Up up and away...
Meet Cape Town’s hot air balloon pilot who’s afraid of heights
CONRAD van Wyk must be one of a few hot air balloon pilots in the world who is afraid of heights. He is too scared to go up Table Mountain with the cable car; but, when he’s in the basket attached to a hot air balloon, he feels safe.
Van Wyk’s first flight in a hot air balloon came when he was four.
His father Andre van Wyk, 77, is also a hot air balloon pilot and is now based in Thailand after he retired as a commercial pilot five years ago.
During the past 24 years, Van Wyk has flown in 19 countries around the world. He worked in the United Kingdom for 13 years and, when he and his wife had children, they decided to return to South Africa.
Today he operates a hot air balloon company from Klein Joostenberg farm along the R304.
A typical day in the life of Van Wyk starts with a pre-flight inspection before the sun rises.
Hot air balloons ideally only operate during cool temperatures – normally early morning or late afternoon – before the air gets warmed up by the sun.
After the pre-flight inspection, the balloon gets connected to the basket; then two fans inflate the balloon with cold air. Once the balloon is fully inflated, the pilot gets into the basket and starts warming the air with a massive roaring flame.
A recent flight a few days ago lasted for about an hour before Van Wyk landed on a farm near Fisantekraal, approximately 22km north of the departure point. – African News Agency (ANA)