Hey Humpty Dumpty! Don't fall on me!

Ballooning is a very "iffy" sport. IF the air is cool... IF there's no fog... IF there are no storms in the vicinity... IF the winds aren't over 12 knots (20 kph) – then they can fly. If not, they can't. So many "ifs", so many complications, but so much fun to be had when everything comes together. No wonder balloonists take their aircraft on a circuit, to festivals all over North America and abroad, on the chance they and their audiences will be able to experience the thrill of this very hands-on type of flight.

Summer may not end officially until September 21, but in Canada's capital the event which marks the unofficial end comes on Labour Day weekend. And what an event it is! This year, the 14th Annual Balloon Fest (Festival des Mongolfières) took place August 31-September 3, across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec. The weather cooperated, and some 220,000 people attended. What's the story on these beautiful craft, and why the recent upsurge of interest?

Invented by France's Mongolfier brothers in 1783, the hot air balloon works on a simple principle: keep the air inside warmer than the outside air and it will rise; let it cool and it will sink. Neither hydrogen nor helium is involved. The early ones had a checkered history, since they heated the air by burning straw in the basket underneath, and this was both hard to control and mighty dangerous! Aside from limited military use as airborne observation posts in the 1800s, there wasn't a lot of interest until the 1960s, when nylon "envelopes" became popular and special propane burners were devised to heat the air instantly on demand. Since then powerful fans have been used to fill them quickly with ordinary air, then the propane burners heat the contained air as needed. Aside from making the craft rise or sink there isn't much the pilot can do to steer it, so wind direction and strength are of paramount importance.

The early-morning launch will fill the sky with every color, size and design imaginable.

Modern balloons aren't just a funky way to fly. Although they were simple and rather drab 30 years ago, today there is no limit to their colour, design and size, and fanciful shapes are found at every gathering. Since actual flying time may be limited by atmospheric conditions, balloon festivals have attracted guaranteed audiences by evolving into miniature fairs. In addition to over 150 balloons from eight countries, this year's Gatineau festival featured a midway, buskers, an international Strongman Competition, and 200 shows on 15 stages, with performers from as far away as China. On top of that, for CAD$130 you could fly as a passenger for an hour or more.

Unlike the rainbow it is designed after, this balloon only takes to sunny skies.

Every festival has a star. In past years it has been the flying cow or the giant pink elephant, or the American eagle. This year it was "Oggy", a mythical dragon from Lake Okanagan in British Columbia. At 138 ft (42 m) high, it's almost as tall as Niagara Falls, and it holds 175,000 cu ft (nearly 5,000 cu m) of hot air. When it flew the first evening it landed across the street from the Children's Hospital, after dipping low to the delight of the many young patients there. Balloon pilots are thoughtful people!

I hope you enjoy the picture gallery of some of the more fanciful shapes which have delighted young and old alike at this colourful event.

Questions?
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