Balloon pilots bring color to Springville sky

SPRINGVILLE — For half his life, Bronson Kelly has been riding high in a big balloon whenever he gets the chance.

Friday was no exception as he lifted off in a basket attached to a pink balloon shaped like a pig with fire in its belly. It was the annual Art City Days Balloon Festival, which continues through today at Springville Junior High School, 1655 S. 700 East.

This year, the high-flying event boasted 10 colorful balloons, four more than last year, said Randy Lingwall, project manager with event co-sponsor W.W. Clyde. An equal number of chase vehicles equipped with radios to keep in contact with the pilots follow the balloons.

"You never know where you're going to land," said Kelly, 35.

At age 17, when many teens are learning how to keep four wheels on the ground, Kelly was taking flying lessons to join his father in the sky. Each pilot must be licensed.

Kelly's dad, Brian, and Balloons West business partner Erwin Oertli are also piloting balloons in the festival.

A passenger or two were tucked in each basket Friday. For Tamera Fuller, 22, of Mapleton, it was her first time aloft in a balloon. Fuller won an essay contest describing a picture-perfect summer day. Her response was "having my camera glued to my face as I rode in a balloon."

A free random drawing selects other riders. Meanwhile, free tethered rides are offered at the festival. Riders get a souvenir photo of their ride, and a photo gallery of the event is posted on www.artcitydays.net.

The balloons towered 85 feet into the sky before liftoff at the Springville Junior High playing field. According to Federal Aviation Administration rules, they can fly no higher than 14,000 feet without oxygen masks, Kelly said.

But flying that high wasn't the intent of the event. The object of the game was to drop a beanbag closest to a target on the field and another at Memorial Park without landing. On Saturday, there will be just one target, and judges then will decide who wins.

The winner gets $300 cash, with $200 for second place and $100 for third place.

Controlling the behemoth balloons is relatively easy if all the pilot wants to do is go up and down. Prevailing winds blow them wherever, Kelly said, but controlling the direction becomes easier with several balloons in a competition.

"Different winds at different altitudes take you in different directions," he said.

It's important to watch the other balloons and see which way they are going, he said. To slip into a different direction, the pilot either raises or lowers his balloon with the heat from the onboard burner to catch the wind.

Most of the balloon pilots at the event came from the Salt Lake and Utah valleys. But Gayle McCoy and his wife, Martha, drove in from Spring Creek, Nev. Ryan Strong of Springville was part of their volunteer chase crew.

"I came here to have fun," Gayle McCoy said.

Ballooners typically follow city celebrations and other events throughout the summer to fly their balloons. Many have been flying for years, but the McCoys are in their third year.

"I'm the newbie," Gayle McCoy said.

E-MAIL: rodger@desnews.com