Hot air balloon pilots plan trip to Reno race

Annual competitive event runs Sept. 9- 11

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Hot air balloons are often referred to as the gentle giants of the sky because they are so slow and non-threatening.

Watching balloons drift along a wind current can be soothing, as can floating in one. Whatever way one may want to partake in the activity, Reno will soon be the place to be to do so.

The Great Reno Balloon Race will be held from Sept. 9-11 at the Rancho San Rafael Park.

Additionally, the annual Las Vegas Hot Air Balloon Festival will run from Sept. 23-25 at Mountain Crest Park, 4701 N. Durango Drive.

Two local pilots who participate in the Reno festival are Jim Cloyes and Ron Dupee. Both men have been involved with hot air balloons since the early 1980s. They fly for the enjoyment of it, and they have "day jobs." Cloyes is a mortgage broker and Dupee owns an industrial hardware business.

"Once you're in the air, nature takes you where it wants," Dupee, 43-year Las Vegas resident, said. "It's a wonderful feeling, really." Ironically, Dupee is afraid of heights. "I know it's bizarre," he said. "I'm afraid of heights, but I have never had a problem with being in a balloon. Maybe because it is so serene, I don't know."

As for flying, it's all the matter of finding the wind current, he said. "You can't steer, you don't have breaks," Dupee said. "All I can do is go up or down. I'm an elevator operator," he said.

"Ballooning is so addictive," Dupee said. "Your first flight is always your cheapest. That's because you pay $175 for your first flight, after that, you're buying the balloon and supplies."

"I call it sky sailing," Cloyes said. "It's the same thing. You use wind in a boat, you use wind in a balloon. And the views are really great."

Cloyes also enjoys contouring, he said. Contouring is when a pilot keeps the balloon three or four feet above the ground and contours hills or mountains. "You do have to have skill for that," he said. "I'm a sport pilot because I don't want this to become a job. I'd probably start to lose interest."

Dupee is also a sport pilot. "I pretty much fly on weekends," he said. "I just fell in love with it, though. I like the camaraderie, the element of danger, and the fun of it."

The requirements to becoming a hot air balloon pilot, according to Cloyes and Dupee, besides obtaining a hot air balloon pilots license, is having a love for it. "You have to be a morning person to be into hot air balloons," Cloyes said. "You have to have weekends off, too," Dupee added. Both men also attend the Provo Balloon Festival in Utah.

They have attended the largest balloon gathering in the world, the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, with around 1,000 balloons in participation. However, they both prefer the smaller gatherings because the skies aren't nearly as crowded.

The two pilots also participate in the Las Vegas Hot Air Balloon Festival. Thirty hot air balloons will take part in that event. Because of the rising temperatures later in the day, the event, like all others, will take place in the mornings. Saturday it will run from 6 a.m. to noon, and a balloon glow is set for 7 to 8 p.m. The event continues Sunday from 6 to 10 a.m. Balloon rides are $175. Tethered balloon rides are $5 apiece, and the price is 5 cents per person to walk into a partially inflated balloon. All proceeds will be donated to the Deaf Kids Kamp.

At Reno's event, more than 100 balloons will decorate the sky, and several activities for the balloon pilots are scheduled, including hare and hound races.

A hare and hound race, one of the most common competitions for balloon festivals, is when one or two balloons are given a head-start -- referred to as the hares -- and lay down large pieces of cloth in the shape of an "X" and the rest of the balloons -- called the hounds -- take off after the hares and attempt to find where they have laid down the targets. The hound balloons have marked sandbags which they drop from their balloons. The winner of the race is the one who manages to get the bag closest to the center of the "X."

The race is modeled after the traditional English sport of releasing a rabbit, giving it a head start, and then unleashing dogs. The race takes place each day of the Reno festival, and the pilot who accumulates the most points wins.

Other activities will include rides in tethered balloons, a balloon tied to the ground that still goes into the air; walking in balloons to get a feel of the size; and a balloon glow, where the burners are turned on and all of them can be seen glowing while the skies are dark.

The main parts of a hot air balloon are the envelope, the large balloon part, the basket and the skirt, the lowest part of the envelope.

It rises when more propane is released, heating the air, and the balloon descends when some of the hot air is released through the parachute valve located on top of the envelope.

Hot air balloons rise because the burners create higher temperatures inside the parachute than the surrounding air outside and heat rises.

In the summer, it becomes difficult to heat the air inside the balloon to a higher degree than the surrounding air.

This is also the reason the majority of flights take place in the early morning hours.