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grassy dunes when they think of Massa-
chusetts, but Dr. Clayton Thomas, who
has been ballooning there for 32 years,
says there’s more to the state than Cape
Cod.
“When youtake off, allyou
seeischlorophyll,”he said.“You
wonder,are thereplacesto land?
There are, but they are few and
far between. I can’t think of a
wholetown where youwouldn’t
hit forest pretty quickly.”
Many of the two dozen pi-
lots in the state fly only when a
stand-up landing is certain. And
even if itgetstoo calm, Thomas
has perfected a technique to get
to those elusive open areas.
“I’ve learned to pull trees,”
he said. “You see a place 30 feet
away and vector yourself over
there, but only if it’s calm. You
grab and keep the balloon nice
and buoyant and have your pas-
sengers help.”
He also has flown with a
rock tied with twine. “You en-
tangleit in thetreesandjust
pull,” he said.
Massachusetts balloonists
are scatteredthroughoutthestate.
There’s no more than three or
four in any one area, pilots say.
There are no balloonclubsinthe
state, but most pilots are mem-
bers of balloon clubs in neigh-
boring Connecticut or New Hampshire.
There have been several rallies held
in the state over the years, but now, only
small ones—with a dozen or fewer bal-
loons—exist.
Thomas and hisdaughter operate the
only balloon repair station in Massachu-
setts. He has trained 117 balloon pilotsin
32years athisDingyDellBalloonSchool
Springfield and is the only desig-
nated examiner for balloons there.
All that experience comes in handy
when faced with challenging conditions.
Thomas recalls one morning flight when
hisAX-10. Heflew nearly100milesfrom
south-central Massachusetts, across the
tipofRhode Island toFairhavenBeach on
the Atlantic coast, 4 1/2 hours later.
“It looked like I was going to split
Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard,” he
said. “There was a Coast Guardcutter out
there justin case. I was glad I didn’t have
But it wouldn’t have been the first
time aballoon has landed on Martha’s
Vineyard fromthe mainland.Up to 10
balloonistsflew a from the southwest tip
of Cape Cod during an annual
race for six or seven years in the
’80s.
“You can fly two minutes
or you can fly two hours,” said
Tom Stodolski, of Westford.
Twice, pilots flew the 8 to
13 miles to Martha’s Vineyard.
“Itwas a great flight,”Stodolski
said. “Wecommandeered island
people that have trucks to bring
us back to the ferry.”
Eventhoughtheyweregreat
flights,Stodolskidoesn’tlikefly-
ing on the Cape.
“Last timeI flew there,I
lookedto thenorthandthere
wasa lotof waterandI looked to
the south and there was a lot of
water and I thought I’m not go-
ing todo thisanymore,”he said.
ButDave Gifford, of South
Dartmouth, near the Rhode Is-
landborder, specializesincoastal
flights, although the conditions
for them only allow him to fly
about 50 times a year.
Often he hears the surf on
the beach as he heads out over
the ocean below, then catches a
breeze to bring him back for a
dry landing. He sees salt ponds,
cranberry bogs, whales and sea turtles.
Hesaidflying onCapeCodwas
“much better years ago when it had more
farms on it. Now, it’s more developed.”
He’s evenflownsomeKennedys,
including a young John F. Kennedy Jr.
from Hyannisport.
Perhaps his most challenging flight
was about eight years ago, when he flew
November2000
smallisland about one mile wide and two
miles long.
“It had never been done before,” he
said. “It was quite something.”
Gulls welcomed him to land as he
flew over a sailboat at full mast.
“Afterabrief splashanddash,I landed
on the beach next to a Coast Guard dock
with a hoist. You could hear all the shut-
ters going off.”
He also has flown several times on
Martha’s V ineyard for“fancy people”
which sometimes includes “a lot of high
society types and personalities from TV
thatcome up from New Yorkand Califor-
nia and summer on the island.”
Landingsitesthereincludehorse
farms, estates and back yards.
Getting on and off Martha’s Vine-
yard—about 12 miles by 6 miles wide—
involves a ferry.
“Flying the islands is fun because
you are surrounded by water,” he said.
Giffordhasnever flowninNantucket,
and doesn’tknow any balloonistwho has
flown there.
Butmost Massachusetts balloonists,
including Stodolski, prefer flying in the
center of the state.
“Youwouldcallitwoodsy,”
Stodolskisaid.“Wefindsmallfield,back-
yards and streets without powerlines. We
have to make sure the conditionsare very
good, very slow. And we try to stay away
from Boston.”
Althoughsomeballoonistshave
flown from Boston in the past—Thomas
took off from downtown years ago with
justfour feet of clearance between build-
ings—thecongestion,itsprevailingwinds
tothe ocean andproximity tobusy Logan
airport makemost balloonists head30
minutes east to better flying areas.
And even then, it can be challenging
finding good landing spots.
“Justabouteverybody lands inback-
yardsandschoolyardsand industrialpark-
ing lots,” saidJimEllis, who livesin
Harvard. “Wedon’tusually flyunlessit’s
calmat thesurface.Ifyou can’tdo a
standuplanding, youmightbe introuble.”
Beth Hamilton, whose husband and
sonarealsoballoonpilots,fliesnear
Rehoboth, justeastof Providence, Rhode
Island. She says she’s used to flying in
restrictive conditions.
“Wegetin theairandland ina
shesaid.“Wehavealot ofbackyard
landings. We do parking lotsreal well.”
She said pilots in southern Massa-
chusetts charge between $190 and $275
per person for a flight.
Great Nordic BalloonChase, in Worthington, in the Berkshire Mountains,
the weekend closest to the full moon in January, 10-12 balloons fly two
scheduled flights at 2 p.m. at a cross-country ski area; moonlight skiing,
bonfires. Contact:PaulSena, P.O. Box 272, Worthington,MA 01098. 413-
238-5514.
Green River Festival, in Greenfield, second weekend in July, 10 balloons
fly fourscheduled flights, Friday afternoon through Sundaymorning,
passengerrides,BalloonIlluminationSaturdaynight,fireworksinconjunc-
tion with a major music festival. Contact: Franklin County Chamber of
Commerce, 395 Main St., P.O. Box898, Greenfield, MA 01302. 413-773-
5463. www.greenriverfestival.com
Arts and Air Festival, in Rehoboth, third weekend in September,6-10
balloons, two fun flights, Saturday morning and afternoon, with a raindate
of Sunday morning and afternoon; in conjunction with an arts and hand-
madecraft sale to benefit the LyonsClub. Contact: JayCrandall, 98
Danforth Street, 02769. 508-252-6878.
Butperhaps the easiest flying terrain
is in the west-central part of the state, in
the Connecticut River Valley,although
fog can be a problem in the mornings.
“You could just close your eyes and
land,” said David Giusto, of Deerfield.
• Nantucket
