Today, Thursday the 9th of January, the 14th HAVASU BALLOON FESTIVAL AND FAIR begins.
One small, yet extremely significant, issue has arisen. The wind.
Hot air balloons fly best in light, stable winds of 4–6 miles per hour, with a maximum safe wind speed of 8–10 miles per hour.
Our current weather forecast is calling for winds after 7am this morning to range from 10 mph to 18 to 21mph this afternoon.
So it is possible that we may not have any Balloons in flight today.
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Amazing. Absolutely positively amazing. Will you just look at one of the National Today / National Day Calendar Holidays for today January the 9th?
Balloon Ascension Day is an annual celebration observed on January 9 to commemorate the first manned balloon flight to ever take place in America. The first balloon ascension event was witnessed by President George Washington, who was a patron of aviation pioneers. He was fascinated by the tales of the Frenchman who pioneered hot air ballooning and was keen to help him do so in America. This assisted the balloonist, who did not speak English, greatly when he landed on American soil with a letter from Washington explaining his mission.
Balloon Ascension Day is an annual celebration established to honor the brilliant work of Jean-Paul Blanchard. He was the French aeronaut and inventor who, in 1793 made the first manned balloon trip in America. He is generally regarded as the inventor of balloon flight. Balloon Ascension Day was initiated on the same date he took to the sky on January 9, 1793.
During the first manned balloon trip in America, Blanchard stood opposite the Walnut Street Prison located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A relatively large number of people, including the President of the United States, George Washington, watched him mount and fly his hydrogen-filled gas balloon 200 fathoms or 1,200 Feet over the earth. Every year since 2011, the day has been observed to commemorate the first manned balloon flight in the United States and also encourage participation and foster interest in the field of aeronautics.
According to historical records, during his flight in a balloon in 1793, there were not a lot of ways for Blanchard to steer his balloon, so his trip only lasted 46 minutes. A gust from the breeze swept him away to land on a farm, where he had to convince local farmers to help him get back to Philadelphia.
This is not only considered America’s first aerial voyage, it is known to have also helped solidify the United States’ reputation as a country for innovative and great technological advances. On National Balloon Ascension Days, we are expected to go out and conquer our fears of traveling in a hot air balloon. We can take beautiful selfies for social media or watch other people mount and have their first experience flying in a hot air balloon.
A fun thing to do to celebrate Balloon Ascension Day is to witness hot air balloons take to the sky! Watch the synchrony of their ascension and the painting of the sky in their color.
It is fun to witness the colors, designs and shapes of ascending hot air balloons in the sky.
And this weekend, right here in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, the wind permitting, this weekend we all hope to enjoy seeing Hot Air Balloons in flight.
Oh by the way.. Yes indeed, NATIONAL TODAY / NATIONAL DAY CALENDAR.. Are the sources of most, but not 100%, of the information on our various “Days” such as today.
Cap and Patti
No! Patti and I have had the opportunity to do so, BUT neither of us has ever taken a ride in a Hot Air Balloon.
It's hard to believe this but dare devils (people who do dangerous things and take risks) have undertaken tightrope walks between two hot air balloons in mid-flight.
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