Alf Erickson's World of Balloons

MY first balloon out of the shop, the Corkscrew Balloon I, was built in 1995. Its first outings were in mid-October of that year, in France. The maiden flight originated at Couches, in the Beaune area of Burgundy. After five or six days of flights in that area, we spent the last few days of our trip looking down on the Loire Valley.

Here are my 1996 ballooning trips:

In January, we flew a series of missions at Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland.
In June and July, we went to Italy and France.
In August, it was Switzerland and Prague.
In October, it was France again!

As if that weren't enough, the plans for Corkscrew Balloon II, a larger balloon, have been drafted and construction is proceeding apace. The second balloon will be completed in time for the January 1997 balloon festival in Switzerland, and the two Corkscrew Balloons will both fly at that event!

(Does this man really need two balloons in his life?? And, while we're asking questions, is that really coffee in those breakfast mugs, or is it something a bit more ... fortifying?)

Interesting Links:

Joop de Wilde, a balloonist from the Netherlands, offers an extensive list of balloon sites on the World Wide Web.
Ballooning Online! has a number of links to balloon pages here and abroad.
The UK Hot Air Balloon Rides Home Page also maintains a list of balloon site links.
The Bristol University Hot Air Ballooning Society has a home page with links, too.
Solo Challenger: Related Pages has the most comprehensive list of links to balloon and related pages.
Lighter Than Air Links are available at "aviation's busiest cyberhub," Landings.

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