Welcome to Live View – Take the tour to learn more
Start Tour
There is currently 1 person viewing this thread.
Stevie Strikes
03 Aug 14 09:30
Joined:
Date Joined: 27 Apr 04
| Topic/replies: 1,279 | Blogger: Stevie Strikes's blog
No - actual ballooning!

Lifetime ambition to be fulfilled today, as we're treating my elderly parents to a balloon flight (Mum's birthday treat).  Weather's looking promising for a 6PM launch - can't wait.

Anyone else been up in one?
Pause • Switch to Standard View I'm Ballooning
Show More
Loading...
Report Lady Faye Verrit • August 3, 2014 10:05 AM BST
The thing you will find strange is that in the basket there is no wind!

It's a fantastic experience, and I was lucky that a client is in the business, and returned a favour...Wink
Report Tommy Toes • August 3, 2014 10:10 AM BST
Great stuff Stevie.

I've always fancied going up in a balloon but haven't done so - yet.

Have a cracking time and give us the lowdown when you get back.
Report Facts • August 3, 2014 2:31 PM BST
Yep. Brilliant experience . Enjoy !  ( can be a bit bumpy when landing !)
Report call me a taxi • August 3, 2014 10:24 PM BST
I asked about ballooning in Cumbria about 20 years ago.
Iirc I was quoted £100 for an hour.
The hoss I had backed in the Ebor didn't run the way it was supposed to, and that was the end of that trip.
Report Roger The Butler • August 4, 2014 1:24 PM BST
How was it Stevie, and where?

Did this a few years ago over Henley on Thames. Fantastic experience. Nowhere near as frightening as some might imagine - serene, peaceful and very different.

As Facts says, landings can be bumpy. Ours was very hairy, hitting some tree canopies on the way down and landing in a field where some gypsies came over swigging beer and we were willing the recovery vehicles to get to us quickly. All good though in the end.
Report Ken Masters • August 4, 2014 2:09 PM BST
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ballooning

Hmm, 13 definitions and not one of them describes the day out you're looking forward to.
Report hectoratoratora • August 4, 2014 2:31 PM BST
Never been up in one,but i live about 3 miles from a hot air balloon business and they regularly crash land in the fields around my house.When one came down in one of my fields the pilot offered me a free go cos i kicked up a stink about letting the recovery vehicle on my property to retrieve the trespassing balloon.Hardly an advert for the pilots skills.
Report Ken Masters • August 4, 2014 2:38 PM BST
Pilot? Doesn't he pretty much choose "Up" or "Down", in that sense a lift attendant is a pilot, or a kid playing "Flappy Bird".

*disclosure: I've never tried it and I'm sure it's really difficult, especially if there's no wind, more so if there is.
Report Roger The Butler • August 4, 2014 2:44 PM BST
They give you some crap about finding the right 'thermals' to fly in to help change direction but essentially the 'pilot' is just trying to get you up and down smoothly and trying to come down around the allotted end time in a field which doesn't contain bulls. Or gypsies.
Report Howdi • August 4, 2014 3:43 PM BST
Laugh ^^^^
Report Crisp77 • August 4, 2014 4:18 PM BST
That's a shame. Some of those gypsy women are stunners.
Report Makybe_Diva • August 4, 2014 7:48 PM BST
Stevie hasn't reported back yet. Do you think he's still up there Shocked
Report Ibrahima Sonko • August 4, 2014 7:57 PM BST
That other missing balloonist was called steve, spooky.
Report Makybe_Diva • August 4, 2014 8:00 PM BST
Scared
Report Deltâ • August 6, 2014 3:02 PM BST
well ....
Report TheChaser • August 6, 2014 3:05 PM BST
call me a taxi
03 Aug 14 22:24
Joined:
02 Oct 03
| Topic/replies: 3,418 | Blogger: call me a taxi's blog
I asked about ballooning in Cumbria about 20 years ago.
Iirc I was quoted £100 for an hour.
The hoss I had backed in the Ebor didn't run the way it was supposed to, and that was the end of that trip.


At least you triedHappy
Report TheChaser • August 6, 2014 3:11 PM BST
1.
ballooning
When an uncircumsised man, whilst urinating, pinches his foreskin closed, thereby inflating his touque like a balloon (but with urine rather that air)
My girlfriend won't give me head since she caught me ballooning in the bathroom.
Report Facts • August 7, 2014 2:50 PM BST
^ Sad
Report Roger The Butler • August 7, 2014 4:16 PM BST
Why are you sad Facts - no girlfriend to try it on or have you been circumcised?

And back to the original point of the thead, still no sign of Stevie since he went up in the balloon. Do you think he's made it to South America like the kid in Up?
Report curious-cat • August 7, 2014 6:24 PM BST
I thought you had been eating too many biscuits.
Report mange • August 8, 2014 1:26 PM BST
Geezer on BBC news A.M.................people asked wot they want to do before they die......................Balloon No 2

Susana Reid got to be No 1
Report Tommy Toes • August 8, 2014 2:15 PM BST
When I first switched on the BBC news this morning they were doing a piece about ballooning - and I immediately wondered if it was Stevie related!

Have you landed yet Mr Strikes?!
Report hectoratoratora • August 8, 2014 2:59 PM BST
Most likely the balloon came down somewhere off the beaten track and Mr Strikes is in a world where Deliverance meets Run Of The Arrow.Dueling Banjos territory now .
Report Ken Masters • August 8, 2014 3:01 PM BST
No, I've already checked on Football.
Report hectoratoratora • August 8, 2014 3:04 PM BST
Ken, i was actually thinking of Romney Marsh.
Report tictacman1 • August 8, 2014 4:17 PM BST
Perhaps it was an around world trip in a balloon...the nation awaits
Report The Leopard • August 8, 2014 4:55 PM BST
[   This image is no longer available.   ]
Report Stevie Strikes • August 10, 2014 9:13 AM BST
Is the Stevie Strikes Ballooning Fate market under Specials?
Report TheChaser • August 10, 2014 5:35 PM BST
Has anyone called the feds
Report Facts • August 10, 2014 6:14 PM BST
RTB


Because it's just a stupid thing to do and could easily cause injury imo.
Report Hamsterdam • August 10, 2014 6:45 PM BST
You'd never catch me in one of those death traps. A blow of wind and you either falling out the basket or crashing into electricity pylons.
Report TheChaser • August 10, 2014 6:49 PM BST
agreed hamster they can keep their balloons nothing but death traps
Report TheChaser • August 10, 2014 6:49 PM BST
standing in a basket in the air doesnt do it for me
Report Stevie Strikes • August 17, 2014 8:15 PM BST
Brilliant experience!  Everything I'd hoped it would be.

On balance, I'd prefer take my chances standing in a wicker basket strung from a bag of hot air than hurtling through the upper atmosphere in a metal tube attached to 100 tons of aviation fuel.
Report TheChaser • August 17, 2014 8:46 PM BST
you just came down
Report Makybe_Diva • August 18, 2014 7:24 PM BST
Have you been up there for 14 days? Shocked
Post Your Reply
<CTRL+Enter> to submit
Please login to post a reply.

Wonder

Instance ID: 13539