Romancing the (hot-air) balloon

The first hot-air balloon-flight in history was conducted in France

• Man had learned to defy gravity. Ever since Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century, men had dreamed of flying through the air. In the Age of Enlightenment, it finally happened 

By Nazarul Islam

Hot-air ballooning offers a unique exhilarating experience, combining adventure with breathtaking views. Let me begin my article in the historical context.

Nearly two and half centuries ago, 19th September 1783 turned out to be a key date in the history of humanity. Man had learned to defy gravity. Ever since Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century, men had dreamed of flying through the air. In the Age of Enlightenment, it finally happened.

The first hot-air balloon-flight in history was conducted in France.

In 1783 Montgolfier carried out an initial tethered attempt, which was successful and which he repeated a second time seven days before the demonstration in front of the king at Versailles. Unfortunately, the balloon tore open and he had to stitch it back together quickly.

The demonstration was held in front of Louis XVI and the royal family in the palace forecourt, which was packed with curious onlookers.

Pilatre’ de Rozier, a physician and future aeronaut, on 21st day of November 1783. He became the first man ever to be borne aloft. A new page had been written in the history of mankind.

My childhood fascination for flying in a hot-air balloon, took me to Turkey’s unique mountain terrain—filled with centuries old stone and clay sculptures. It is a small sleepy town in historic Cappdocia, located close to the city of Kayseri.

What is it really like to ride in a hot air balloon—particularly after my incredible early morning flight in the balloon?

It was 5.30am and the fields of Cappadocia were covered with a mystical blanket of cloudy mist. The sun was rising and streaming through the trees as a group of guys unloaded the enormous hot air balloon basket from a trailer. Then out came the balloon which was unrolled and spread out across the damp grass like a picnic blanket for a giant. It was like a magician’s trick as they kept unrolling and unrolling and more and more balloon was laid out.

As the sun rose, the enormous balloon was inflated by a roaring flame and the 23 excited passengers gathered around the basket.

I climbed in enthusiastically, excited to be finally doing something I’d dreamt about for years. Riding in a hot air balloon, which reminded myself of the every time I first saw a balloon gracefully floating among the clouds.

Now it was my turn inside the wicker basket, which seemed so small and flimsy. It was lare woven basket and the thought of floating up into the sky in a basket had filled me with unexpected terror.

I’m not normally scared of things like this. I love flying and, while I’m not exactly an adrenaline junky, I do like the odd adventure sport. Going in a hot air balloon is peaceful and relaxing so it hadn’t even crossed my mind that I’d be scared!

I busied myself taking selfies and waving at the kids who had come to watch their parents in the balloon. I asked the pilot questions, “How high would we go?” and “How long have you been flying balloons?” (About 3,000 ft. and 30 years) and took a few more photos in an attempt to keep myself busy and not thinking about how little and vulnerable I felt.

Each and every ride is different,” the pilot told us. “You don’t have much control over the balloon other than going up and down so you really have to let the winds take you. You don’t know where you’re going to land and can’t control the direction you go in.”

Well that made me feel better.

There’s something terrifying but ultimately relaxing about this lack of control. In a world where we try to control everything, it’s scary floating up into the sky and letting nature take you in whichever direction she chooses. You can’t plan to land in a certain field or head in a certain direction, you just have to relax and trust that it will be OK. Once you’ve accepted this, a hot air balloon is the most magical way to travel.

Another jet of fire was shot into the balloon and the guys on the ground released the ropes. With a little jolt and a cheer from the spectators on the ground we were off.

We rose up so gently that if I’d closed my eyes I wouldn’t have known we were moving. It was so steady and the basket felt so secure and firm. There wasn’t a wobble or even a tremor or a belly flip, it was just perfectly still.

As the people below us because smaller and smaller I looked up to finally appreciate that view. And wow, what a view.

With nothing between you and the vast landscape it looks even prettier. It’s different looking at it through the window of a plane. When you’re on a plane you’re in a little bubble and you’re separated from the view. But in a balloon it’s right there, you’re in the landscape. You can reach out to the air and touch it. You can hear every cow moo and every sheep bleat and every dog bark. You can feel the stillness of the crisp morning air and the warmth of the sun. You feel like you need to whisper so you don’t disturb the birds so there’s this hushed, excited silence.

We’d been incredibly lucky with the weather for this balloon flight. More than 50% of hot air balloon rides are cancelled in due to bad weather, meaning most people’s flights are cancelled and rescheduled. Many people’s flights will be cancelled multiple times and if you’re restricted on dates you could be waiting for months.

We were the only people in our balloon who had managed to get out on our first attempt and we couldn’t have wished for better weather. It was bright, sunny and clear with just the right amount of wind to steer the balloon through the sky.

When we rose up to 3,000 ft., the air was so still we barely moved. We hung up there for a while, enjoying the views and pointing out the distant landmarks. It was incredible to see how the skies changed above different areas. When we looked towards Turkish sky, it was clear and blue, but a murky haze lingered over the distant city of Liverpool.

One hour in the sky was coming to an end and our pilot began scouring the fields below for a suitable place to land. While he doesn’t have that much control over which field he lands in, he will do his best to find a good spot. It needs to be a field with short grass to avoid ruining any crops but it can’t have any animals in it. He doesn’t want to get too close to train tracks or roads and doesn’t want to go directly over any animals in case they’re scared.

Read: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

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The Bengal-born writer Nazarul Islam is a senior educationist based in USA. He writes for Sindh Courier and the newspapers of Bangladesh, India and America. He is author of a recently published book ‘Chasing Hope’ – a compilation of his articles.