"> ">

May 10, 2012 (wedding) Passengers: Kevin & Kimberly (bride & groom) Carol (Mom) Kalei & Myah, Chase Today it is the first WEDDING FLIGHT of 2012 and my biggest concern has been will Mother Nature be kind to the Chase family. After looking at the morning winds I move us to our Brooks site so we can have some room for the “in air” wedding. The gang gets to work on the balloon and once we get it filled it is time get the passengers on board. We lift off the runway and proceed off to the south as predicted, past the hop fields on the way to the gravel operation. We are low so I point out that we will have a nice “reflection” shot of the balloon off the water. We have good speed low around 5 MPH so I’m thinking that up top it may be higher so I start the climb to some altitude so we can do the “ceremony” without burner interruptions. We got Kevin and Kimberly married above Keizer above two thousand feet at a speed of 18 MPH so it is time to drop some altitude and SLOW down. We slip into the north edge of Keizer and do slow down to a workable speed of about 5 MPH. We slip past Gubser School which is a good LZ (landing zone) for us but NOT during the weekday as they are a “working” school today and we slip past to the east anyway. The next (un-workable) LZ is Whittaker School which is in the process of the “daisy chain” of school busses on our normal launch spot. I have a shot at a WORKABLE LZ at Claggett Creek Park so I have the “gang” move there. I set the shot and at tree top I get a push to the west???? WOW!! It will take some “flying” to get this one in the book. Can you believe it…. Missed by 30 feet! The breeze at tree top is really getting variable so tell the “gang” to keep close as when I set the next shot we may get shoved off again. Carol, Kevin’s Mom loves the missed LZ’s as she wants more “air time”. The next shot will be the parking lots around the State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife as it is still early and we may find a spot open there. As I set up I get another push to the west and have a shot at the Keizer Senior Center but at the last minute the shove from the east sends us looking again. We have a big lot at the Fred Meyer coming up and across the street (if the east shove hits) River Road Park. I called the shove just right and the park will be the final shot th Websystem hosting provided by WolfPk. | Site Map Copyright © 2003-2017 Balloon Flying Service of Oregon, Inc. Legal Information All Rights Reserved.