Christmas night we launched our traditional hot air balloon.
The homemade airship, consisting of balsa wood, tiny birthday candles, and a thin clear garbage liner was tugging at Landon's fingers to be released skyward.
Conditions on launch (our driveway) were perfect for the flight. It was clear, cold, with no perceptible breeze at ground level. Upon release, the balloon climbed quickly,
to about 500' directly overhead. It then reached a layer with a slight south breeze which carried it a few miles to the north. The flight lasted 8 or 9 minutes, at which point it was pretty well specked out at a couple grand, looking more like a bright, new star. It flickered as it gradually disintegrated, and then self-extinguished.
The successful moonlit flight was a nice end to a long, busy, enjoyable Christmas day! 
1 comments:
Look like it was a perfect night for a hot air balloon! I'll never forget the time we were getting one made to launch and melting the candle wax on the balsa wood. Poor Keri's hair caught on fire! Remember? I felt so bad for her as it was her first visit meeting the family! Thank goodness that didn't deter her from joining our family!
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