http://kob.com/article/stories/S613785.shtml?cat=500

I received a call this morning from a friend that is flying his special shape balloon in the ABQ Balloon Fiesta to let me know he had just landed safely, but another special shape balloon (Tetrahedron) had hit a power line. He was calling his friend that flies one and he wasn't answering his phone. I just checked this article and found out the pilot was my friends buddy, Keith Sproul. I met Keith several years ago when attending the Fiesta. Keith designed and built that balloon...... Damn.

 

yeah it's been all over the news here.. i just found out about it though i've been working on the truck all morning...

 

Yeah, it was 2004, one day after I left to come home. It was Smokey the Bear special shape. The pilot and two kids climbed down the tower. Luckily, there were no injuries on that one!!

 

Flying in Balloons and crewing can be a lot of fun. I went up in Balloons and crewed for a Commercial pilot for 5 or 6 years. Traveled to Tennessee, Ohio, ABQ. and many flights in this area. Here is his website:

http://www.zballoon.com/devil.html

If anybody goes to the Fiesta and sees this special shape, track the pilot down, and say hi, from his old crew chief, the Lightning driver and tell him to be safe!

 

Very sad, Its a shame that this happens so often. More often than you would think. Ballooning is a big hobby of mine, ever since I was about 5 years old my parents and I would go out chasing them and I crewed for one for quite a few years. Luckily I never saw nor knew anyone that had a accident.

My prays go out to the pilot and anyone else effected.

 

I'm sorry for the loss.

I just don't see the desire to fly in a big friggin' balloon that you can only control up and down.

 

i've been driver on a chase crew for the last 3 years... i took this morning off to work on the bronco

 

You get to see things from a perspective that you can get no other way. I never liked flying over the city, but the countryside was great.

 

Flying in a balloon is one of the most calming and relaxing and peaceful things you can do. There is absolutely no noise when your up there until the pilot uses the burner. Other than that its dead silent. So serene. And you can skim across trees and such. Its nice here in Az to do a morning flight because the pilots usually start maybe 20-30ft off the ground. And all flights are out of the city in just the desert. So you can see jack rabbits, familes of quails, javelina and a ton of other animals and they dont run scared because they dont see you and your generally silent. I highly reccomend taking a flight, it will change your thought on it.