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26 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, January 26, 1988 Balloon flight is like no other experience by J. Peter Hvidsten Did you ever wonder what it must be like for a bird to soar in the wind high above the ground? I no longer have to wonder about the feeling, as last week I was given the opportunity to soar over Port Perry and parts of Lake Scugog in a hot-air bal- loon. It was about 2:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon when I re- ceived a call from local Re/Max realtor Guy Latriclle asking if I would like to have a ride in the Re/Max hot-air balloon. There was little hesitation and about an hour later I found my- self, Guy, the balloon pilot and ground crew driving about south of town looking for a suitable launching place. I didn't realize until last week how difficult it is to launch a balloon if there is a wind, and it was because of the wind that we tried three different places before picking a spot at the south end of the Christic farm near Manchester. The spot we picked for the launch was in a field, protected from the wind by some small trees. But once the balloon be- gan to be inflated, and it rose above those small trees, the (Turn to page 27) Getting a hot hair balloon up into the air is no easy feat, as Guy Latrielle, Even light winds can play havoc with the job of inflating a giant hot-air balloon as can be seen in this photo. The southerly wind pushed in the side of the balloon making it very difficult to inflate al- though the experienced Re/Max crew did manage the task. and Brenda Casteels of Re/Max Scugog Realty found out last Friday after- noon. They are seen here holding down the top of the balloon while the < Re/Max balloon crew worked at the other end Inflating the giant balloon which holds about 105 thousand cubic feet of air and measures 70' high. ' gE gC This is downtown Port Perry as seen from the ride over the country-side giving plenty of time to uh basket of a hot-air balloon about five hundred feet view the surroundings. Guy Latrielle and Peter , BRL ett, above the ground. The advantage of seeing the Hvidsten were fortunate to have experienced this ic ial area from the balloon Is because of its quiet, slow mode of flight last Friday afternoon. Up, up and away!