Swinging towards the Alps in a basket

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33567, 22 June 1974, Page 11

Swinging towards the Alps in a basket

My balloon, the “West Wind,” needed a westerly to northwesterly wind to cross the Alps. It was stored at Hokitika with friends for a favourable weather opportunity.

Meantime maps, loading charts, equipment, survival gear, communications, recovery techniques, and endurance calculations on fuel were all studied. “West Wind,” is a 77,000 cubic foot balloon nearly 100 ft high and about 60ft wide with a stainless steel burner unit and wicker basket suspended beneath. The burner vaporises liquid petroleum, low pressure propane gas, at a rate in excess of 1100 horse power. The heat created in the balloon is more than 100 deg. Centigrade while in flight. Early on Saturday morning, June 1, the weather looked fine with an anticyclone over the whole of New Zealand. Winds were almost negligible at Hokitika and confirmed to 5000 ft in a north-westerly direction. We set off and arrived at Hokitika for lunch, assembled the balloon equipment and checked the weather again. At Lake Kaniere we seemed to take ages to launch the balloon. Launching help West Coasters took up their "launching stations’ and gradually hot air from occasional bursts from the burner replaced the accumulated cold air in the envelope. Slowly the balloon filled and, although gusts of valley wind temporarily retarded the inflation, eventually it was buoyant; willing hands battened down gear and with a running start launched us. Pilot Officer Malcolm Fort was my co-pilot and, within seconds, as I controlled the balloon skyward, his fingers operated the colour movie camera to start recording our flight on film. As we peered over the side of v the wicker basket, rising at 500 ft a minute, first Lake Kaniere was seen to look like a pool, then the cars appeared as specks and the people as coloured dots. We were high now, climbing steadily through thousands of feet. A low sun in the west gleamed over the sea and, inland, Mt Cook dominated the Main Divide. A cloak

of soft cumulus cloud nestled between the peaks; Lake Coleridge, outstandingly blue, was straight to the east of us. Our north-westerly wind was weakening rapidly and within an hour of flight it was clear that we were being blown off our desired course. Endeavouring to pick up

stronger winds at a higher altitude we climbed further. Still no change. Then we went for our altitude record at 9300 ft, keeping just below our Civil Aviation authorised ceiling of 9500 ft. It was cold, about minus 6 deg. C. No purpose was to be gained by going any higher; the sun was setting swiftly and likely landing spots in the “tiger” country of the alpine peaks below' seemed rare. A south-westerly wind, now softer than ever, swung us parallel to the Main Divide heading for Arthur’s Pass. Cloud was getting thicker and the possibility of landing in the forbidding cliffs and bush below became much more real. Our throats were dry from the rushed departure, the cool alpine air tingled our faces and our eyes strained over the map and countryside beneath to establish a landing spot. We had been aloft almost two hours and darkness was closing in fast. Fuel was getting low and the bush seemed more menacing. The air was stagnant, barely half a knot. We hovered over the precipitous cliffs above Jacksons; it was now twilight. In the semi-darkness our

balloon lit up like a gigantic Chinese lantern with each burst of flame; and cars for miles on the Pass, road stopped and obviously stared at the spectacle of our "invasion from outer space.” We landed In light bush about 800 ft above the paddocks of Colin Jackson, three miles from the Jacksons tavern. So ended our New Zealand endurance record flight 2hr 20min and" distance record of 30 miles. It took us well over an hour to scramble out through the bush. After a wonderful evening of hospitality our three-man team aided by the Jackson family retrieved the little-damaged ’•West Wind.”

Flight Lieutenant Roly Parsons, R.N.Z.A.F. Wigram, set out on June 1 to attempt the first crossing of the Southern Alps by hot-air balloon. The flight began near Hokitika and ended near Jacksons. No alpine crossing was achieved but the flight had other successes. Flight Parsons, pictured at 300 ft over Wigram in the basket on another occasion, tells how the day went.