by Allison Tannery

Created on: July 11, 2008   Last Updated: July 15, 2008

As a young girl, I leapt from small stools with leftover party balloons, and fantasized about floating high into the sky, leaving the grassy ground below. I could gaze down at my home, and the people and cars around it, as they faded, faded, faded into the size of bustling ants.

This fantasy? Now a reality. The new "sport"? Cluster ballooning.

1982 - the most famous balloon lift off by Larry Walters. With no helium balloon experience, and forty-two balloons tied to a lawn chair, he rose sixteen thousand feet into the sky! Amazingly, he landed without harm. Since then, those who know balloons, have sought to duplicate, and even surpass Walters' astounding flight.

"Pilots", considered professionals, number about half a dozen world wide. One site, clusterballooning.org, lists festival appearances across the world. On average, these balloon pilots have been FAA certified in other extreme flying sports, like hot air balloons. This is not a back yard hobby. Dangers include not being able to land, or becoming crispy-fried upon entanglement in power lines. Clearly, "kids, don't try this at home"! However, enthusiasts report these high flying rides as some of the most magical flights ever experienced.

Optimum times for flying are typically early morning, with calm winds. Before sunrise, thrill seekers gather for preparations. Anywhere from fifty to one hundred and fifty balloons may be used, depending upon size, ranging from four to seven feet in diameter. Many hands are needed to get from ground to sky, filling balloons, sealing them with cable ties and tape, and attaching them to nylon ties.

A paragliding-type harness is used, not just a neighbor's lawn chair. Sandbags hold down the balloons, until they can be carefully arranged about the harness and pilot, with minimal risk to tangling. The pilot maneuvers his ride through by using bags of water ballast, hanging beside him. There is a rear-mounted emergency parachute, a GPS and a two-way radio.

Tethered to the ground, with the ballast weighed carefully for slight buoyancy, the pilot gives his signal, for lift off. Control of ascension and descending is handled through popping balloons, and dropping ballast. The direction is left up to the whim of the winds.

When it's time to land, the pilot levels at one hundred feet. He fervently hopes his crew is at the spot upon which his descent will occur! With help, it is fairly easy to pull the pilot in, and begin to pop the balloons. The amazing flight is over.

Want more? Try couchballoons.com, begun by Kent Couch, who launched himself into the wild blue on July 7, 2007. His 193 mile ride was covered by news stations across the world. He was also interviewed by Jay Leno, of "The Tonight Show", "Good Morning America", CNN, and receives letters from school children, inquiring all about his incredible adventure. His wife Susan jokes that he'll be receiving an anchor from her for Christmas!

If you can't get to an event, to watch these dare devils ascend above the clouds, or you dare not ever attempt this on your own, try the charming sleeper, "Danny Deckchair". In a 2003 movie, an unassuming Aussie inadvertently rises above his hometown, and hum-drum life, to discover his lawnchair balloon launch has gained him much more than instant notoriety.

Just don't try this at home.

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