Hot air balloon lands on road
NIBONG TEBAL: The monotony of the morning commute here was broken when a hot air balloon “joined” the traffic.
Motorists on the federal trunk road near Padang Jawi gaped as the balloon, which was several metres high, landed smack in the middle of their lane.
It was carrying 10 people, including state Tourism Development Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, reporters and the pilot.
The balloon’s “chase crew”, which trailed it by car, stopped the traffic at about 9.30am yesterday and created an open space on the road for the craft to descend.
It is learned that the unexpected landing was a simple case of thermodynamics.
“The day got so hot that it was hard for the balloon to have air hotter than the atmosphere to stay afloat.
“The air in most balloons needs to be at least 60°C hotter than the air outside to rise.
“So if the air outside is 30°C, the air in the balloon needs to be at least 90°C. It will need to be even hotter if the balloon is carrying a heavy load,” explained a source, who declined to be named.
A check on hot air ballooning literature online showed that most hot air balloons operate at a maximum temperature of 120°C.
The traffic disruption lasted only a few minutes. After the balloon was folded up, the basket was quickly removed from the road.
Bernama journalist Nur Adila Abdul Wahab, 33, who was one of the passengers, described the incident as unexpected but was glad that they landed safely.
“I didn’t feel scared because the crew was quite good.
“Initially, we landed near bushes but I think it wasn’t a good spot for us to get off. Then it was decided that we would land on the road instead,” she said.
She added that prior to the incident, they had the pleasure of rising 1.5km and spending almost half an hour in the air.
The hot air balloon ride for the press was a promotional gimmick for the Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, to be held on Feb 8, 9 and 10 at Padang Polo, George Town.
The fiesta’s organiser, Myballoon’s adventure director Izzati Khairudin, said the hot air balloon was piloted by Captain Jonas Van Doorsselaere, who had a flying record of 17 years.
She added that hot air balloon navigation was dependent on wind direction.
“As such, hot air balloons are able to end their flights by landing anywhere with secured and ample space, unlike aircraft such as planes or helicopters, which require specific runways or landing pads.
“For today’s flight, the landing was deemed appropriate and followed standard procedures,” she said.