I discovered that when you lift off in a balloon you feel so light, it is nothing like taking off in a plane, small or large. We just floated over the trees of Teague McKevett Ranch/East Area 1 and went up to about 1,000-feet.It is so serene up there, the only noise you could hear were the dogs barking from time to time or the intermittent “Whoosh” of putting in more heat to take us up.The City of Santa Paula looks so different from 1,000-feet in the sky. As we floated through town it was easy to pick out landmarks that I recognized. Although we did have an initial light haze over the airport the city was very clear. As we looked back we could see eight other balloons that had taken off after us.The target area that we were heading for was Limoneira Ranch west of town and as we approached Peck Road we headed towards the north side of Foothill Road…and started to lose altitude.At that time contact was made with our “chase vehicle” which we could see below us. Brian started to look for a site to be able to set the balloon down in.Needless to say, it is very important to watch out for powerlines and objects on the ground that could interfere with the balloon.At one point it looked like we might be landing in the avocado trees - after all, Santa Paula is the Citrus Capital of the World – but at that point Brian gave the balloon more heat – “Whoosh!” - and we lifted right back up to about 500-feet.Our final landing was on a work road near a lemon orchard just off Foothill Road near Cummings Road…landing was like setting down on a blanket of cotton candy.The chase crew arrived to help with the balloon and I’m grinning ear to ear, already looking forward to my next ride next year at the 2nd Annual Citrus Classic Balloon Festival.
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Lifelong dream fulfilled flying high in hot air balloon
August 01, 2008
Santa Paula News
By Debbie Johnson
Special to the Santa Paula TimesRiding in a hot air balloon was always my dream, and I was given the opportunity on Friday, July 25th – the morning of the inaugural Citrus Classic Balloon Festival – an offer I just could not pass it up.We were asked to arrive at the Limoneira Pavilon by 5:30 a.m. for a briefing. Upon my arrival I was introduced to my balloon pilot Brian Keown, of Santa Monica, who has been piloting balloons for a decade.Brian said he balloons for “relaxation” and that his real job is as a computer administrator.Each pilot is given an aerial map and a street map to use for guidance when above. Prior to the flight a designated person will release what they call the PI Ball, which stands for Pilot Balloon – much smaller than the orb I’d ride in! - filled with helium to determine what direction the wind is blowing at different altitudes.We then proceeded to the empty field on Teague Mckevett Ranch to start filling thea balloon for take off. Each balloon, known as an envelope when deflated, is unfolded and laid out and then the mouth of the balloon is filled by a gas powered fan.Once the balloon is fully inflated the propane is ignited to make the balloon upright.Each balloon has a ground crew and ours consisted of Kevin Keown (Brian’s son), Kazumi Eguchi, volunteer Mike Russell of Camarillo and Art Thompson, a volunteer from Thousand Oaks.Our balloon, “Limelight,” dangled a small basket, which I shared with Pilot Brain Keown and Owen Keown, Brian’s father who has 35 years of ballooning experience.We lifted off at 6:55 a.m. – I checked my watch! - and landed about one-hour later.
