(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The annual Labor Day Lift Off, a beloved tradition in Colorado Springs, begins August 30th. It’s a free, three-day hot air balloon festival that attracts visitors from across the country.
This unique event not only provides free activities and a variety of entertainment, but also offers attendees the chance to purchase tickets for a hot air balloon ride.
“(Hot air ballooning) dates back to 1783. So, if you want to look at the statistics, it’s the oldest form of flying there is. So, it is extremely safe,” said Henry Rosenbaum, a pilot participating in the event.
Hot air balloons are registered with the FAA and undergo certification and annual inspections to ensure safety.
“Then, in addition to that, we are registered pilots. Whether we’re private pilots in some cases, or commercial pilots, if we’re doing commercial-type of work,” said Rosenbaum.
Although they cannot steer like airplane pilots can, they use the wind and their extensive knowledge of its patterns to navigate.
“You could be going north on the surface, but you climb up to a thousand feet, and you may be going to the east. So you can use that altitude change to change your direction,” Rosenbaum explained.
Although they can control the balloon, they cannot control the weather. That’s why Friday’s practice flight had to be cancelled.
“We have to maintain visibility for other aircraft and maintain a certain altitude, below the clouds and away from the clouds, left and right too,” said Paul Petrehn, the Labor Day Lift Off Balloon Meister.
To test conditions, pilots have a surprisingly low-tech solution to an age issue: They release a helium balloon and see how it flies.
“Most pilots will put one of those up before each flight, just to test the very localized winds that we have to deal with on a flight-by-flight basis,” added Petrehn.
That’s just one small part of how they monitor the weather, since thunderstorms hundreds of miles away can impact the wind.
You can purchase a ticket, among other things, by clicking here. Petrehn says refunds will be given to those who had flights cancelled due to weather.
“Come out this weekend. The weather’s looking great. We’re going to have some spectacular balloons here. There are new balloons here. So come out and enjoy the show, and there’s a lot more to see other than the balloons,” said Rosenbaum.
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