Mike’s November B-day Celebration in April!

April 18th, 2009 | 0 Comments | Uncategorized |

Janet wanted to give her husband something really cool for his birthday back in November, but really struggled with what to give him. But after giving it some thought … alas! … a hot air balloon ride!!! So Janet purchased a gift certificate from Forest Winds so Mike could schedule the ride whenever he wanted. For no particular reason, Mike picked mid-April …. and what a good pick it was. The forecast for this Saturday morning was absolutely perfect with clear skies and light winds. At precisely 7:50 AM, Mike and Janet were airborne aboard the Pride of Forest hot air balloon and drifting to the south at about 12 mph.

Ready for take-off!

The Pride of Forest

Although it didn’t seem like it, we continued to cover ground pretty quickly and before long we were right over Lake Vista.

Lake Vista

Mike & Janet

The scenery below was absolutely spectacular ….

Looking north

The Pride of Forest continued to drift to the south, passing over Lynchburg Nissan (our sponsor) and eventually Wyndhurst subdivision.

Lynchburg Nissan

Over Wyndhurst

At about 9:00 AM we began to look for a landing spot and it appeared that Lynchburg airport was going to provide the perfect opportunity. After touching base with Lynchburg tower, the Pride of Forest began its descent. Within just a few minutes we were safely down, sitting just outside the airport security fence. Our ground crew showed shortly thereafter being escorted by airport security. Pretty cool …. having an escort and all. As it turned out, we actually landed inside the fire and police training grounds. That’s a first for us, but airport security was really cool about it. Mike and Janet really had a good time with the flight, and there’s no doubt Mike will remember this birthday gift for a long long time.

For more pictures of Mike and Janet’s flight, go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/forestwindsinc/Mike_and_Janet_Flight_41809#

 

Sybil and Grandchildren Flying High!

April 5th, 2009 | 0 Comments | Uncategorized |

Sybil and her grandchildren (Lance and Violet) got up early this April morning to take a ride aboard The Pride of Forest hot air balloon. Getting up at sunrise wasn’t easy for Violet and Lance, but they made it on time anyway to meet the Forest Winds hot air balloon team for a pre-launch wind assessment. Although the early morning winds played a few tricks with deciding where to take off, the balloon ultimately came to life just before 8:00 AM. At 8:08 AM, Sybil, Lance and Violet were airborne.

Lance, Violet and Sybil

Airborne!

The Pride of Forest gently ascended into the skies over Goode and began to drift easterly down Rt. 221 towards Lynchburg. The balloon was being piloted by Ken and co-piloted by Ed. Sybil and Violet seemed to be taking in all in. The temperature was about 44°F, and the visibility was reported at greater than 10 miles. Lance became a little concerned about the height, but soon became acclimated.

Over Goode

The balloon continued to climb to 2751′ MSL and drift down Rt. 221. After about an hour, we began to look for a suitable landing spot. At first, it appeared Jefferson Forest High School would be the perfect site, but unfortunately the gate was locked and we were forced to look elsewhere.

Landing

It took about another 20 minutes to find a suitable field, but after dodging a few trees and making a quick descent, The Pride of Forest made a successful landing. Lance was so grateful to return to solid land, he got out of the basket and kissed the ground. We don’t often see that happen however.

Celebrating the landing!

After the balloon was all packed up, Sybil, Lance and Violet enjoyed a lite fare breakfast complete with sparkling cider. Surrounded by the beauty of the Virgina countryside, what could be a better way to bring in Spring?

For more pictures of Sybil, Lance and Violet’s flight, go to:

http://picasaweb.google.com/forestwindsinc/Sybil_Lance_and_Violet_Flight_4509#