SA Baloon Championships
This year’s annual Hot Air Balloon championships were held at Bill Harrop’s original Balloon Safaris nestled in the Skeerpoort valley on the western side of Hartebeespoort Dam. The competition started Youth Day, Wednesday, 16 June.
Due to other aviation commitments, I only attended the awards ceremony on Sunday 20 June at the competition venue. Pilots in Balloon competitions strive to achieve winning one or more set tasks of which there are several variations, but in nearly all cases these involve the balloonist throwing a lightly weighted streamer or marker as it is called at a predetermined target marked with a large X. The drops are measured and scored by the designated ‘observers’ on the ground and the closest to the centre of the target is the winner of that task.
The competition requires a great deal of skill in reading and using the winds at various altitudes to ‘steer’ the balloon close to the target. At some levels of competition pilots have become so skilled that after flying for 30 minutes or more and covering large distances they dropped their markers right in the centre of the target cross. Quite often the distance between the markers of the first four placed competitors can be just centimetres apart.
This year eight balloon pilots entered the Nationals, whilst eventually only six pilots took part in the competition with a mix of older and younger pilots. The competition was won by Marc Nuthall, who is a full-time pilot with Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris. Marc started ballooning in 1998 and achieved his licence in 2000. Mark is passionate about training and growing the sport. He was placed 2nd in 2018 and in 2019 at his tromping grounds at Bill Harrop’s he was the South African champion.
The newer pilots did exceptionally well, considering that for two of them it was their first attempt at competitive ballooning, whilst the only lady pilot competing was twenty-sixyear-old Ianthe Honiball.
She was just twenty when her father-in-law for a balloon flight and once she was in the air she did not want to return to earth.
First with 14,287 points and South African champion for the second year in a row was Marc Nuthall, closely followed by Andries Steyn with 13,996 points with Zach Muller in third on 11,449 points. Ianthe Honiball was placed fourth with 10,990 points with Dave MacGregor fifth on 9,229 and Alan Turner with 9,019 points in sixth place.
The events director was Richard Bovell who achieved his license in 1979 when he was only 19 years old was assisted by Martyn Evers who was introduced in ballooning when he crewed for a corporate balloon in the UK in the 70’s.The Safety Officer and Target Team Co-ordinator was Neels vd Merwe. Neels who currently has over 200 hours started ballooning in 2007 and today runs Flamboyant Balloons, a successful AMO. For the third year Lorin Bowen acted as events manager and she contributed largely to the success of the championships.