Bad weather, high winds get best of balloon fiesta
Published Monday September 8th, 2008
Recreation Balloonists were able to take off on Friday and for some, that made it all worth it
SUSSEX - One of Grant Aiello's best flights in his 25 years as a balloonist took place Friday morning just as the Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta kicked off its weekend events in Sussex.
He was among three balloonists who managed to land their balloon back at the take-off field at Princess Louise Park after spending an hour and a half drifting over rolling farmlands - a feat considered a "hole in one" for balloonists.
"It was perfect," Aiello said. "It was the perfect flight.
"It ranks right up there in my top three flights."
Friday's perfect flying conditions made up for the lousy weather that kept the balloons grounded the rest of the weekend. New Brunswick was hit by the tail end of tropical storm Hanna, which dumped rain and brought heavy winds over the province Sunday.
The balloons were set to fly Saturday morning, but flights were cancelled at the last moment when winds high above would have made for difficult landings. Saturday evening's flight was also cancelled due to windy conditions, and Hanna played havoc with heavy rains and winds all day Sunday.
Still, spirits were high around Sussex as hundreds of people lined Main Street Saturday for the Sparade as festival officials, balloonists and the local fire department aimed water guns and hoses at helpless spectators, and hundreds more took in the fair grounds and craft festival at the arena.
"It's been great," Fiesta president George Horton said, soaked from the sparade. "It's really been an excellent weekend.
"It's unfortunate that we couldn't have more flights, but we're a festival that is dependent on the weather."
The weather forecast didn't deter Heather and Irvine Wright from Saint John, who've been coming to the festival for the last 14 years, booking their campsite plenty in advance to secure a site. They can remember coming to the festival some years when the skies opened, grounding the balloons for much of the weekend.
"We enjoy outside the camper and watching the balloons go over and sometimes they even land at the campground," he said.
Aiello's perfect flight began early Friday morning just after the sun rose and a still, crisp air descended over the valley.
Aiello, who hails from Orlando, Fla., has come to the Sussex festival for at least a decade - he can't quite remember how long. It's just one of the many he attends throughout the summer. The experienced balloonist has travelled the world flying and giving lessons in such countries as Cost Rica, China, Japan and France.
But he can count on one hand the conditions he experienced Friday morning.
As the 25 or so balloons took off, he and his four passengers drifted slowly over Princess Louise Park, heading north toward Roachville.
"We were all together and bunched up," he said. "Usually when we come up, everybody goes and we all get spread out. But we were all together. "
Looking ahead, he noticed some balloons ahead of the pack were going up and catching a southerly blowing breeze. Following their lead, he rose 1,700 feet, caught the same wind and floated down toward Plumweseep, before lowering the balloon over a farm.
"We came down over a farm and when we got real low, we turned that way," he said, pointing southwest toward Lower Cove. "As we came down, I manoeuvred into the field and landed in this field.
"It was a crystal clear morning," he said. "You could see the Bay of Fundy and see out to the north as far as you could see and farm land here and there. It was just fantastic and it was one of my best flights ever because of the crispness of the air and the wonderful people and boxing back into the field, which is something you hardly ever do. It was great."
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