Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
‘PATRIOT’ SET TO FLY AGAIN
Unique aircraft from Chester County will honor the moon landing
WEST VINCENT >> An iconic aircraft is expected to take flight Saturday as Barry DiLibero, owner of Aapex Sunrides Hot Air Balloon Ride Company, hopes to inflate and launch his 190-foot tall Space Shuttle Balloon ‘Patriot.’
“Saturday is the 50th anniversary of the first moon walk and we thought it would be nice to honor it,” DiLibero said during a phone interview on his way to a ballooning event in Rhinebeck, New York. “I was in first grade when the moon landing happened. Space exploration has always fascinated me, from the development to propulsion, everything about it.”
DiLibero said he has had the hot air balloon company since 1991. He also owns ASC Title & Tags in Chester Springs. In addition to the Patriot balloon, DiLibero has four other hot air balloons - two traditional styled oval balloons and two specialty balloons - Flight house, a 115 foot
tall, 53 foot wide red, white and blue balloon that resembles a lighthouse and the 53 foot tall, 78 foot wide by 29 foot deep America One, the world’s largest free-flying American flag, which was their first unique balloon.
“My wife wanted America One for several years. We were trying to figure a way to afford it. Then, when 9/11 happened, she was watching the news and said ‘we are going to build this now.’ And you can’t say no to your wife.”
To pay for it, they took out a second mortgage on their home. The Patriot was built in 2003 to honor 100 years of powered flight.
“I don’t know what got into him, but he said ‘I want the biggest, baddest balloon on the planet,’ and that became Patriot,” Teri told a reporter in New Zealand during a festival there in 2014.
As the balloon was being constructed, the space
shuttle Columbia burned up re-entering the atmosphere. The couple had the balloon reconfigured to include a quote honoring Columbia and space shuttle Challenger which was destroyed in an explosion in January 1986.
“We were making a big announcement that weekend and then watched it happen,” DiLibero said. “Imagine our shock. People realized the dangers they take.”
DiLibero said the balloon has only been flown in Chester County one other time.
“It does not fly often. As of now, it has only 85 flight hours on it. We typically take it overseas or to festivals,” DiLibero said. “The only other time in this area was after we flew it in at an event in Maine and it was wet; to prevent mildew, we flew it in Eagle (Upper Uwchlan). We had a photographer from the Daily Local see it in West Chester. He told us he could tell it was a space shuttle.”
“Our pilot took it up to 2000 feet, planes coming into the airport were banking
so people could see it,” DiLibero recalled. “Once you see that balloon, you never forget it.”
“That aircraft is so big, imagine the space it takes to land it. Just when it lays on ground its 35 feet tall, it rivals a 757. You need one acre of ground if you bring the basket down and lay it over. We take off, go up and the first (opportunity) that we can put it down, we take. We’re flying by wind we don’t know when next one is coming up. It’s complex.”
DiLibero said that even though the balloon holds thousands of cubic feet of air, it doesn’t all contribute to making the balloon fly. The wings and tail are baffled and don’t support a lot of weight; they are basically ornamentation. The heated air in the fuselage creates all the lift, using million of BTUs of propane to fully inflate and rise.
Saturday July 20, weather permitting, they hope to actually take it up for a flight. But will need at least 20 people to help set it up and pack it away.
“It takes a great deal of
effort. Just the envelope weighs over half a ton,” he said. Based on wind and weather, the launch time would either be at sunrise or 1-2 hours before sunset. Setup time takes an hour or so; pack up takes about 90 minutes if everyone cooperates and stays focused. The actual time of morning or evening will be determined about 12 hours in advance.
“Check the Facebook page for updates to find out when and where, depending on winds. This aircraft is very susceptible to wind,” he said. “It’s a giant 200 foot tall sail. We have to have really good weather to have this happen.
“It can be a complex job. In Japan, we had 75 guys back it up in a half hour. You have to squeeze the air out. The reward is to see something that is absolutely incredible.
“It’s so much work and then when it stands up, it’s absolute elation watching it, as it stands up and flies. I want to share my love for flying,” DiLibero said, “and remind people how great our country is.”