Eric & I arrive at the
lamch field at 5:30 am.
Eric and I were assigned to crew Kermie the Frog. Kermie's pilot, Todd Monahan, was interviewed by Albuquerque Journal. Crewing and flying a special shaped balloon is different from flying a standard hot air balloon.
Kermie the Frog is
laid out
The basket is laid on its
side.
Kermie's pilot, Todd, is
wearing a green tee shirt.
Dave & Kathy are holding
the throat (opening of the
balloon) while the fan
pushes cold air inside.
Kermie is fully inflated.
Balloons dot the sky
behind his splayed toes.
The crowd roars as
Kermie ascends
into the sky.
The pilot and chase crew are in contact by radio. Landmarks are shared. As the truck with trailer heads towards Kermie's landing area, the drive comes across dead end streets, traffic that is re-routed away from the landing site. The police help guide the driver as the truck gets closer...
Kermie landed in a landing
field off of San Mateo
It's time to detach the balloon from the basket, fold up Kermie and get everything stowed in the truck.
I helped fold Kermie (a little) after he landed today. We are merika-merika.blogspot.com, and are in row 51 of the RV parking. How long are you here? Would you like to meet in the next few days?
ReplyDeleteKermie is an amazing balloon. I am parked along the fence line, near the cemetery in a Winnebago Vectra. Eric & I are leaving on the 12th. I'll pop over to row 51 & look for your Alfa Founder after crewing tomorrow morning. I look forward to meeting you & comparing notes on our ballooning experiences.
ReplyDelete