December 2000
like toflya balloon wherethe
highest ground winds wereeverrecorded?
JustaskEdLappies.Alwaysupfora
challenge,Lappiesinflatedhisballoon
atop Mt. Washington on Sept. 8, 1982. At
6,288feet,it’sthehighestpeakinthe
northeast.Anditusuallyseesextreme
weather,suchasthe231 mphwindgust
reportedthere in 1934.
“I took off from the parking lot from
theweatherobservationarea,”hesaid.
“Thewindswereabout12mphwhenI
tookoff.Therotorcomingoffofthe
mountaintookmerightbackintothe
mountain.”
Heclimbedto7,000feetandwas
forceddown again.
“That rotor is probablyabout3,000
feethigh.SoIwentupto10,000and
landedin a campground.”
Not all flights in New Hampshire are
asadventurousasflyingintheWhite
Mountains,inthenorthernpartofthe
state. But theyhave the potential tobe.
Of the 9,300 square miles in the state,
85 percent of New Hampshire is covered
by forest. Throw in granitehills and 1,300
lakesorponds,andthatdoesn’tleave
muchspaceforfarms,pasturesorbig
backyards.
“Youhave toflyinlightwindsbe-
causeyou don’t have anyfieldsyoucan
land in like in other parts of the country,”
Lappiessaid.
Inthe20yearsLappieshasbeen
flying balloonsinNew Hampshire, he’s
onlyhadto deflateintreestwice. Once,
theenvelopegotrippedwhenloggers
the balloondidn’t get a single tear.
Lappiessaysthere’s a technique for
easyrecovery from tree landings.
“You start to get the balloon settling
inthetrees,letthe basketslide intothe
ground,thenpulltheventlineintothe
basket,andthatwillpullyourenvelope
intothe basket.”
Ifhisfellowballoonistsaren’tas
lucky, Lappiesandhiswife, MaryAnn,
operate the only balloonrepair stationin
the state from their home in Hillsboro.
Theyalsohostthe annualIronButt
Safety Seminar each winter. The seminar
wasnamedsobecauseallofthe course
informationiscrammedintoonelong
day.
Gary Morgan, president of the Gran-
iteStateBalloonAssociation,saidmost
ofthe25balloonistsinthestateflyin
sou th-centralNewHamp shire,n ear
Hillsboro,MilfordandManchester,the
state’slargestcitywithabout100,000
people. The trees are more dense north of
Concord, the capital.
“Thesouthernareaofthestateis
flyable,althoughitdoestakeacertain
amount ofcaution,” Morgan said. And the
experienceofflyinginaconfinedarea
makesfor better pilots, he said.
“It’s not uncommon to fly 45 minutes
oranhourbeforeyoufindyourfirst
landingsite,” hesaid.“Ifyoucanflyin
New Hampshire, youcanfly anywhere.”
Whileeithermorningorafternoon
flightsarepossible,hesaidmanypilots
optnottoflyintheafternoonsothey
be becalmed at sunset.
Since the state is only 180 miles long
and roughly 50 miles wide, it’s not hard to
fly inview of a neighboring state.
BobRussell,whonormallyfliesin
Raymond,insoutheastNew Hampshire,
said on a clear day, he can see the Atlantic
Ocean near Portsmouth, Mt. Washington
andthe Boston skyline 50 miles away.
Summertime oftenfinds fogor haze
coming in off the ocean, he said.
But he doesn’t limit his flying to the
summer. He’s one of about three balloon-
ists who trek up to Pittsburg, in the north-
erntip of the state, near the Quebec bor-
der,togoicefishingandballooning.
There’susually“nothingbuttreesand
lakes up there,” solanding spots are only
found in the winter when the lakes freeze
over.
“Wenormallytake off from apark-
inglot and landon the ice,” Russell said.
Friendswithsnowmobilespullthede-
flated systems to the roads using inverted
car hoodsassleds.
“We usually go in February orMarch,
whenthesnowisn’tasdeep,”hesaid.
“It’s onlyabout two feet deep, compared
tothree or four feetin January.”
Althoughhe’sflownwhenthe tem-
perature has beenminus20degrees,it’s
usuallyabalmyzerodegrees,“nothing
toobad” for that time of year, he said.
Healsomakesaflightinnearby
Colebrookinthesummeratthetown’s
MooseFestival,wherepeopledressup
like and call moose.
Threeannualballoonfestivalsare
December 2000
GraniteStateBalloonAssociation,45members,abouthalfpilots,monthly
meetingsin Manchester the secondWednesdayof the month, from September
throughMayfor businessmeetings, educational programs, photocontestsand
guestspeakers.Monthlyflyoutsalsoscheduledaroundthestate;landowner
certificates and raffle for $300 or a balloon ride. Annual dues are $12, or $20 per
familyand includes a newsletter; subscriptions only are $10a year. Contact: 61
HampsteadRoad, Sandown, NH 03873. www.hotairballoon.org/nh
High Hopes Hot Air Balloon Festival, in Milford, Father’s Day weekend, often
the thirdweekendinJune, 20balloonsflyfiveflightsFridaythroughSunday
afternoon,withaglowFriday.PaidridershelpraisemoneyforHighHopes
charitythatgrantswishesforterminallyillchildren;skydivers,musicians,
carnival rides, hayrides, crafts, and food. Contact: Dale Riley, 39 Christmas Tree
Lane, Milford, NH 03055. 603-673-2987. www.milfordnh.com/highhopes
HillsboroBalloonFestand Fair, mid-July,15balloonsflyfive flights, Friday
through Sunday afternoon, glow Friday; paying riders; fund-raiser for the Lions
Club,ChamberofCommerceandvolunteerfiredepartment;carnivalrides,
crafts,atruckpull,horsepull,fireworksandhelicopterrides.Contact:Ed
Lappies, P.O. Box 24, Hillsboro, NH 03244.603-478-5666.
www.balloonfestival.org
Pittsfield Balloon Festival, first full weekend in August, 20-25 balloons fly four
flights, Friday afternoonthrough Sunday morning, with a glow Saturdaynight;
fun flights, sponsor rides; craft fair tobenefit the Rotary. Contact: EdLappies,
P.O. Box24, Hillsboro, NH 03244. 603-478-5666.
year inthe southern part of the
state.Someoffercommercialpilotsthe
chance to take up paying passengers, with
a portiongoingtocommunitycharities,
such as the Lions or Rotary clubsor vol-
unteer fire department.
TheHighHopesHotAirBalloon
•
inMilford has raisedmore than
$500,000overtheyearstohelpgrant
wishes of terminally ill children, said or-
ganizerDale Riley, one of thestate’s most
senior balloonists.
“Milfordis probablythe bestflying
areaof NewHampshire,”hesaid.“We
better.”
He recalls flying intoone area of the
state where he landed in an apple orchard.
“It was a town where there is less than
onepercent open and nine-tenths ofthat is
apple orchard,” Riley said the farmer told
him.
