnet.net/~galin/balloonfest.html
BellSouthYellowPagesNationalBalloonRally, inStatesville,third weekend
inSeptember, 40 balloonsfly five scheduled flights,Fridayafternoonthrough
Sunday afternoon in sanctioned competition, fun flightsand passenger rides;
prize purse of $7,000; glowsFriday and Saturday;artsandcrafts, kiddierides,
music.Proceedstobenefit Iredell CountyHospice.Contact:Statesville
Chamber of Commerce, P.O.Box 1064, Statesville, NC 28687.704-873-
2892.
http://www.statesvillechamber.org/nbr.htm
built fromproductsmanufactured
there. “They are all NorthCarolina prod-
ucts and built by North Carolinians,” he
said.
Butwhat about their “FirstinFlight”
license plate fallacy, ignoringthe fact that
“Itdoesn’t bother me,”Darling said.
“Whenever I fly anybody, I tell them the
truth. And slowly but surely, everybody
will know the true story.”
