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leisurely flight over thecountrysideto
have an airplane circle and say hello by
tipping their wings. But Jim Schiller has
hadsomecloseencounterswithsome
pretty famous planeswhen he’sbeen bal-
looning in Maryland.
“We can see thehangar for Air Force
One at AndrewsAirForce Base,”he said.
“You can spot Air Force One because of
the seal. Twice they came over and gave
us a wing wave.”
Living in Maryland can mean logis-
ticalproblemswithmajorairports
so close. Schiller has use of20
different launch sites he chooses
from dependingonthewindspeed
and direction.
“Wesit smackdabinthe
middleof three ofthe largestClass
B airspace chunks in the coun-
try,”saidMike Gerred, of BelAir.
Airports to avoid include Balti-
more-Washington,Washington
National,AndrewsAirForce
Base, Dulles and Philadelphia to
the north.
“Plusthere’sa number of re-
stricted zones,” Gerred said, in-
cludingAberdeenTraining
GroundsnorthofChesapeake
Bay. “Fly over themand you’ll
get to meet some guys with dark
suitsand ear pieceswhowillcome
out to meet you.”
One major red zone,about
two or three miles wide, is Camp
David,thepresidentialretreat
north ofFrederick.It sits on a
small mountain with prohibited
airspace above,somostpilotshave
no problem staying clear of it.
But years ago,a balloonist
did overfly the camp.
“Thenext day, the CBAgota
callfrom theSecretService,want-
ing to know who went over,” said Tom
Saunders,president oftheChesapeake
BalloonAssociation.Whileunabletoiden-
tify the balloon, agents were ready the
nexttime,followedtheballoonandgreeted
it upon landing.
“It resulted in the loss ofa pilot’s
license. They weren’t joking,” Saunders
said.
Andrews Air Force Base, southeast
of Washington, is normally too wooded
and in restricted airspace for balloonists
toconsiderflyingthere. Butballoonswere
welcomed as part of open house ceremo-
nies in 1991 and 1992.
Naturalchallenges,includingthe
ChesapeakeBay,whichslices through
the state, can also pose problems. A few
balloonists,includingMalcolm Forbesat
his seriesofflights
across the U.S., landed in the bay, which
is140mileslongwithanaverage widthof
12 miles.
“Flyingsoclosetothewater,a couple
of people have gone in and gotten their
said. “It’s kind of a rude awakening.”
Even though they are 50 miles from
the Atlantic, pilots can experience a sea
breeze effect off the bay.
“The Chesapeake maritime environ-
ment does throw some interesting things
our way,” Gerred said.
Anotherwell-publicizedincidentfea-
tured a passenger jumping out of a be-
calmed balloon 40 feet above the water.
“Itwasn’tgoodforballooning,”
Saunders said.
One balloonreceived 80torn
panels as a salvage boat came to
therescue but sliced theballoon’s
fabric with its propellers.
“Certainly therehavebeen
successfulballoonflightsover the
bay,but therehavebeen some
minormishaps,” said balloonist
Randy Danneman. “One year as
part ofthe Preakness Race,we
were going to cross it. We all had
lifejacketsonboard,butthe
weather didn’tcooperate. Itretro-
spect,I’mnot disappointedwe
didn’t go.”
Even though he lives in Sil-
ver Spring, a suburb of Washing-
ton,D.C.,Dannemantravels a
half hour north of the city, near
Frederick,wheretheflyingis
easier andthe airspace islesscon-
gested. The Appalachian Moun-
tains are on the east, and Chesa-
peake Bay is on the west.
“Peoplethink 25 milesnorth
ofD.C.isjustsuburbsand
townhouses,” he said. “It reallyis
open country in a lot of places.
But we can definitely see down-
town D.C., and the Washington
Monument.From30miles,it
looks like a pin on the horizon.”
While balloonists can easily
get 100 hours a year flying in Maryland,
Dannemanand other balloonistsdon’tfly
much on summer afternoons, due to heat
and thermals, he said. “The majority of
the people fly in the morning.”
Pilotssay there are 15-25 active bal-
October 2000
publicfor$150to$200perperson,
Danneman said.
Gerred said theride business “fol-
lows the leaves. Once the leaves fall off
the trees by Thanksgiving, we’re pretty
much done.”
KevinPoeppelmanfliescorporate
balloons inBaltimoreperiodically,in-
cluding over Ravens football games. But
mostballoonistsnormallystay awayfrom
thecitydueto itscongestion, proximityto
the bay and airports.
As part of the Preakness race, pilots
annuallyflyone morningfrom aparknear
Baltimore’s harbor. It can be challenging
to find winds to take them out of the city
to find a landing spot instead of the bay.
Other regular ralliesareheldwiththe
statefair near Baltimore, inGermantown,
and an informalflighteach springin Tuc-
kahoeState Park,west of thebay,for
gorgeous flying over huge fields, pilots
say.
TheChesapeakeBalloonAssocia-
tion, once a thriving multi-state club that
hosted excellent safety seminars,“still
exists, but it’s real sluggish right now,”
Saunders said.
The club attempts to hold a Mont-
golfier banqueteachyear. Thisyear, only
two of the club’s 55 members sent their
intentionsto attend, he said.
The clubwas more active from 1975
to 1988. In order to join, members were
required to submit at least one contribu-
tiontothe newsletter a year. Thatrequire-
ment was eventually dropped.
“A lot of people have lost interest in
ballooningand found other thingsto do,”
Saunders said. And most Maryland bal-
loonists can attend seminars put onby
other clubs, includingthe John Wise Bal-
loon Society to the north, in Lancaster,
PA.
There are no balloon repair stations
andnolongeranyballoondesignated
examiners in Maryland.
And even if you fly where you know
you won’t get into any trouble with the
bay or restricted airspace, ballooning in
Marylandcanalwaysmean newchal-
lenges in an area known to host foreign
dignitaries and peace summits.
“You never know who is waving at
you,”Poeppelmansaid.Herecallsgetting
readytolandat agolf coursewhere he had
prior permission to land but had to sud-
Chesapeake BalloonAssociation, 55members. Annual dues are $15 and include
a quarterly newsletter and a roster. Contact: 107 Juniper Dr., Glen Burnie, MD
21060.
Maryland Preakness Celebration, in Baltimore, Mother’s Day week, typically
mid-May,in conjunction with the Preakness Race,30 balloons fly Friday
through Sunday mornings in fun competition; Saturday glow at Inner Harbor;
flightfrom the center of Baltimore Saturdaymorning. Contact: Dan Sherill, P.O.
Box 1, Manchaca, TX 78652. 512-280-2558. www.preaknesscelebration.com
Harford County Farm Fair Balloon Race, third Thursday in July in Bel Air, 12
balloonsfly one afternoon hare and houndflightfor a $750 purse. Contact:Mike
Gerred, P.O. Box 837, Bel Air, MD 21014. 410-836-1116.
ConfederateAir ForceWings ofFreedomAir Show and Balloon Race,in
Frederick, mid-August; 25balloonsflya CNT and hare and hound flightsfor an
expected$2,000cashpurse;Friday glow, four flights,Saturdaymorningthrough
Sunday afternoon in conjunction with a large WW II air show. Contact: Kevin
Poeppelman, 26809 Haines Road, Clarksburg, MD 20871. 301-881-6262.
Maryland State Fair Balloon Classic, outside Baltimore, the last weekend in
August, 20 balloons glow Friday, and fly three hare and hound races Saturday
morning through Sunday morning for $3,000 in prize money; a shapes glow is
scheduled Thursdayevening.Eventsarepartof theMarylandStateFair.Contact:
KevinPoeppelman,26809 HainesRoad, Clarksburg, MD20871. 301-881-6262.
Oktoberfest, in Germantown, second weekend in October, 15 balloons, glow
Friday evening and fly a hare and hound Saturday morning for $500 in prize
money; all pilots get $50 show-up money and food and lodging if needed.
Contact: Randy Danneman, 1617 Glen Allan Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20902.
301-417-0000.
“One of the presidents was playing
we’ll get waved on by the
Secret Service,”he said.
