I love cool, calm mornings, and that's just what we had today! Billy Roehrenbeck is a great crew member. Not only did he volunteer to chase me this morning, but he lined up the rest of the crew, including his brother Scott, who has crewed before, and was due for a flight, and Billy's neighbor, Roger. The forecast was good for a flight near my house, so Billy and the rest of the crew met me at my place around 6:15. We headed north to a small rural school north of the Air Force Base.Surface winds were nonexistent, and they were pretty light at altitude, but there was enough to make a nice flight. Even though we had no wind on the surface, we had a quick inflation, which was a pleasant surprise because the balloon was pretty twisted when we packed it up the last time we tried to fly (sorry, Mike and Cynthia!). Soon, we were ready to take to the sky.
A slow ascent showed us that the winds down low were out of the Northeast, while the winds just a bit higher were out of the Southeast. It's always more fun to fly when you have the ability to steer the balloon!
Once we were off the ground, I called in to the Air Force Base control tower to let them know we were in their airspace. They hadn't noticed us, yet, even though once we told them where we were, they were able to see us. I've tried talking to that tower before, but my previous flights in their air space has been earlier than the tower has been open, so this was my first time to talk to the control tower. They were mostly interested in the altitude I'd fly and how long I'd be in their airspace.We flew along, playing on the treetops, making a couple practice landings, and trying to steer near major roads so the crew could stay with us. It was fun flying. the scenery was pretty, but nothing spectacular. High humidity cut visibility a bit, which hurt the view.
After about 45 minutes, I saw a yard that would be an ideal landing site. I radioed the crew, asking them to check it for power lines. There were no lines in the yard or field beside the yard, and the home owners were out, and very friendly. I was able to steer in, landing in the back yard, next to their swimming pool. The grass was short and clean. It was perfect for packing up!
A short drive home, then a Cracker Barrel breakfast with the crew rounded out a perfect morning! I hope to have a few more of these mornings before the summer heat makes flying less comfortable!
