June1999
findplentyof freshair,appleorchards,
pinetreesand...tumbleweeds?Moun-
tainsthatdividethestatecreateanarid
desert for the eastern half of Washington.
“Much of our state is desert because
the 5,000-footCascade Mountains block
thestormsthatcomeinoff the Pacific,”
saidCarolWitney,editor oftheNorth-
west Ballooning Association newsletter.
That barren terrain proved useful for
ay ou ngb allo on is ti n19 83 ,wh en
Stephanie Shinn,then13,seta duration
record from Moses Lake, flying an 8,000-
cubic foot balloon 1 hour and 16 minutes.
“Itwasvery,verycontroversialbe-
cause she was so young,” said her mother,
MaryShinn.“Itwasinthemiddleof
winter andthe wind was about 1mph.It
was in an area about 15 miles by 15 miles
withnopowerlines,noroads,notrees.
This is the desert. We have tumbleweeds.”
Therecordhassincebeenbroken,
but Stephaniestillholdsthe FAI female
duration record for that class of balloons.
Eventhoug hfewerthan15,000
people live in MosesLake, flying over it
now canbe challenging.Pilots fromJa-
panAir Lines practice flying 747sat the
formerLarsonAirForceBase,withits
2.5-mile runway. The planes practice take-
offs and landings seven days a week, from
6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Shinn said.
“Not many balloonists like flying with
747s under them,” she said.
Flying is much easier about 20 miles
outoftown.Manyfieldsareirrigated
fromthe Columbia River, sopilotsneed
to be able to identify the potato, asparagus
andonioncrops.
“This is very easy flying,” Shinn said.
“Most of our powerlines are a mile apart.
It’sprettyflatandnon-stressfulflying.
Pretty much anywhere else we go is more
challenging.”
Shinnsaidthe sunshinesabout300
days a year. Morning and evening flights
can be fierce here, so she suggests landing
withintwo hours of sunrise.
There’s much more green on thewest
side oftheCascades, where springrains
meanwetfields.
“A lot of pilots in other places, ifthey
get just a hintof water, they panic,” said
TedWi rch,ofBattleGroun d,n ear
Vancouver. “We get them wet. When we
land, they’regoingtogetwet.Butafter
theFourthofJuly,somebodyturnsthe
faucet off and it’s pretty dry until Novem-
ber.”
MandyJohnson,ofKent,nearSe-
attle, saidwetfields are a way of life for
balloonists there.
“Mostofusareprettyspoiled,we
wanttoflyanyway, soeverybody’sgot
these great huge tarps,” she said.
JohnsonsaidwesternWashington,
situated between the Pacific and the Cas-
cades, is an extremely scenic place to fly.
“Most people are stricken about how
close themountainsandthe oceanisto
us,” she said.
Wirchsaidthesixballoonistsnear
himfly within a four or five mile area of
farms andwoodsnear the restrictedair-
space of the Portland, Oregon airport. He
onlyfliesinthemorningsandsaidbox
winds are common.
“We generally have a winduntil the
sungoes down,” he said.“We can’trisk
having a rip landing because wejust don’t
have fieldsthat big.”
Commercial pilots therecharge $150
to$175for rides.Passengerscancount
fivemountainswhentheyreach1,200
feet.
His flying season begins around June,
when hay is left to grow in the fields until
the crop reaches four feet.
“Even if it’s dry, you can’t land in it,”
he said. “Then after the Fourth of July, we
have all these wonderful places to fly, and
canflyeight or 10days ina row.”
InMarch, whenballoonistsget the
urgetobreaktheir hibernationover the
long winter, several head to Winthrop and
Twisp, small towns ina protected valley
on the east of the mountains for aninfor-
mal fly-together.
“Whenyougettiredofthe rainon
thisside ofthemountain, youcandrive
three hours onthe other side andsee the
sunshine,” Johnson said. “Everybody goes
nutsnot flyingover the winter, sowe go
there to get the knots out.”
Spokane,neartheIdahoborder,is
Washington’ssecond-largestcityand
hometoAvianBalloonCorporation,
whichhasmanufacturedabout250bal-
loonssince1974.Thecompanyboasts
being the oldestballoon manufacturer in
the U.S. which still has its original name
andmanagement.
Forey Walter,its founder, said the six
activepilotsaroundSpokanestayaway
from the built-up city and its airport. But
eventheoutskirtsarebecominginfil-
tratedby development.
“TheprimeflyingareawhereIgo
now probably won’t be there in 10 years,
butI’llbe toooldtoflythenanyway,”
Walter said.
Either dawnor afternoonflights are
possible,butdrainagewindsoftenpro-
ducestrongwindsinthemornings,he
said. His flying season is mid-Junethrough
mid-October.
In1984,Walterbuiltabigpurple
balloon, The Lilac Lady, with Spokane’s
name emblazoned on it to honor the city’s
Lilac Festival. Asecond, yellow Spokane
balloon replaced it.
Thepilots in theSeattle-Tacoma area
oftenflyinthe SnohomishValleyto the
north, around Redmond to the east and in
the outskirts ofKent and Auburn, Johnson
said. Some flights are only 15 miles from
Puget Sound, andpilotsflying under the
shelfofcontrolledairspacecansafely
watchplanes taking off andlanding.
June 1999
Johnsonsaid most flights are only in
the mornings, but afternoon flights are
more common over the farms in Arling-
ton, in the foothills of the Cascades, be-
cause fog is common there in the morn-
ings.
Pilots estimate there arenearly 50
active balloonistsin Washington. About
half of them live in the Seattle-Tacoma
area.
Seattleisalsohome to“BalloonLife”
magazine.PublisherTomHamilton
movedtheofficesfrom California in1997.
Pilots have achoice to join three
regional balloon clubs. About 85 pilots
and crew members belong to the North-
west Ballooning Association which pub-
lishesa monthlynewsletter. Meetingsare
held just onceayear to electofficers,
typically in February or March, when a
safety seminar is held.
The Puget Sound LTA Society pub-
lishes a periodic newsletter and hosts a
summerbarbecue andJanuarydinnerparty
and auction. And many Washington bal-
loonistsbelong to the 45th Parallel Aero-
statSquadron, based in Oregon this year.
Many club members are dedicated
crew, like Stacey Shrull, who vividlyre-
calls her firstballoonride nearly 20years
ago. She was a 15-year-old high school
student on May 18, 1980 when she lifted
off near Battle Ground, about 35 miles
from Mount St. Helens.
“That wasthemorning shetore
loose,” Shrull said. “We were taking off
and we saw thisbig plume. It looked like
smoke coming over the tops of the trees.
We couldn’t figure out what it was until
the chase crew told us what it was and
we’d better get down. When we finally
realized whatit was, it was a thrillandthe
fear all wrapped up in one.”
Her flightlasted lessthan 10 minutes
as ash spewed over eastern Washington.
“It was arecordpack-up,” Shrull
said. “We all wanted to get out of there
and go home and make sure everything
was all right.”
Ash covered the area later that day.
The eruptionkilled57 people and obliter-
ated 150,000 forested acres.
“I was so excited that day because it
was my turn to fly,but I was kind of
disappointed that we had to come down.
But I got lots more rides after that.”
Flyingcloser to the volcano is still
No rth westBallo onAss ociatio n:
Members in Washington,Oregon,Idaho
andCalifornia; Dues:$15, or$20per
family, includes a monthly newsletter.
The club also sponsors an annual semi-
narinFebruaryorMarch,whenan
annual club meeting is scheduled. Con-
tact: Carol Whitney, 18239NE 182nd
Ave.,BrushPrairie,WA98606. 360-
253-3863.
PugetSoundLTASociety:Annual
dues are $5,or $10 for a family mem-
bership;includesperiodicnewsletter,
summerbarbecueandJanuarydinner
party/auction. Contact: Mandy Johnson,
17128SECovington-SawyerRoad,
Kent, WA 98042.
Walla Walla BalloonStampede:50
balloons, typically Mother’s Day week-
end;threemorningflights,Saturday
Nite Glow. Contact:Walla Walla Val-
leyChamberofCommerce,29East
Sumach St., P.O. Box 644, Walla Walla,
WA9 93 6 2.5 09 -52 5 -08 50 .
Yelm Lighter Than Air Fair, 12 bal-
loons,thirdweekendofJuly,atthe
base of Mt. Rainier. Saturday and Sun-
day morning fun flights, Saturday glow.
Paidrides.Contact:MandyJohnson,
17128SECovington-SawyerRoad,
Kent, WA 98042. 253-630-0749.
Ferndale Hullaballoon: 20 balloons,
secondweekendinAugust.Contact:
Ferndale Chamber of Commerce, 5640
Riverside Drive, Ferndale, WA 98248.
88 8-7 2 2-2 06 2 . www.fernd ale-
chamber.com
Auburn Good Old Days, 20 balloons,
third weekend in August. Saturday and
Sundaymorningcompetitionflights,
BalloonIllusion glow Saturdaynight.
Contact:MandyJohnson,17128SE
Covington-SawyerRoad,Kent,WA
98042. 253-630-0749
TheGreatProsserBalloonRally,
last full weekend in September, 30 bal-
loons;mediaflightFridaymorning;
dawn fun flights Saturday and Sunday;
glowor flySaturdayafternoon.Con-
tact: Vesta Beierle, 1230 Bennett Ave.,
Prosser, WA 99350. 509-786-1298.
Walla Walla •
Prosser •
June 1999
But I got lots more rides after that.”
Flying closer to the volcano is still
not done by balloon, not for fear of an-
other eruption, but becausethe areais
rugged and full of trees.
The Cascades that divide the state
have been crossed by balloonists,but no
oneis known to haveflown overMt.
Rainie r.Themountain,usually
snowcappedat14,400feet, isvisiblefrom
Seattle.
At the base of Mt. Rainier, the town
of Yelm hostsa small rally each summer
with about a dozen balloons. Pilots are
givenhotelrooms,propane,show-up
money and can take passengers for $125
in themornings. Aglow isscheduled
Saturday evening, alongwith a car show,
golf tournament and parachutists from
nearby Ft. Lewis Army Base.
Another small rally, with about 20
balloons, is heldin Auburn in August. In
its fourth year,theAuburnGoodOld
Days featuresa BalloonIllusionglowand
flightsweekendmornings, withinformal
competition.
Ferndale, a town of about 8,000 in
northwest Washington, has held a rally
off and on since 1989. About 20balloon-
ists attend the event.
“It’sabeautifularea toflyand there’s
lotsof farmland. That’sone reasonpilots
like to fly here,” said Kathy Ruggles,
rally organizer. “We’ve got it all.”
Morningflightsarescheduledaswell
as a glow and an optionalflightSaturday
evening. About 10,000 people attend the
glow, along witha civil war reenactment
and entertainment.
InsoutheastWashington,Walla
Wallahashosted a balloonfestivalfor 25
years.
“There were about four balloonists
and enthusiastswhostarted it,”said Staci
Burch, a chamber of commerce spokes-
woman. “It just gained momentum and
grew into something huge and wonder-
ful.”
More than 50,000 spectators attend
thethree-dayevent.Organizerspride
themselves atkeeping it free for the pub-
lic.
Fifty balloons fly Friday, Saturday
and Sunday at dawn. There’s also musi-
calentertainment,anartsandcraftsshow,
a golf tournament, dog walk, 5K run for
charity,avolleyballtournament,car
shows, and dozens of antique dealers.
On Friday night, the publicis invited
to mingle with the pilots during a cham-
pagnereception.Admissionhere is$18.50
and includes an engraved goblet souve-
nir.
Balloonsglow while a dance is held
Saturday evening.
Thefestivalisheldatthe WallaWalla
CountyFairgrounds, which also features
horse racing during the weekend.
About90 miles west of WallaWalla,
balloonists havebeen flying in Prosser
since1990. Noballoonistslivein Prosser,
but the rally began afterWirch visited
family there and invited four other pilots
tofly withhim, said Vesta Beierle, chair-
man of the rally.
“The editor of the local paper hap-
pened to be out and about and wrote an
article and said she’d help them all start a
balloon festival. That was in March, and
by September we had 15 balloons,” she
said.
Local sponsors pay $600to bring
each balloon to town.A press flight is
scheduled Fridaymorning;flightsare also
scheduledSaturdayandSunday morn-
ings, at the airport. An optional flight is
scheduled Saturday evening at the high
school football stadium, where a glow is
scheduled.
TheChamberofCommercealso
sponsorsa harvestfestivaldowntownwith
a farmer’s market and entertainment.
“The high school kids have a barbe-
cueandthe4-Hgroupsells cookies,”
Beierle said. “They make a lot of money
that weekend.”
But there’s no admission or parking
charged tothe 5,000 people who typically
attend the event each year.
“We had 50 motor homes come in
last year,” Beierle said.
She said the pilots asked not to have
competition flights, so none aresched-
uled.
“It’s a funfly,” Beierlesaid. “We
don’t ask our pilots to do much except
takecareofoursponsors.” The$600
sponsorship fee includes a basket banner
and a ride for two.
And you couldn’t ask for nicer fly-
ing conditions.
“It isareallyeasyplacetofly,”
Beierle said.!
