Thursday, March 28, 2024 Mar 28, 2024
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Local News

Plano Balloon Festival Has Our Intern Airborne

By Tim Rogers |

We sent intern Megan Falconer on her first hot air balloon ride this morning. Then she wrote about it. To wit:

The thought of cruising more than 500 feet in the air, kept from falling to my death only by a wicker basket did not send a calming feeling over my body when I awoke this morning. Yes, hot air balloons have been around since the 1700s and mine would be manned by a professional crew and pilots, but in my head I was wondering if I was going to be on the 5 o’clock news or the newest episode of I Survived on the Bio Channel.

Skydance Ballooning owners Luc and Loren Goethals and their crew, after an hour of what balloonists call “hurry up and wait,” watched and waited for the wind to hurry up and calm down. The balloon and basket were assembled before my very eyes, along with 20 other hot air balloons in the field across from Plano High School. Watching the assembly didn’t calm me, but the comedic and reassuring crew of Skydance convinced me and Carol Ricoro, a fellow first-time flyer, to climb into the three-person basket.

“You can tell who is a pilot because our hair is burnt from propane flame,” said Luc as he pointing to the balding area on his head.

The basket was sturdy although small, with the warmth from the flame and the cool wind creating a cozy atmosphere. Taking off, Ricoro had admitted to being afraid of heights, but her nerves and mine disappeared after five minutes.

Pilot Luc, as we floated calmly on the 12-mph wind, discussed several of his 20 years of adventures, including flying in six different countries, and his daughter who is currently in Belgium training to become a hot air balloon pilot. Luc intermittently checked his navigational app on his iPhone, which indicated our altitude, speed, and the amount of time we had been flying as we waved and said “good morning” to people in their backyards, driving in cars, and on golf courses.

“I feel like a movie star. Everyone waves to you and you can hear people talking to you from the ground,” Ricoro said.

The feeling you get standing on a tall building is surprisingly different than standing in a hot air balloon basket; you don’t feel sick or dizzy or worry about falling to your death. After an hour, we braced ourselves for landing by hanging on to the inner handles of the basket and squatted down. As the basket touched solid ground, it bounced and then dragged us through a plowed corn field across from Pizza Hut Park in Frisco.

Ricoro and I tried to recompose and upright ourselves as Luc took photos of us and congratulated us on a wonderful flight and landing. I was quite thankful for the padding and handles on the basket.

“The balloon follows the wind. You always know where you launch, but you never know where you land,” says Luc.

After five minutes, the crew, who had been chasing us by car from below, arrived and gave us welcoming hugs and hot air balloon pins. They prepared the balloon to be disassembled and loaded back into the trailer to be set back up for the Plano Balloon Festival this weekend.

Flying in the Goethals’ hot air balloon was a surreal adventure I would recommend to everyone. The landing may be a bit bumpy, but my first experience has me hooked.

Skydance Ballooning
Luc & Loren Goethals
214-808-6282
skydanceballooning.com

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