by Ina Strickland
What do you get when you cross
beautiful countryside scenery, very friendly people, and Indian summer-like
weather for flying balloons...? The answer is the beginning of what became
a great personal adventure at the "I Oeme Meeting International
de Tournai - Belgique," which took place September 20 - 28, 1997.
A chance to compete at the balloon meet in Tournai, Belgium was the top prize awarded almost ten months earlier to Southern California balloonist Tim Brown. Brown was the 1996 first place winner at the Thunderbird Balloon Race in Scottsdale, Arizona, which included two round trip tickets to the balloon festival in Tournai in celebration of their 10th anniversary. The festival organizers would provide for shipment of the balloon, hotel accommodations and truck rental while participating in the event.
After getting in touch with Stan de Germiny, a Belgian pilot from Tournai currently residing in the Phoenix area where he owns a balloon ride business, Tim decided to ship only his AX-7 Cameron Under the Spell envelope since Stan graciously offered use of a basket, fuel tanks, and instruments he keeps in Tournai. Stan had additionally cautioned Tim to bring plenty of warm clothes to include wet weather attire and not to be disappointed if Tim only flew two out of the nine days scheduled for flights since rain was the standard for that time of year.
Belgium-bound with his two kids and girlfriend as crew, Tim arrived in Brussels on September 18, two days before the competition was to start, to get acclimated and adjusted to the time change and get to know the area. They also met some university students and personal friends of Stan who became their local crew and translators when their French was not up to par. Stan also became the encyclopedia of local facts and Belgian history and somewhat of a willing unofficial tour guide.
The balloon meeting called for four days of actual competition during two weekends flying in the late afternoon, with the week sandwiched in between filled with flights launched from the surrounding villages and places of interest in the area with the goal of reaching and flying over Tournai. Tournai is famous for its 12th century landmarks which include a Romanesque style cathedral of five bell towers, La Cathedral de Notre Dame, and the town's belfry. Although approximately 60% of the town was destroyed during WWII, miraculously the cathedral and belfry did not receive significant damage to their structure you can still breathe in the history as you walk down the cobblestone streets.
On the first day of competition, September 20, balloonists were sent to each of 29 surrounding villages comprising the "grand Tournai" to launch from their town square in celebration of the 10th anniversary. Tim's crew went to the town of Beclers where already a citizens' band was playing music to welcome them. Since it was Tim's birthday, the band also surprised Brown and played "Happy Birthday" at the request of his Belgian crew.
Because the winds were gusting 12 to 17 mph, the competition was called off; however, some daring pilots did take off from some of the villages, while others only inflated for the crowd's pleasure. The first weekend of the competition only brought out approximately 40 pilots while the last weekend experienced full house with all of its 57 registered pilots who came from countries like Germany, France, United Kingdom, Hungary, and even Canada.
The briefings were in French, then translated into Flemish (Belgium's other official language), and finally a watered down version in English. One of the areas to stay away from was the airport in Lille, France, which was only about 20 miles southeast of Tournai. Another concern was the lack of permission to fly into France (where the prevailing winds would take you), at least for the first weekend's competition.
The second day's competition required
a fly-in task. Although the winds were brisk at 8 to 12 mph, Tim took off
along with two more balloons from an empty farm field. He overshot the "X"
on the field but did not care since the flight over the city and his first
ever in Europe was truly unforgettable.
Most of the mornings during the week were foggy as it was typical of this time of the year. Each day of the week had an afternoon flight scheduled from a nearby village or town; however, some of the balloonists still managed to fly in the morning after the fog burned off. Every evening flight was followed by a "fiesta," an evening of beer, food and music at the main tent.
Beer was plentiful since a national brand was one of the sponsors of the event and Tim's crew rapidly developed a taste for "blanche" or white beer. The food was very tasteful and was prepared every evening by Pierre Honoree's family (the actual organizer) and a group of friends. Food consisted of a daily serving of bread and soup, a main dish and dessert everything from rabbit to pheasant, and even the favorite dish, "pommes frites" which is nothing other than french fries Belgian style. Donald Bellini, one of the Canadian pilots and a Richard Dreyfuss look-alike, proved to be a real entertainer who serenaded the crowd for a few nights at his friends' urging. Most evenings ended around midnight making afternoon flights very welcome.
The week went by fast with balloons taking off from three chateaus or castles, two that are still privately owned, and from two small breweries. The grounds of the Chateau de Beleoil were grand and impressive, especially with the lake and large sea sculpture of Poseidon it has approximately a staff of 36 workers to take care of its grounds. The breweries were small and locally owned. Belgium has about 257 beers Tim and his crew only managed to sample less than 10 of them.
Locals were friendly and helpful when balloons landed and mixed with a sense of wonderment. The novelty of being an American team trying to communicate in broken French was a plus with procuring extra crew at the landing sites while waiting for the regular crew to arrive. It was hard to figure out at times if one had landed in Belgium or in France, since borders for both countries are almost non-existent due the European Community accord.
Since Tournai is located close to major attractions both in France and in Belgium, Tim and his crew spent the mornings driving to nearby places of interest such as the medieval city of Bruges, famous for its lace making, and Antwerp. One of the evenings after the flight, Stan ended up serving as a personal tour guide in Brussels. There the crew dinned on mussels, "the" official Belgian dish, toured "La Grande Place", its famous town square, and paid a visit to the Mannequin Pis, the famous statue of a small child urinating onto a fountain, the symbol of Brussels. On Tuesday, September 23, Tim and the crew took the day off to visit Paris via TGV, the fast train Paris lived up to its reputation of romance and sophistication, and the Metro proved to be the best deal in town.
On Saturday, September 27, it was time for the second half of the event which consisted of two days of hare and hound competition. The weekend's inflation was at the downtown field in Tournai where a large crowd gathered both days since all-day entertainment with music and carnival games was also available. The sky turned to somewhat thick haze and, with the sunset, it was hard to see where the hare had landed only one balloon scored on the "X". Tim landed near the border of France at a somewhat disgruntled potato farmer's field. The farmer tried to stop other balloonists from using the field as a landing spot but gave up and left.
On Sunday, September 28, the last day of competition and another day of beautiful weather, the sky filled once again with multicolor balloons, including an orange drink bottle and several beer glass balloons. This time Tim scored after more than an hour of flying, thinking that he had missed where the hare had landed, already twilight, when he finally saw the "X" on the ground. It was almost the perfect flight except that it would be his last in Europe for now.
The evening's party back at the tent was full of reverie and music, but also sadness as good-byes were said to new friends. Tim and his kids sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" accompanied by Stan playing the accordion, and Pierre, happier and less stressed than usual, danced on the table. Tim placed 7th overall and received a medal commemorating the event with extracted promises of a future return to Belgium and Tournai.
Tim and his crew experienced one of the most memorable times of their lives. Ballooning has afforded him and his family opportunities and experiences they would not otherwise come across. Ballooning in Belgium also showed that balloon pilots, no matter where they come from, are a bunch of life enthusiasts looking to share good times and make new friends.
