WEEKENDER: 3

Minutes later, our balloon was unpacked and a gasoline-powered fan was used to blow cold air into the envelope. As soon as the giant fan partially inflated the balloon to establish its basic shape, Mr. [Wolf-Dietrich Kadach] and his friend, balloon and aircraft pilot Frank Wisgalle, took turns aimin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business world (San Juan, Philippines) Philippines), 2007-02, p.1
Main Author: Aquino, Norman P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aircraft
Balloons
Kadach, Wolf-Dietrich
Sugarcane
Wind
Wisgalle, Frank
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Summary:Minutes later, our balloon was unpacked and a gasoline-powered fan was used to blow cold air into the envelope. As soon as the giant fan partially inflated the balloon to establish its basic shape, Mr. [Wolf-Dietrich Kadach] and his friend, balloon and aircraft pilot Frank Wisgalle, took turns aiming a pair of burner flames at the balloon's mouth to heat the air inside. The entire process, including safety checks before the setup, took just a little less than half an hour. "Norman, hop in!" Mr. Kadach called to me as soon as the balloon went upright. It was a gorgeous, colorful balloon! He aimed the twin burners right in the middle of the balloon skirt and directed more heat inside. At exactly five minutes past 7 a.m., we - Mr. Kadach, Mr. and Mrs. Wisgalle and I - were airborne. The Kadach Hausverwaltung, named after Mr. Kadach's house maintenance business, slowly descended and we braced ourselves for the landing, holding onto the handles of the propane tanks inside the wicker basket while bending our knees for impact. I heard a soft thud as the basket touched the ground - a sugarcane field not far from the road - and tipped over. The basket was dragged a bit by the 20 km/hour wind, causing it to rise and fall and again tip over. It did this for the third and last time, and all this time, our hands were literally glued on the tank handles, while our bodies leaned over in different directions, and the chase crew, which had been following us for the past hour, tried to stabilize the basket.
ISSN:0116-3930