Hot Air balloon over Quakertown (UKT)

[Rob Schaffer]

Last night, I was flying in the Perkiomen/Quakertown area with my younger brother. After landing and shutting down at Quakertown so he could head home, we noticed they were inflating a hot air baloon over beyond the hangars. My brother left, and I saddled up again to depart back to Perkiomen. As I completed the startup, and I taxied down, I spun the plane around at the runup area to see where the hot air balloon was. Just as I did, he launched! Wow, I didn't realize how fast they gained altitude.

With the light winds, he would be drifting to the east, and I was departing RY 29. I took off, and without having my brother in the plane, the climb rate was great. I lost the hot air balloon, so I went out farther than normal, almost over to the PA turnpike, and then I turned around and set the heading at 130*, and kept climbing to 2500'. It was such a great night, and no one was in the air up in Quakertown, the radio nearly silent for the past hour. (yes, I was on the right frequency). I snapped this photo as I leveled off at 2500, before turning back to the Southwest for Perkiomen. The two ponds in the bottom of the photo are the "brick yard" ponds off Pumping Station Road.

What a great night to be out flying. It was also really neat to see the hot air balloon launch and climb so quickly.

 

[Anthony]

Hmmmm. Just another target for my Tiger.

 

[woodstock]

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE ballooning. It's so peaceful, and when you get to see a bunch of them up close and personal (ABQ Fiesta, for instance) it's beautiful.

And if you are flying when a balloon has launched, you can be pretty certain it's a great night to fly.

 

[CJones]

Cool!

I was buzzing around Indianola last year one evening when the balloons at the National Balloon Classic were getting ready to launch (50+). It is indeed quite a sight to see. I was also amazed at how fast they 'got up'! I'm not sure I'm in love with the idea of being completely at the mercy of where the winds might take me, though.

Edit: Sounds like you're using that new ticket for what it was made for, too. Awesome!

 

[Gary]

It was such a great night, and no one was in the air up in Quakertown

Some of us were up last night! AdamZ and I just tooled around between Quakertown, Wings, Pottstown and Chester-Carlson. Was a beautiful night to be out. I may have seen you, I launched about 6:30-6:45 or so, did see an orange and white 152 taking off at Quakertown.

The company that does the balloon flights is a regular at Quakertown. Ballooning is really different and a lot of fun, worth the expense!

Gary

 

[Rob Schaffer]

The first time I was there, it was about 6:10 when I landed to pick my brother up, and I think we were airborne again about 6:20-6:25. If you had your plane parked in the tiedowns at the 29 end of the runway, I may have seen you guys as we taxied down and then departed. If not,...

Did you depart 29 and head out over Pennsburg? Turning south over the lake to Limerick area? As we were turning over the lake, I was clearing the area to do a steep turn, and saw a low wing plane in front of us, passing in that general direction at about 2500 feet.

After the turn, I landed at Quakertown at 6:50pm to drop him off, so timing would have been pretty close. I then called my wife, and started up again at 7pm to depart.

I hope to get up again soon,.. maybe sometime next week or weekend.

 

[dmccormack]

Neat picture!!

One August night my daughter (then 4 or so) came running inisde yelling as loud as she could, "Mary's in the sky! Mary's in the sky!"

I had no idea what she was talking about, but followed her out back.

She pointed up, and sure enough, there was a hot air balloon. Yelling down from about 200' AGL was our friend Mary, "Hi Melissa, Hi Heather!"

 

[Gary]

Did you depart 29 and head out over Pennsburg? Turning south over the lake to Limerick area? As we were turning over the lake, I was clearing the area to do a steep turn, and saw a low wing plane in front of us, passing in that general direction at about 2500 feet.

I hope to get up again soon,.. maybe sometime next week or weekend.

That was exactly my route and altitude! Took a big swing out over Green Lane lake, out toward the power plant, over Perkioemen and then to Wings! Timing was pretty close! My tie-down is right near the gas pumps, last plane in the line closest to the runway.

Small world sometime.

Gary

 

[HPNFlyGirl]

I love ballooning. I used to be part of a chase crew. One guy even landed at LHZ one time.

 

[tonycondon]

I saw a balloon once when I was driving through Cedar Rapids after a lesson. Started following it and had a great evening. Lots of parallels between ballooning and soaring except that the crews for balloons are HUGE and the champagne and food afterwards was wonderful

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Great picture, you should send it in to one of the Picture of the Week contests.

Haven't tried ballooning yet, but sure would like to!!

 

[gprellwitz]

I saw a balloon once when I was driving through Cedar Rapids after a lesson. Started following it and had a great evening. Lots of parallels between ballooning and soaring except that the crews for balloons are HUGE and the champagne and food afterwards was wonderful

Did you ever think you might get more willing soaring crews if you offered THEM champagne too?

 

[Ghery]

Back in the late 70s we lived in Napa, CA. It was not uncommon to wake up on a calm weekend morning to the sound of burners overhead. Someday I've got to experience that.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Last night, I was flying in the Perkiomen/Quakertown area with my younger brother. After landing and shutting down at Quakertown so he could head home, we noticed they were inflating a hot air baloon over beyond the hangars. My brother left, and I saddled up again to depart back to Perkiomen. As I completed the startup, and I taxied down, I spun the plane around at the runup area to see where the hot air balloon was. Just as I did, he launched! Wow, I didn't realize how fast they gained altitude.

With the light winds, he would be drifting to the east, and I was departing RY 29. I took off, and without having my brother in the plane, the climb rate was great. I lost the hot air balloon, so I went out farther than normal, almost over to the PA turnpike, and then I turned around and set the heading at 130*, and kept climbing to 2500'. It was such a great night, and no one was in the air up in Quakertown, the radio nearly silent for the past hour. (yes, I was on the right frequency). I snapped this photo as I leveled off at 2500, before turning back to the Southwest for Perkiomen. The two ponds in the bottom of the photo are the "brick yard" ponds off Pumping Station Road.

What a great night to be out flying. It was also really neat to see the hot air balloon launch and climb so quickly.

Nice!

Isn't it cool to see other things flying when you're up there? I don't know why, but I love it.

Here's another balloon - Believe it or not, they were inside the class C with no transponder, ATC had no clue they were there when I tagged "and I have the balloon in sight" to the end of a reply to them...

(That's Morey Field, C29, directly behind the balloon)

 

[Steve]

There was a hot air balloon southeast of AMW last October just outside the pattern when we arrived for the big fall-fly-in.

I've ridden once.

Once was enough.

I saw a balloon once when I was driving through Cedar Rapids after a lesson. Started following it and had a great evening. Lots of parallels between ballooning and soaring except that the crews for balloons are HUGE and the champagne and food afterwards was wonderful

 

[qbynewbie]

Glens Falls has a balloon festival every September. The balloons launch early in the day and it's delightful to watch them. Here are a few pics I took a couple of years ago.

 

[Diana]

Glens Falls has a balloon festival every September. The balloons launch early in the day and it's delightful to watch them. Here are a few pics I took a couple of years ago.

Brian, those are beautiful!

 

[qbynewbie]

Brian, those are beautiful!

Thanks, Diana.

The interesting thing about a balloon festival is that you walk around and not much is going on and it's 4:30 am and you're thinking "I could be sleeping right now!" Then, a couple of cups of coffee later, there is still nothing going on and it's still pretty dark and then the first signs of light start showing up in the sky and you see people start to move a little around their balloons, which are still just lying pretty much flat on the ground.

And then, all of a sudden, there is a mad rush all over the place and everywhere you look balloons are taking in shape and they are suddenly EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE! And then they start to take off and you're thinking "But, wait!!! Do it one at a time so I can get good pictures! "

But they don't listen and, in a very short time, they're all in the air and drifting away. It's really quite fun but if you aren't ready, also quite unexpected.

 

[Rob Schaffer]

Great Photos, both of you. It looks nice and relaxing. But if its a good night to fly a balloon,.. its a great night to be flying, and I'd rather be in the plane.

 

[Teller1900]

Cool!

I was buzzing around Indianola last year one evening when the balloons at the National Balloon Classic were getting ready to launch (50+). It is indeed quite a sight to see. I was also amazed at how fast they 'got up'! I'm not sure I'm in love with the idea of being completely at the mercy of where the winds might take me, though.

Edit: Sounds like you're using that new ticket for what it was made for, too. Awesome!

Two years ago I was up in Chopper 13 when they launched the National Balloon Classic...that was an incredible sight!!! I got to take a balloon ride back in middle school over Crested Butte, CO. I didn't care that it was the middle of winter with views like that...something I would definitely love to to do again!

 

[CJones]

Two years ago I was up in Chopper 13 when they launched the National Balloon Classic...that was an incredible sight!!!

Cool! I used to work for a cropduster that had a private grass strip just north of town on Hwy 65/69. The only bad thing about the Balloon Classic is that it always happens in the midst of heavy spraying season. We would have 6-7 cropdusters coming back home at dusk on VERY minimal fuel and there would be a dozen or so balloons hovering over our strip.

One year a balloon landed ON our strip and one of our planes had to divert to the Indianola strip south of town b/c he didn't have enough fuel to circle and wait. Our boss went out and ripped them a new one. They haven't been back to ask for donations from him since then, nor have they landed anywhere near our strip.