Balloon Competition in Estonia, Saturday Evening August 23

 

Flight 5, August 23

I got weather faxes for morning flights at 15, at 21 and at 5 o'clock but had ordered only one forecast for evening. Before that fax came at 14 o'clock we based our work on what we could learn from Internet.

I asked Darius and Deividas to go with Tanel Suslov, their new dragoman, and find some launch fields far away in southeast. I went with Valdur to find a big target field in the same direction but close to Keila.

D&D came back with good fields and Valdur and I were also happy with our findings. At 14 came the fax: it promised fast winds from southwest, not southeast. Our own eyes testified for the same. Next time, if there is a next time, I shall order two forecasts for evening flights, one at 10, the other at 16. Fool's errands can be fun but they are fool's errands all the same.

CONCERT AUDIENCE POPULATES EVEN THE EARTHEN WALL THAT SEPARATES ÕHUPALLIROCK CONCERT AREA FROM FOOTBALL FIELD. VALDUR DID NOT WANT BAD PUBLICITY FROM MARKERS THAT HIT PEOPLE ON HEAD. SO WE DECIDED TO GIVE PENALTY OF 100 POINTS AND 100 ESTONIAN CROWNS FOR EVERY MARKER THAT FALLS ON THE SW-SLOPE OF THE WALL, OR FURTHER TO SPECTATOR AREA. TARMO ASKED IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO PAY IN ADVANCE AND THEN THROW.

Two targets for evening: one inside and one outside of the grassy football field. Task is called Gordon Bennett Memorial when target is outside of the scoring area. But who was the Gordon that has such a memorial? James Gordon Bennett Jr. did many things but I mention only two: he sent reporter Henry Stanley to Africa for the famous question "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?" and he was the first to publish weather forecasts in a newspaper.

Saturday evening flight was the most difficult to get under way. The whole caravan drove back and forth in area WSW of Keila while I  tried to find a common launch field that would take balloons to targets. Once we had to turn around on a very narrow village road after bumping to dead end in a place where the map showed a road. Continuously shifting winds did not fit any of the launch fields we had located in that area. One thing was sure: wind was slow.

D&D and I were at our wits' end when young Igor Usanov suggested a field next to the golf course. I sent no lesser official than a Member of Parliament to check it out.

YELLOW FLAG MEANS THAT HOT INFLATION CAN START AFTER FIVE MINUTES. 

Finally we were on that splendid field west from Keila and with no time to do anything but to take off or cancel the flight. Shadows were long, time was running out. In east impressive cumulus clouds still fought against sleep and vanishing. It was a beautiful evening. The 13 balloons took off at 20.30

GORDON BENNETT TARGET AND MEASURERS WAIT FOR MARKERS TO FALL, BUT NO, ALL BALLOONS MISS THE FIELD. THE WIND WENT TO ONE AND SAME DIRECTION AT EVERY LEVEL BELOW 1000 m. NO CHANCE TO STEER THE BALLOON. CONCERT AUDIENCE COULD SEE THE BALLOONS, BUT NOBODY WAS IN DANGER OF BEING HIT WITH A MARKER.
ALL BALLOONS LANDED FEW MINUTES AFTER SUNSET AT THE EDGE OF TOWN ALONG THE TALLINN-PALDISKI HIGHWAY. JUST AS ON FRIDAY EVENING -- AND A NUMBER OF TIMES DURING PREVIOUS EVENTS..

It was only when Valdur and I arrived at Rita Naujaliene's landing site and met Alo's wife and her two daughters that I remembered why she had come: to scatter Alo's ashes from a balloon. It felt good that we had been able to fly. One balloon on a mission and 12 as an honor guard.
 
Forecast for Sunday morning was so bad (fog until 9, clouds 90 m from ground) that I wanted to cancel the morning briefing before going to bed. D&D convinced me not to do so: forecast could be wrong and the beds are waiting in the same building. We must try to the very end. [FLIGHT 6] [ALL DAYS]