Today our balloon flight would be launching from the Ken Stimpson playing field at Werrington Sports Centre Peterborough. Our passengers arrived and were all very excited about the flight. It takes about an hour to get the balloon prepared for flight and conduct the safety brief for passengers and then family and friends who wish to follow. The wind was flowing a bit quicker than our forecasters had suggested, although still, within safe limits we knew inflating the balloon was going to be a ‘bit of a handful’.The balloon being flown today is 250,000 cubic feet in volume and about 100′ tall making it and any hot air balloon for that matter very wind sensitive. Any thing more than 12 M.P.H. can prove to be too much. Once aloft the balloon travels with the wind and is completely stable, in fact the basket does not move at all in flight.
The wind started to drop and we launched at 6.45 p.m. The higher we climbed today the slower the wind became. The city of Peterborough was in clear view with Whittlesy and March out to our south east. We headed over Newborough and on over Crowland and Postland towards Holbeach. After an hour Fenland airfield was to our front. A radio call to their air traffic control to ask can we land? Mr Sean Cooper who helps run this busy private airfield replied ‘It will be good to see you’
With a gentle bump and a drag we came to rest in the centre of the airfield.