Ruby Balloon Floating over Norfolk
  

Retrieving

Set UpOne thing that makes ballooning difficult for the ground crew is the same thing that make it exciting, the weather. The wind is always changing slightly not only the speed but also in direction. The other fascinating thing is the constantly changing climatic conditions. Depending on what altitude the balloon is at, the balloon flies in a slightly different direction. They go right with height. So as they ascend they change course to the right. When you are driving the retrieve vehicle through a wood or down a valley and lose sight of them, guaranteed they will disappear off somewhere and spend the next 15 minutes hiding behind the only solid object on the horizon. Every single flight is different! Still that is exactly why ballooning is so interesting and exciting.

Even if the pilot happens to land in the same field twice (which doesn't happen often) the flight path will probably have been different. This means that for the retrieve the route taken could be completely different from the last time. That is just one facet of fascinating hobby. (Besides having fun!)

When the pilot has located a suitable field for landing, we "may" be informed of the landing site.Even if we are not, the goal at this stage is to have the vehicle at the landing site before the pilot lands, and be ready to assist in any way required. Sound pretty simple?

Well...... it is, most of the time!