Reno Balloon Festival

The 25th anniversary of the Reno Balloon Races was held September 8th thru 10th. There were 120 balloons entered and approximately 140,000 spectators attended over the weekend. I am part of the chase crew for a balloon called Bob's Cat. The pilot is 82 years old and has flown all over the world, including Antarctica, Russia, Nepal, and most recently, China. This was his last balloon event and he is retiring from ballooning and turning over the reins (and the balloon) to his grandson. Each balloon has a sponsor. This year our sponsor was the first place winner of last year's photo contest. She received an $800 sponsorship that allowed 1 person to ride in the balloon each day.

The winning photo

The dawn patrol took off at 5:30 am on Saturday and Sunday. They are operated by 5 specially trained pilots. They take off in the dark and then cannot land until the sun starts to come up so they can see where to land. They have special burners that allow them to light up the balloons. The whole thing is set to the music from Chariots of Fire and is quite spectacular as the balloons light up on cue either individually or all together.

Following is a series of photos showing the balloon being inflated.

Obtaining clearance to fly from the launch director (lady with the yellow stripes)

Bob's Cat in the air.

The little bee balloons, Joey and Lilly. These are the hare balloons. These balloons take off before the other balloons, land somewhere away from the launch site, and put a target (usually a large white x) on the ground. The other balloons (the hounds) try to navigate as close as they can to the spot and drop a marker. Points are given according to the distance from the x. At the end of the week, the pilots with the most points win. They are competing for $20,000 in prize money!

This is "Sushi" one of 13 special shape balloons at the event.

Packing the balloon back in the bag after a successful flight.

The basket with the burners on top prior to loading it onto the truck. The pilot, Bob Kinsinger, is on the right. His grandson Justin, who piloted the balloon on Friday and Saturday, is in the yellow vest.

This was one of the most successful weekends we have had in quite a few years. The flights on Friday and Saturday lasted about an hour and one half. Our sponsors were great. The crew consisted of the sponsor and her husband, her mother and father and two other friends. We flew her on Friday, her mom on Saturday, and her husband and father on Sunday. We flew one person and then landed, changed passengers and went up again. The pilot's son Bill, his wife Diane and I were really happy to have all of the help. Our sponsors in the past have just come for the ride, but this year they pitched in and did most of the work.

The weather was outstanding, no heavy winds so the balloons hung together real well giving a great view to the spectators.

For more about the Reno Balloon Races, go to www.renoballoon.com