Learn tips for getting the best balloon watching views.

The best viewing spot is at MidUSA Ohio Challenge in Smith Park. Evening flights will launch from Smith Park/Middletown Regional Airport and fly elsewhere to accomplish their assigned competition tasks. Morning flights will launch at a location away from the field and attempt to fly to targets at Smith Park/Hook Field. The special shape and Fiesta balloons will fly out of the site in the mornings as other balloons attempt to fly in. Balloons not in competition and available for full balloon rides are called Fiesta.

To earn points, balloon pilots drop a 3 1/2 ounce bag of beans with their pilot number on the streamer as close as possible to the center of a ground target—a huge fabric “X” at the target site chosen for that flight. There are many variations on the task(s) assigned at the pre-flight briefing—shortest flight, longest flight, multiple drop zones, hare and hound…. The site announcer will explain the tasks during each flight time.

Ballooning is a sport that does not adhere to the clock and launches happen when the wind speeds are best. Balloons fly in the early morning and early evening, just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the winds are lightest—5 to 10 miles per hour. A breeze may feel good on a warm day but it may mean that a balloon cannot fly. Sit back, relax and enjoy the day. Ballooning is a gentle sport that goes where the wind blows and only where the wind blows. If you find that balloons cannot fly, there is still much to do at the Challenge. Safety is the primary reason flights are canceled.

Balloons are huge bags of hot air much like giant parachutes and even if ripped, will float gently back to earth using their parachute qualities. Only a very large hole in the top would cause trouble.

Balloon envelope designs are chosen by the pilot. Special shape balloons are generally the most expensive to make and sometimes the most difficult to fly. While balloon designs are generally not trademark designs, it would be considered a breach of etiquette for a pilot to copy another pilot’s design—except for corporate balloon fleets which carry a sponsor trademark.

To fly, a balloon pilot spreads out the fabric envelope on the ground, partially inflates it with cold air using portable fans and then heats the air inside with an open flame propane burner. When the air heats, it rises and soon the balloon, with its wicker basket attached, will begin to stand upright. When the air inside the balloon is heated enough, the balloon rises from the ground carrying its pilot and passengers on a very gentle trip through the heavens.

Balloon flight is relatively quiet—punctuated only by the “whoosh” of the propane burners heating the air periodically to maintain a certain altitude. Balloons steer by going up and down to “catch” an air current traveling the direction the pilot wishes to go. Air at different levels will take the balloon in different directions. The skill in ballooning is in being able to read the weather, the maps and wind currents to select a launch site that allows the pilot to maneuver his or her craft as close as possible to a target on the ground.

As the balloons float above, the support crews on the ground are following along in their chase vehicles. There are no round trips in ballooning (except at Albuquerque, NM where some pilots can “fly the box”.) To return to base, the ground crew must meet the pilot at the end of the flight, help remove the heated air, pack up the balloon, load it on the truck or trailer and bring the pilot and passengers back to their base.

Do not “chase” balloons. Traffic accidents happen when drivers attempt to follow balloons in the sky without watching the traffic on the ground.

A $10 per car load fee admits your whole family to the festival. (Limited RV and motor coach parking is just $20) There is a $4 admission charge for adults who walk into the park. Children 12 and under who walk in with an adult are FREE. Smith Park will be open for morning balloon flight enjoyment—FREE.

If you have an open area on your property, away from trees or electric wires, and welcome a balloon crew to use that spot to launch or land, place a bed sheet on the ground at the location you are offering. That is the universal welcome sign for hot air balloon pilots.

If a balloon should land near you, please maintain a safe distance from the craft until the crew has secured the balloon and basket. There are no brakes or steering wheels on balloons and sometimes they will bounce after they first touch down. Do not follow a balloon onto private property. While balloon crews attempt to obtain permission to land and take off, that permission does not include the general public.