The
caged duck looked down as terra firma slowly drifted away. Above the duck, a
balloon, constructed of paper and fabric, provided the lift necessary to carry
aloft the duck and its companions, a sheep and a rooster. Never before had a
human, let alone a duck, flown in a balloon. The year was 1783, a milestone year
for aviation—the dream of flying had finally been realized. On October 15th of
that year, a few months after the duck's historic flight, a balloon, 'Aerostat
Reveillon,' launched in France, carrying scientist Pilatre De Rozier, and rose
to the end of its 250 foot tether. It stayed aloft for fifteen minutes and then
landed safely nearby.
Although
these early crude balloons were a far cry from today's high-tech contraptions,
the science of ballooning and sending humans aloft had begun. In the years to
follow, humans had access to the skies like never before, and with the advent of
hydrogen ballooning, even the sky seemed to offer no limit.
Cheyenne Balloon Club
By Heather Day
(Reprinted with permission from Ballooning Magazine, March/April 2005, Volume 38, Number 20)
How does one of the windiest cities in America end up with
a hot air balloon club? The
Cheyenne Hot Air Balloon Club (CHABC) was officially formed in 1981 by a group
of individuals who loved aviation and hot air balloons. They didn’t have a pilot.
They didn’t have a balloon. They
weren’t an organized crew. What
they lacked in equipment, they made up for with enthusiasm and a love for
balloons.
Charter members, Nan and Tom Ourada are current members who
helped start the club. Nan has
always loved aviation and excelled in college aviation courses.
But it was that first balloon ride that hooked her.
She told some friends, who became interested in learning more, and soon
they were attending regional rallies together.
It was the friendship and fun that kept the organization together over
the years. “If the weather
was bad, we still partied.”
Ten of the original club members formed a separate
corporation and purchased a hot air balloon, which they named “Nanette’s
Delight” (Nan preferred another name suited to Wyoming’s natural features).
The corporation hired pilots to come up and fly it several times a year.
After the Delight was sold, then club newcomer Bob Bryant purchased
“Wyoming Cloud Walker” with the plan he would become a pilot, the club would
support the balloon’s maintenance,
and he would fly members and train pilots.
Bob achieved all of his goals. Seven pilots later, the club now provides
crew to help with seven balloons.
The purposes of the CHABC include “providing its members
enjoyment through convenient medium of personal flying in a hot air balloon at
the most economical rates; to promote and encourage interest in aviation in all
of its aspects and to promote, encourage and educate its members and the general
public in the safe and proper use of a hot air balloon.”
To promote the club, several activities are completed each
year. One such activity is the
building of a float in the Cheyenne Christmas Parade each November.
Placed at the center of the parade winding through downtown, the popular
float features two or three decorated baskets and burners on a flat bed trailer,
casting towering flames that warm the parade route on that cold winter night.
Spotters accompany the float to make sure no over-head wires or street
lights are melted in the process.
Instead of a club Christmas party, we often have a
“Montgolfiere Brothers” party in November, celebrating the birthday of the
originators of modern day ballooning. We
exchange balloon related gifts and take the opportunity to catch up before the
hectic holiday season begins.
For the BFA Long Jump Competition, our club gets all
interested members together and has club training sessions on map reading, GPS
reading and safety for the flight. The
club provides the propane money and travel expenses for the crew and we come
together as a group to make the flight happen.
It’s a great way to hone all of our skills, provide training and make a
goal possible to achieve for everyone. Several
years ago, we launched three balloons and each flew over 70 miles – Did I
mention Cheyenne’s a great place for a Long Jump?
Six years ago, the club voted to put on a safety seminar,
and six years later, the seminars are still taking place.
We have participants that drive over seven hours each way to attend and
often come from four states. The
fact that these long distances are traveled each year is a testament to the
quality of our program.
In order to foster enthusiasm, last year the club decided
to offer stipends to club members to attend regional rallies.
To qualify, members must not be pilots attending an event and must write
an article for the club newsletter reporting on the rally activities.
This helps defray travel expenses incurred getting to the event, informs
the general membership about regional rallies, and helps the newsletter editor
find material. It’s a win-win for
everyone!
While it’s called the Cheyenne
Hot Air Balloon Club, membership comes not only from Cheyenne, but also
from several cities in Northern Colorado. These
supportive members drive 60 miles each way to our meetings and gatherings each
month. They also provide launch
sites when the weather in Cheyenne is less than flyable.
Over the years, the club has had many ups and downs, as
most organizations experience. However,
the true strength lies in the friendships formed among the members.
Our members come from diverse backgrounds and long distances, but we all
share a love of balloons and flight. For
a club to survive over 20 years is quite an accomplishment.
For the lives touched by our common love is quite a blessing.