Ed Vande Hoef invited fifteen
of the best mountain balloon pilots that he knows, to Breckenridge, Colorado
for the 7th year of the Continental Balloon Festival. Hoping for another
attempt at a mass crossing of the Continental Divide.by Cindy Petrehn
Ed Vande Hoef invited fifteen
of the best mountain balloon pilots that he knows, to Breckenridge, Colorado
for the 7th year of the Continental Balloon Festival. Hoping for another
attempt at a mass crossing of the Continental Divide.
It was extremely cold and the weather did not look promising for the first few days in Breckenridge, but the participants all wrapped up and braved the cold with their ski gear as the first pilot briefing was postponed to Thursday morning at 6:45 am.
With the help of the other ten other pilots and crews, Dan Sherrill, Jon Thompson and Cheri White braved the bitter cold Thursday morning and tethered near down town Breckenridge. The skies were clear blue but the winds were a little gusty which prevented a morning flight.
Hopes were high on Friday morning along with the pressure system that had moved in to the area, but the direction wasn't perfect and everyone flew within the Valley, overlooking the Breckenridge Ski Area and Lake Dillon to the north. Most everyone met on the slopes for lunch and skiing in the afternoon.
Saturday morning looked promising and the second check of the wind reader by Christy, David Levin's crew chief, showed that the direction was there at the right altitude. While David asked her to check for the third time, some pilots inflated and took off for another in valley flight.
We started to gather the oxygen and the necessary gear only hoping that it would happen. Ed gave the go ahead and David Levin took off as the guinea pig. "I'll go first and if it isn't working, I'll let you know..." he offered. Pilots John Petrehn, David Bradley, Jon Thompson and Joel Sturdevant waited along with anxious passengers and crews following close behind.
I was very excited as this would be my second trip over the divide thanks to Marlene 8 Scooter Gaidzik, pilots from Chicago that showed up just to watch the morning flight and we were able to commandeer them to crew for us. This gave them the excuse to take that drive in the mountains that they planned before heading back to the midwest.
Lifting off at approx. 8:30 am, it was a very slow start. Rising up above the gorgeous snow covered peaks in a crystal clear blue sky, we used 10 gallons of fuel just getting to altitude and out of Breckenridge. Following the "Red Dog" leader we clocked a top speed of 59 mph on our GPS. With a rapid descent into the valley, we arrived just west of Fairplay, Colorado in about an hour and a half. The winds at landing were clocked at 22 mph by John on his GPS, everyone else had stowed them for landing. Everyone landed safely, although one pilot will have a little wicker weaving to do this winter, due to the frozen terrain.
All in all, 5 balloons and 8 pilots flew over, not the record we were shooting for but for those who went over the divide, it was an exhilarating morning and one that will not be forgotten. It rates up there as my favorite hot air balloon flight and everyone is looking forward to next year.
