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Health & Fitness

Unchartered Aerial Balloon Landings Surprise Plantsville Residents

Hot Air Balloons drop in at Highlan Hill Condos in Plantsville

You just can’t predict certain events.

Saturday morning, I wanted to sleep in. I was awakened about 7:25 a.m. by the usual exchange of lively morning greetings of our neighbors’ dogs, no doubt out for their daily constitutionals. As I made my way to the bathroom the yelping of one of the dogs was particularly agitated. 

Looking out the window, I spied Mia, my 14-year-old Springer Spaniel neighbor sauntering down the driveway towards the street. I wondered what might be arousing the curiosity of Mia to go down to the street. It was out of character for her.

Meanwhile, Bailey, our younger canine neighbor, continued to voice her concern for something untoward apparently going on in the street. Or at least that appeared to be the case.

Going to our front window I discovered, to my surprise and to the surprise of several neighbors, that out on the street a hot air balloon was attempting to land in our complex, which was particularly suitable for their purposes given that we have no aerial power lines or wires in our complex.

Turns out the balloon, one of dozens taking part in the annual Plainville Fire Department’s Hot Air Balloon Festival on Saturday, Aug. 25, had been in flight for their planned one-hour journey in air and found it convenient to land in the lower valley of Plantsville, according to Pilot Bob Zirpolo of Berkshire Balloons in Southington.

No doubt accustomed to the curiosity of balloon landing observers, Zirpolo was good-natured and cooperative sharing information to the usual 20 questions about ballooning.

While balloons are frequently seen in the Apple Valley environs, did you know that these balloons travel at a mostly wind-velocity driven speeds ranging between 5 and 15 miles per hour? Or that the height of a balloon including the cockpit is 60 feet, and that balloons fly at altitudes as high as several thousand feet to as low as the tree tops? They also need a large landing site which is generally chosen in flight, many landing in the low, less windy and therefore safest places.

Then, there’s a chase car (or truck) with a crew that follows the balloon so that upon landing there is enough staff to effect a safe and stable landing, deflate the huge balloon and pack it compactly for its return on wheels to its origin.

As many in our local communities can attest, it is an awesome sight to see a balloon landing and then being deflated and stored by a well-practiced crew.

I learned that before landing, little Bailey was on his leash in my neighbor’s yard doing his thing when Zirpolo leaned over from less than a hundred feet and asked my neighbor if she minded his landing there! So that’s what startled Bailey, who might still be barking if she wasn’t taken into the house.

Meanwhile, what an unexpected by sort of quite pleasant change of pace for the residents of our community.

To add to the irony, Sunday morning, at precisely 7:25 a.m. I was awakened by the same sequence of events only to find another hot air balloon dropping down to the same spot as the first. 

Pilot, Frank Bart, was quick to explain the topographical reasons and weather conditions that would have brought another balloon to the same landing site. In fact, as shown in the photos, another balloon was following Bart and appeared to be looking for another spot for his balloon to do the same.

Had it not been for Mia and Bailey you might not be reading this story.

If you enjoyed the telling of this true tale, drop in again soon at this site or jump-link over to my other blog at The Quest for Common Ground. 

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