Balloons Inflating For Take Off

The first point to make is that the organisation of this year’s event was pretty flawless, and from the various veterans of treatment from the superiors, the general message was that in 2010, things were done so much better.

It was this organisation that made the event one of the most successful Bristol’s ever – despite the weather forecast. After prolonged periods of drought throughout May, June and July, it was only fitting that August should be a wet one!

Having said, Thursday (12^th August) came around with mixed prospects for the coming days, and the weather was quite bright on Thursday itself, with gusts preventing the special shapes from launching. It was great to see a wide variety of shapes, and a sign that maybe things have now reached full circle, and shapes are growing in popularity again. Personally, it was the first time I’d seen the George White Superbike, and it was immensely impressive, as was the Palletways Dragon. The “surprise shape” Gnome? Yeah, let’s just say, it looks like the sweet it represents. Was also great to see the Bristol Belle out and about, with Don Cameron tethering the balloon as it celebrates its 50^th birthday this year. Doug also received a special mention on the PA system as he was celebrating his birthday.

Night Glow

The winds died down to allow a standard Night Glow, sponsored by HSBC. Some interesting tussles with the breeze that did remain for Blue Square

and Vital Resources though I must add! Also, the fireworks came from a different direction this year, from the golf course, to allow a better view for all.

Friday morning brought low lying cloud, and no hope, or so I thought. But the briefing quickly established that balloons would be able to fly. With the wind direction no longer heading straight towards the airport as first feared, instead more towards Hengrove Park, and a gap established in the gusty conditions. 81 balloons flew, including the Palletways Dragon and the French cockerel, as well as members of the press and TV, and “Carol the weather girl” in the basket of George White for her forecast. Richard Parry deserves a special mention for flying off the map.

Sadly, the conditions deteriorated for the majority of the weekend from this point onwards. Gusting winds meant no flying on Friday evening, resulting in a visit to the Milka free chocolate “factory”, using the term “factory” very loosely. Most pilots and crew spent the evening getting very merry with music provided in the marquee.

Balloons Tethering

I didn’t rise on Saturday morning until around 7.30, and was greeted by a very moist canvas all around me. It didn’t rain, it poured. Nothing was going on, so a quick cuppa and a look at Clive Bailey’s iPad was the height of excitement. The rain persisted through most of Saturday, drying up eventually in time for a fantastic Night Glow, sponsored by Milka, which included the very first Night Glow Mexican Wave. Someone was also walking around on Saturday night with their face painted as a tiger, god knows why….Ahem.

There was hope of flights taking place on Sunday morning, but it was those gusts that were causing problems again, and the height of attention was focused on Derek Maltby, who went out in the Lindstrand hopper with his water pistol, only to receive an entire bucket of water in his face from Ian Martin. Another topic of interest was the immense rip in the top of the new gnome balloon – a tethering session the day before had left its mark!

The rest of Sunday was a rip roaring success, with the Red Arrows putting on a sensational display at 4.30, before balloons were able to fly in the evening. The briefing stressed the rules that balloonists HAD to follow in compliance with the airport, as it was thought we would be flying right over them. However, minutes into the

Balloons Launching

launch, the arrival of a sea breeze changed all that, and 90% of the balloons headed out towards Hengrove Park again. 53 balloons flew in total,

including the Palletways shape which was consequently locked in its landing destination with no key for the gate. A hog roast brought Sunday evening

to a close, and despite the weather, the 2010 fiesta was a huge success, record breaking crowd numbers on Sunday, two night glows, two ascents, and a display from the Red Arrows.

On a personal note, this year’s event was a breakthrough for me in the fact that I had access to the arena and the balloonists village for the first time, and boy does it make the event ten times better, and I loved it before anyway! But a special thanks to John Morge for making that possible.

Photos and report © Tom Orpin