sallyhammond.com.au

UP, UP AND AWAY

Judy Lynne was just a young reporter when she took her first balloon flight. Leaning over the edge of the wicker basket as she and her companions floated high over farming country she couldn't understand why her very long dark hair stayed in place.

"Where's the wind?" she  asked, "my hair's not messed up." The unforgettable answer changed the course of her life.

 "You have become the wind," he said simply.

Today Judy and her partner Peter Vizzard, both champion balloonists, operate Balloon Aloft a company that organizes flights from all parts of Australia. Their rainbow fleet of 'lighter-than-air-craft' bob up in international competitions, regularly winning awards, yet more routinely can be spotted on dewy clear mornings decorating the sky over any of a dozen or more locations around Australia.

 This article continues with details of ballooning in Australia, the facts and figures and safety issues, and  includes a breakout box on the history of ballooning.

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Soft Adventure. That's what Judy Lynne calls ballooning. And indeed anyone can enjoy a whisper-soft ascent through early morning mist or fog to brilliant sunshine, with perhaps the balloon-shadow rimmed by a rainbow on a cloud below.

As you skim across treetops, over fences and fields, there is a sense of wonder and a peaceful quiet, broken only by the occasional loud burst of the burners as hot air is pumped up into the balloon to keep you aloft just a little longer.

You'd never complain about that noise though, as who would want such a magic experience to end too soon?

©Sally Hammond 2007

Picture Credits: ©Gordon Hammond 2007

(Sally and Gordon Hammond flew guests of  Balloon Aloft)

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