Photos

"Every year near Jackson County Airport in Medford, Oregon there is a beautiful hot air balloon flight. Many many balloonists participate and if you want to get a great shot you have to get up early!! Altho this was not a competition, like the information mentioned below, it still is a thrill to see and is very beautiful with all the differing styles of hot air balloons. They all return in the afternoon and get ready for the 'night glow'. If you thought they shone in the morning with their rising, wow, its incredible when they are light up with jewel-like colors during the night. If you ever get the chance to attend a hot air balloon festival its well worth it!! Not to mention being a photographers dream...."




Balloon competitions are often called "races" but they're most often a test of accuracy, not speed. For most competitive balloon flights, the goal is to fly as close as possible to one or more exact points called "targets". Once a pilot has directed the balloon as close as possible to a target, a weighted marker with an identifying number written on it is dropped. The distance between a pilot's marker and that target determines his or her score. During some competitive flights, pilots will be required to fly to 5 or more targets before landing. To assist with navigation, topographic maps and GPS units are used.

Another common form of competition is the "Hare and Hound" race. The Hare balloon takes off a set amount of time before the Hound balloons and typically flies with multiple altitude changes to make it more difficult for the chasing balloons to match its flight path. After a set amount of flight time, the Hare will land and typically lay out a target cross for the Hounds to drop their weighted markers near. As above, the distance between a pilot's marker and the target determines his or her score.

Some experienced pilots are able to take a flight in one direction then rise to a different altitude to catch wind in a returning direction. With experience, luck, and the right conditions, some pilots are able to control a precision landing at the destination. On rare occasions, they may be able to return to the launch site at the end of the flight. This is sometimes called a box effect, usually when flying in valleys with drainage winds.

Tethered balloons are sometimes inflated at night, an event called a "night glow" for the impressive visual effects. At such events, pilots will usually operate the liquid valve known as the whisper burner (or sometimes called the cow burner as it is designed to make a different sound when operating so as not to startle livestock) on the burner creating a spectacular bright orange flame instead of the main valve which creates the more typical (and efficient) blue flame.