Once again I was one of the official photographers for Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Now that my photos are sorted, edited, processed and submitted to Fiesta I can take a breath and reflect on what the 50th anniversary of Fiesta was like and it was not a typical Fiesta.
Albuquerque Aloft – Day 0
Friday, day 0, is the day most pilots are checking-in. For me it was the initial photographer’s organizational meeting, collection of media credentials and other official swag. Because 9 days of ballooning wasn’t enough for Fiesta, in 2005 they added an unofficial event called Albuquerque Aloft.
This gives local students and teachers a chance to see the balloons up close as pilots inflate from school playgrounds around the city.
I was at Seven Bar Elementary with the Elevated Ballooning team and another balloon from Pennsylvania.
Instead of standing up an airworthy balloon, Margaret, owner of Elevated Ballooning, and her crew inflated a retired balloon that is used as a walk-in. This allowed the kids to actually enter the balloon and see how big they are from the inside. Adding some toy balloons gives some added fun as the fan blows them around.
Click on any image to see them larger.
A basket was set up so kids could climb up to the controls of the burner and experience how much power a balloon burner puts out. The balloon from Pennsylvania stood up and remained on the field for the full range of balloon experiences apart from flying anyway. Other Albuquerque aloft balloons could be seen flying from all around us.
After the balloons were packed up with the help of many small humans, Margaret gave a motivational talk about how she overcame her challenge with dyslexia to become a dancer teacher and balloon pilot as well as owner of two businesses. One a dance studio and the other a commercial balloon ride operation.
Check back next week for Day 1 of Fiesta 50.
