Kindersley woman recalls her years as a hot air balloon pilot
By Joan Janzen
Newspaper archives from 1982 revealed a local resident's blast from the past. As a hot air balloon pilot, Kindersley resident Laura Wyman was familiar with the loud hot blast of flame heating the air inside her hot air balloon.
Laura said it all started when she followed a hot air balloon that was flying over Saskatoon, and talked to the pilot after he had successfully landed. When she asked the pilot how she could become a hot air balloonist, he offered to instruct her. At that time a qualified pilot could provide instruction, and within half a year she had logged the required number of hours and earned her pilot's licence.
Ready for liftoff. Laura Wyman enjoyed her time piloting her hot air balloon in the 1980s. SUBMITTED PHOTO
A pilot's portrait. Laura Wyman from Kindersley shared memories of piloting her hot air balloon in the 1980s. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
Up, up and away. In the summer of 1982, Laura Wyman packed up her hot air balloon and brought it to Kindersley where a crew helped set it up, and a few bystanders were given the opportunity to ride in the basket. PHOTO WEST CENTRAL CROSSROADS, JULY 1982
"I got wind of a balloon for sale," Laura chuckled. It was a Labatt's balloon that had been damaged so much of it was replaced. "Essentially it was a new balloon. It was a great privilege for me to have a brother who would help me buy that balloon. I will always be very thankful to him." Her brother owned a larger balloon, while she owned a smaller one which she stored in a hangar in Saskatoon. The balloon was checked by aircraft maintenance every year just like a small plane.
"A balloon is free flight in the wind, and you hope it's a calm wind. The best you can do is check with the meteorologists to find out which direction the wind is going and how fast and then fly where you feel it's safe," she explained. "The most dangerous thing for a hot air balloonist are power lines because they are hard to see." The best time to fly is early in the morning or at dusk before the wind picks up or after it dies down.
Laura taught a special interest class for people who wanted to see what hot air ballooning was all about, and how to become a member of a crew. The crew was a group of volunteers who helped inflate the balloon, and always hoped for a ride in her balloon.
It takes a crew to unload the balloon which is made of a heavy duty nylon, and equals the weight of hundreds of tents. The balloon is spread out on its side, the burners are lit and a huge fan fills the material with air.
"A powerful fan blows a huge amount of air in a very short period of time before you heat the air," she explained.
Besides her flights in Saskatoon and a visit to Kindersley, Laura participated in various competitions. Before taking off, balloonists would contact any airports nearby, and would also radio each other while participating in a competition. At Grand Prairie, whoever could change their direction at the greatest angle would win that competition.
"They would have five or six different challenges, and the winner would get a trophy," she recalled. "Or they would put an x in a big field and you had to fly over it and hit it with a bean bag. Whoever got closest would be the winner."
Another competition was hosted by a rancher at Coronation, Alberta who invited balloonists to his ranch every year where keys to a brand new vehicle were placed on the barn spire. "If you flew over the barn and grabbed the keys, you got the vehicle," she recalled.
After about three years, Laura sold her balloon. The process of pulling the balloon in and out of the truck, spreading it out and lifting the basket, all required a lot of work, which was hard on her back.
But it was definitely a bucket list adventure. Thank you for sharing your unique experience of piloting a hot air balloon.