Quote:
Originally Posted by tophcfa
Good news, if the balloons don’t go up in the air than they can’t come back down on another green of a golf course. Hopefully that balloon pilots license has been revoked.
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Balloons aren't like airplanes. You can steer them (in a very general sense) by taking advantage of wind currents at various altitudes. But once the gas starts running low or unexpected weather kicks up a responsible pilot will look for the safest place to put down, and golf courses are ideal.
By wife and I took a balloon ride out of Stillwater, MN some years back (her birthday present to me). It was a deal where we purchased tickets in advance and then received a phone call, or not, the evening before if the weather looked like it would cooperate. No responsible pilot will risk the balloon and the people if he or she isn't convinced the weather will cooperate. The balloon we rode was (at the time) the largest hot-air balloon in the world: 25 passengers plus the pilot were on board. The flight was uneventful and beautiful, but the wind started to shift direction and blew us toward the Mississippi River--not good landing areas for numerous reasons. Our pilot brought us down in a residential section of Stillwater, precisely on a street corner. Neighborhood dogs went nuts; I can still remember a woman painting her garage door whose jaw literally dropped open when she saw us. Great memory!