A-Lot-A Hot Air Balloon Rides, Frenchtown, New Jersey

     Mike just ticked Item #32 off his bucket list - the hot air balloon ride.  I was a teensy bit apprehensive about ascending to 3,000 feet in a wicker basket, but I wasn't going to stay on the ground while he had all the fun.  In the end, I'm not sure who had the best time (but I'm pretty sure it was me).
   

This is our pilot, Tom Robins, who owns A-Lot-A Hot Air Balloon Rides.
http://upnoa.com/
Tom is a licensed commercial pilot.  It's important to check credentials when you entrust your safety to someone.  You can verify pilots' credentials on this FAA website:  https://www.faa.gov/pilots/
From the above link, hover over "Licenses & Certifications" located at the top, center of the page.  Click "Airmen Certification" in the drop down box.  In the "Top Tasks" box (right side), click "Search airmen certification information."  You'll have to supply information about yourself before you will be permitted to search.  Enter your information on the form and submit.  Now you can enter a pilot's name to verify that he/she is licensed.

We took off from the baseball field at the Clinton Elks Lodge.  Tom rolled in with a seven passenger SUV and his seven passenger balloon.

This is the basket.  Wicker is used because it's light weight and flexible.  Balloon makers have tried other materials, but nothing performs like old fashioned wicker.  A basket has a service life of 30-40 years.  The rectangular opening is for boosting yourself up when you climb in.

The balloon is in the purple bag.  The giant fan is used at the start of the inflation process.  

This is Chris.  She was our one woman ground crew.  She is a balloon pilot who prefers flying competitions over ferrying passengers.   

Chris explained the power of the burners.  These burners produce 30 million BTU's.  You might only need a 150,000 BTU furnace to heat your house.  The fuel is propane, and it is stored in two tanks on the floor of the basket.       

These cables connect the balloon (or the envelope) to the basket.  Each cable is capable of holding 2,000 pounds.

Balloons would be too heavy if the cables extended to the top of the nylon envelope.  Strapping is used instead of metal cables.  Each strap is also rated to hold 2,000 pounds.

Everything is laid out on the grass and the balloon is inspected.  Before inflation, the balloon is tied to the SUV.

The fan pushes air into the balloon.   

Now that the envelope is expanded with ambient air, it's time to fire up the burners.

Was I the only one hearing J. Geils Band's "Flamethrower" in my head?

Getting there.

Almost,

It's time for pre-flight pictures.

And we're off.

The envelope contains parachutes or flaps which are opened to let hot air escape when needed to control ascents and descents.  You can see the larger parachute in the center of the black area.  That one is only opened  for deflation after the balloon has landed.  Look above the big parachute to see a portion of the small parachute valve.

Bye, Chris.

This is Joe, our co-pilot.  He flies souly for the love of ballooning.  He describes his two passenger balloon as a sports car - nimble and responsive. 

Hunterdon County.

We did a "touch and go" in this field.  Check out the shadow we cast on the trees.

We also skimmed across the surface of this pond.  Mike says he saw a turtle.

Another balloon in the distance.

Joe and Chris assist with the landing.  We landed in someone's side yard.  One of the children declared that she would be the coolest kid in school come Monday when she told the story and showed the pictures.  When landing passengers face forward, the direction in which the balloon is moving.  Keep your feet together and be prepared to flex at the knees.  

The top parachute is opening for rapid deflation of the balloon.

We hated to see it end.  It took about 20 minutes for Tom, Chris, and Joe to pack things up, then a few more minutes for talking to the homeowner and playing fetch with the family dog.