Instructions: These are all the pictures that I took. To see a bigger picture, click on any of the pictures you see on the page. To download a picture right-click on the picture and select Save Image As . . . and save the picture to your hard drive. If you will be printing the pictures, the original version of the pictures are twice the size of the large ones here and I can mail you any of the pictures if you send me the name of the picture you want.
The Danny Cashins met up at Chateau Elan near Braselton. I can't say much about what went on since I didn't get there until 4 and by that time they were cleaning up and getting ready to leave. We then went to a nearby Park and Ride lot before being taken out to a farm to take off.
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| Bob and Andrew | Danny with Charlie Fishback | Mom, Nicole, Jeb | The Flight Crew: Ted, Erin, Dad, Kay, Edward, Mary Ann, Mom |
The surprise for the birthday boy (turning 65 that very day) was somewhat questionable but he played along. The people who got to go were Dad, Mom, Ted (me), Erin, Kay, and the aforementioned Edward and Mary Ann. Everyone else had fun watching the balloon being blown up by a powerful fan.
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| Unloading the balloon | Nicole and Erin | Ted inflates balloon | Big fan begins inflating balloon |
Once there was enough air, the burner was lit and the balloon stood up vertically.
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| Inflating the balloon | Getting bigger | David and the balloon | There is a man inside but you can't see him here |
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| Heating the air with a burner | People look up as the balloon stands up | Bob and Carol record the moment | We're off! |
The passengers clambered aboard. With some more burning we lifted so gently off the ground that it was hardly noticeable, following the other balloon (with only two passengers) by just a few minutes. Barely clearing the trees we soon were high above the well wishers below. The flight of the balloon was incredibly smooth and quiet (except when the burners were on, which were noisy and put off a good bit of radiant heat onto the passengers). Lifting up was smoother than any elevator ride.