Balloon Fiesta Oddity: Pilot to Fly Cluster of 94 Balloons
One of the most talked-about sideshows of the 54th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (Oct. 3-11) is a planned cluster-balloon flight, in which a pilot will lift off suspended beneath a cluster of 94 balloons, according to a fiesta highlights roundup by WiseVoter.
Cluster ballooning is a niche form of flight: instead of a basket and burner, the pilot relies on a bunch of helium balloons for lift and descends by releasing or cutting away balloons one at a time. With no engine and limited steering, it demands precise wind and weather conditions and close coordination with event air traffic control.
Organizers said more than 500 balloons, conventional and special-shape, would take part in this year's fiesta, with the program also featuring the Special Shape Rodeo, evening Glowdeo sessions and drone light shows. Daily launch decisions depend on morning weather assessments posted on the event's official site.
Organizers note that cluster flights demand an even narrower weather window than ordinary balloons — near-calm, steady winds — so a final go-ahead waits for the dawn weather briefing. Spectators hoping to catch the attempt should watch main-field announcements on opening-weekend mornings, as such flights usually launch from the center of the field.
Photo: 热气球吊篮与火焰实景，CC BY-SA 2.0（Wikimedia Commons，摄影：Harvey Barrison）
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：数十只热气球清晨升空（资料图，新墨西哥州阿尔伯克基）。摄影：G. Edward Johnson，CC BY 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
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