On (28 Sep 03) Cindy Haglund wrote to Frank Vest...

Hello Cindy,

 FV> Actually, the basket is about 3 feet tall on lowest part. Probably 4
 FV> feet on the corners. No chairs or straps. You stand for the flight and
 FV> look any direction you desire.

 CH>  Anybody ever get sea er flight sick ? 

Not since I've been crewing. 

 FV> Other than the noise when the pilot is firing the burners, it's quiet
 FV> and peaceful. You're low enough to see the fields, roads, buildings
 FV> and other stuff. If you've ever played with one of those toys that
 FV> looks like a city with the cars and such, it's amazing how similar
 FV> things look from the balloon. I wonder if those toys weren't made from

 CH>  Yep. I got that impression every time we came in for a landing via
 CH> airplane. Coming down from the clouds is truly awesome!! :)
 CH> especially Orlando, FL. Ever been there?

On one flight I got to ride in, we flew over the old Texas Instruments
building. The parking lot and stuff looked like a toy. :)

 FV> someone's experience in a balloon. :-)  Yes, the fields really do look
 FV> like that. :)

 CH>  In the Star-Telegram was an aerial view of FW taken from the North...
 CH> It's kinda funny if you'll pardon me... as it looks like well.. I had
 CH> the impression that old game "LIFE"... The very thing.

 CH> A scattering of tall buildings, parks... narrow waterway (Trinity
 CH> River)_.... stuck smack davitin the middle of no-where. 

Yeah. Does look like a lot of open land... and there is. Wish it would
stay that way.

 CH> Being from the hilly parts or Upstate Western NYS I can never quite
 CH> get over how flat it is here. Yes even Florida is flat though much
 CH> wetter.
 CH> It's just amazing. Scary even :)

I'd kinda like to fly over the hills or in the mountains once... just
to say I did.

 CH>  One thing a bit off topic from this I hve been wanting to ask you. Is
 CH> just how is it all the tall glass paneled sky scrappers manage to
 CH> survive the annual hail storms come spring? :) I'm hoping the fact
 CH> they do survive means such storms are not at all too common or brutal
 CH> as
 CH> I've read they can be.

I really have no idea. I try to stay out of downtown Dallas and Ft.
Worth.

Yes, the storms can be rough around here.

 FV> Corn dogs are the reason to go to the fair or other events. :)

 CH>  hehee I'll take that as a hint. They're probably bad for us but darn
 CH> it they're GOOD! And not those little winky dinky things you can get
 CH> at a mall. These were a good 12 inches, and the corn bread made 'em a
 CH> few inches bigger all together.

I'm just remembering. As a kid, I got my first corn dog at the
Oklahoma State Fair. Nasty, greasy things that are cooked in oil that
you know is old by people that you know didn't wash much of anything.
Still... they are good. :)

 CH> The corn bread part reminds me of an excellent corn bread recipe I
 CH> have from a friend in PA. I'll send it you you if you like. I'm
 CH> thinking of
 CH> finding a corn dog pan and making my own corn dogs. But baked instead
 CH> of fried. (Are we getting hungry yet?)

Just had supper. :)

 FV> Not impossible, but not very likely. If the wind is blowing north, the
 FV> currents at different levels (heights) might vary some, but the
 FV> general direction is north only. Balloons go up and down. That's the
 FV> only real control of direction that they have.

 CH>  I see..  You are with the chase crew? But you've been up in the
 CH> balloon? :) ................

One of the "perks" of crewing is that you get a ride now and then for
free. :) I've gotten to ride twice so far. It really only takes two
people to chase. Someone to drive the vehicle and someone to help keep
an eye on the balloon, read the maps and give directions to the
driver. It take four people to get the balloon ready for launch. One
is the pilot, who, of course, has to go in the balloon. :) That leaves
one person that can ride if there is room.

We generally have four crew and the pilot. The crew chief, who is the
wife of the pilot deals with the passengers, take pictures, navigates
on the chase and such. The rest of us set things up and get the
balloon ready. That leaves two people that just ride in the van during
the chase. We all help keep an eye on the balloon too, of course, but
if there are no passengers, two of us could ride.


Frank

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/flv
http://biseonline.com/r19

--- PPoint 3.01