11-13 August 2006
Duras, Gironde
Most of French ballooning is organised by France Montgolfières, which has a civil aviation licence for the public transport of passengers. The attractions of ballooning are the wonderful views of the countryside from a few hundred to a few dozen feet. Although balloons remain steady once airborne and released from their holding ropes, it takes passengers a while to get used to the idea that no one is actually steering.
Even the most experienced pilots, known as “old burners” in France, can only change altitude, not direction. In the northern hemisphere the wind turns the balloon further to the right the higher it climbs and a really skilful pilot can work the balloon between different altitudes and seek out pockets of turbulent air over lakes and across valleys.
For this event, about 15 colourful hot-air balloons will take off from one of the villages in the Duras region, with wine tastings on the landing field on the final afternoon, after which most of the pilots will presumably be grounded, with only a free rock concert in the evening as consolation.
Tel 05 53 94 13 48
contact@cotesdeduras.com
www.cotesdeduras.com
From our 2006 August e-newsletter
