Winter is the BEST time for ballooning!

Why is wintertime the best balloon time? Because Sunrise (aka launch time) isn’t until 7:24 am…. you get to sleep in!

As RHS Secretary Karalyn puts it - ballooning is the BEST REASON EVER to set an alarm clock in the morning, and she just might be right!

This past Sunday, Karalyn was flying her balloon, “Don’t Tell Mom” (so much cooler than using her N number) and took RHS member Dani up for a glorious 40 ish minute flight over Carson City.

One of the most fun things about ballooning is that you often fly low over neighborhoods and people will come out to say hello! Dogs bark, kids squeal, and everyone is excited, because oh my gosh there’s a balloon over my house! Also, you never know where you’ll land! Sunday we landed in clearing smack in the middle of an apartment complex. People started coming out to see the balloon and the kiddos were especially excited! Karalyn tied off her balloon and gave probably 15 kids their first taste of aviation, with tethered balloon rides. Sorry, no photos of that - we were too busy managing the balloon and the kiddos for me to snap any.

Crew- ballooning in particular is heavily dependent on crew. We had 3 people on the tether lines to help keep everything safe, and that doesn’t even touch on setup, chasing, deflation, and putting the balloon away. If you ever want to see a balloon up close and personal, we know a pilot…. ;)

Preparing the Aircraft

Karalyn preparing her aircraft for flight!

Fire! (aka, where it’s warm when the temperature is in the high 20’s….)

RHS Member and Balloon Pilot - Karalyn, RHS Member Dani, and crew member Ms. D.

View of Carson City facing south, north and west of the Capital. Can you identify the Governor’s Office?