by Alex Nagorski
Modern Canadian ballooning emerged
from a rich aviation heritage which includes 20th century gas ballooning,
bush pilots (adventurous pilots who opened up northern Canada), aircraft
manufacturing, and commercial airlines. Living in a very large country which
borders on three oceans, aviation is an essential transportation element.
Within this tradition it was natural for modern ballooning to catch a quick foothold in the mid to late 60s. Adventurous individuals in western and eastern Canada traveled to the USA to get their pilots' licenses and buy balloons. One balloon was even brought into Canada listed as a spinnaker sail, weed burner and laundry basket because Canadian customs at that time did not have a category for balloons.
These early pioneers, quickly trained others especially in western Canada where the sport flourished in the wide open farm and ranch land. Calgary became the hotbed of recreational, sport and, eventually, commercial ballooning as it was normal to fly out of downtown with minimal Transport Canada restrictions and good cooperation from Air Traffic Controllers. Early pilots learned about ballooning weather by the trial and error method as they experienced the adventures of flying in mountain waves, Chinook conditions and on the edges of thunderstorms. There are many interesting stories told by old timers at tailgate parties.
Local balloon clubs plus provincial organizations such as the Alberta Free Balloonist Society along with the national organization sprang up to promote safety, the social aspects of ballooning and competition. People such as Brian Hval, Joan Martin and Charlie Littlewood organized and formed the core of balloon clubs who bought and shared the equipment to make entry into ballooning affordable for anyone interested. They brought and kept the spirit of fun and recreation to ballooning.
Major competitions started in the mid 70's with a Western Canadian Championships hosted by Red Deer, Alberta. The formation of the Canadian Balloon Association in 1978 resulted in the first Canadian Championships being held in Grande Prairie, Alberta, with Dale Lang of Calgary becoming the first champion Canadian Champion. From there sport ballooning became the main focal point for the west. Even eastern Canadian pilots made the long drives to the wide open Alberta prairies to compete at the national level. By the mid-80s sport ballooning had also started to grow steadily in Ontario and Quebec. Small events sprung up with 1984 becoming a significant year when Barrie, Ontario became the first non-Alberta city to host the Canadian Championship and St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec hosted the North American Championship.
Competition was not the only focus, as these events became social gathering featuring spontaneous amateur night entertainment, parties hosted by local landowners and sponsors, beauty contests and balloons on floats at local parades. If pilots did not do well on the tasks, at least they went home knowing they had a great time with friends.
In the mid 80's the Calgary sky
was frequented by some very strange balloons, as Harold Warner brought special
shapes to Canada on a large commercial scale by assembling a stable of shapes
which included a cow, tractor, flying saucer and dinosaur among others.
These shapes became so popular they attended events all over the world.
In Ontario and Quebec ballooning activity was spotty with a number of commercial
ride operators and but it also saw the emergence of one Canadian balloon
manufacturer, Fantasy Balloons. About this time a few pilots emerged in
other provinces and organized events. Balloons were regularly flying in
British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Prince Edward
Island.
From early eastern competitions in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu and, four years later, Gatineau, Quebec hosts two of the premier balloon festivals in North American. Attracting attendance of 100,000 or more and around a 100 balloons each year. These communities use balloons as the main attraction at their annual community festivals. Also their international fame has grown because of Canada hosting the 1991 World Hot Air Balloon Championship in St. Jean-sur-Richelieu and, in 1998, Gatineau will be the site of the World Hot Air Airship Championship. It is now common to see a significant number of European and Asian pilots at these, and other, international events in Canada, including the 1992 Pacific Championship in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
Internationally, Canadian pilots have competed or flown in fiestas at events on all the continents and, alongside them, a very capable group of Canadian officials have worked at those events. They have shown that their skills are on a par with the rest of the world.
Although balloons have been active in all of the 10 provinces and a few have visited the Yukon territory, the focal point of Canadian ballooning activity has, in the last few years, shifted from west to east. Larger events, availability of sponsors and close proximity to American balloonists has enhanced the eastern events and fostered the growth of a new generation of pilots, officials, sponsors and event organizers. Commercial balloonists are now the most visible group, but recreation and sport balloonists in all parts of Canada continue to enjoy the fun and freedom of flight and the challenge of competition.
In the last several years a few hot air pilots, both east and west, have graduated to gas ballooning. Now Canadians are flying at gas events in the United States and the Coupe de Gordon Bennett. Some hot air airships have also been seen flying advertising over some cities, but a most interesting venture is one by Hokan Colting of Ontario who is building gas airships for commercial purposes.
Long jumps and record attempts by Canadians and others keep the winters interesting. After all, who can resist trying a long flight on a crisp, cold, blue sky day with nothing but hundreds of miles of prairie down wind. The pioneering and adventurous spirit lives.
For more information on Canadian Ballooning check the following Web sites:
Canadian Balloon Association - http://www.aeroclub.ca/cba
Canadian Pilots Family Tree compiled by Ole Oleson
- http://calgary.shaw.wave.ca/eze/balloon/pilot.html
Copyright
© 1998 Balloon Life. All rights reserved. 