Carolina Balloon Fest 10.19.12

Just thought I would share a few pics I took at the Carolina Balloon Festival in Statesville yesterday.  I am completely fascinated by hot air balloons.  They are so beautiful!!!  I was very curious about them.. so I looked up some facts about ballooning and thought I would share :

Buying a hot air balloon and becoming a hot air balloon pilot will put you in rare company. There are only about 4,000 hot air balloonists in the United States. Hot air ballooning is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and all pilots and balloons must meet their regulatory standards. New balloons are expensive (think luxury car prices) and must pass annual and 100-hour inspections. In addition to the balloon, pilots must invest in additional equipment, ground crews, and insurance.

Balloons are expensive and range in size and purpose. When buying a balloon, keep in mind you are buying a “flight system” that consists of the balloon (also called the envelope), the basket or gondola, fuel, burners and an inflation fan that is used to help inflate the envelope. Costs of these items can vary and some of them are included when you purchase a balloon. Others you will have to buy on your own, such as fuel for each flight (from $15 to $30 and up per hour) and the inflation fan ($900 and up). Additionally, comprehensive insurance will cost anywhere from $500 to $1,200 annually.
You will also need a chaser crew on hand when you fly. Chaser crews are ground-based crew members who help balloonists inflate and deflate the balloon and assist with landings. Because each flight is unique—pilots fly with the wind currents on flight day—pilots don’t know where they will land until they are in flight and need a chaser crew to follow their fight in van or other such vehicle on the streets below. During the flight, members of the chaser crew keep in contact with the pilot via two-way radio and ultimately meet them at the flight’s landing spot, where they help pack up the balloon and bring the pilot and any passengers back to where they started from. Sometimes members of chaser crews will volunteer to work in exchange for flight training. 

The average flight cost $225 per person (at least in Statesville)  .. so we opted for a tethered ride in a hot air balloon at the end of the evening.. which was still pretty cool!