The famous movie “Around the
World in 80 days” might have fuelled my imagination about the Hot Air Balloon Flight and we immediately booked for a Hot Air Balloon Flight over Masai Mara when we finalized our Safari trip to
Masai Mara, Kenya in October, 2013!
It was 19th
October, 2013 and we all assembled at the lobby of Mara Serena Safari Lodge at
5:30 AM. Captain Chelle…a handsomely built and very beautiful, middle aged
lady...was our lady pilot…only one in Kenya!
Beside our Captain, we were
fifteen and we all started in two land cruisers for a fifteen minutes’ drive
through the forest towards a clearing where the Hot Air Balloon is being readied by
Captain Chelle’s assistants.
Dawn is the best time to spot
animals particularly the carnivorous and we were immediately rewarded by
sighting a pride of Lions (more than five) at a distance!
Hot Air Balloon ride is a tricky
affair! The basket which carries the passengers is made out of stainless steel
pipes, woven with cane and properly padded to avoid injury during the flight
and of course during the landing. It is subdivided into five compartments …the central
one for the pilot which also houses all the controls and the gas cylinders and
two passengers’’ compartments each on either side. The central compartment is having
a raised frame at the center where four burners each fitted with individual
lever operated manual control valve, are bolted. There are two flaps made of
heat resisting steel on either side of the central frame to protect the
passengers from escaping hot air and the heat radiation from the burners. Each
passenger compartment is provided with a padded seat with hand-holds…to be
used during landing. The depth of the
basket is about 5 ft and everybody needs to be standing during the flight for
better viewing.
The basket is connected to
balloon-canopy, made of parachute material, through guy ropes.
Before the flight the basket will
be resting on one of its longitudinal sides and the balloon-canopy is filled in
with hot air ( air is blown in and then heated with the necked flames of the
four burners). The balloon-canopy then slowly rises from the ground and makes
the basket vertical (i.e. resting on its bottom). Pilot and the Passengers will
then get inside their respective compartments through foot-holds provided on
the side of the basket.
The basket is then lifted off the
ground by heating up the air and steered through controlling the burners.
Normally the cruising altitude is about 300ft for better viewing of the
animals. The drifting speed is about 25 Km/Hr. For a trained pilot like
Captain Chelle it is possible to keep the Balloon stationary as well as moving it in
any direction during the flight. Balloon is not operated during rain, storm or high wind.
Landing is really tricky. Pilot
remains strapped to her / his seat and all the passengers must be on their
seats holding the hand-holds. The basket is landed on its bottom side with a
series of bumps and then dragged and finally settles on its side. Passengers
then come out of their individual compartments in horizontal condition!
Tail piece: After the flight we
were all served with Champagne, followed by a heavy breakfast in the bush! A
certificate that we have successfully undertaken the balloon flight was also
issued during the evening. When I asked Captain Chelle whether I may now apply
for flying balloons, she said yes but not in Kenya! Next time you have a smooth
sailing in a balloon outside Kenya, please check who is in control!
