By Debra Skaggs
On a warm July morning, the sun has been up for about 45 minutes and it is getting late. Bob Haupt has just filled and released a piball, a small helium balloon used to check air movement, and watches to 'see for ourselves if the weather forecast agrees with reality.'
He watches for a couple minutes and determines that conditions are perfect for a hot air balloon flight. Up to this moment he is unsure whether the flight will occur. He and his crew prepare to lift off from a grassy Provo field.
Haupt bought his 90,000 cubic foot balloon in 1999, a year after starting his new business, LDSSingles.com. He flew airplanes previous to his marriage and saw ballooning as a good excuse to use his skills and market his business.
'I pitched it to Julie as an advertising vehicle,' Haupt said, referring to his wife, and eventually named the balloon, 'She said Yes.' He has since sold LDSSingles.com, but has kept the balloon for sport flying and still has his wife''s support.
'It''s not a business expense anymore,' his wife said. 'It is more like owning a boat with all the fuel and insurance expenses, but every time we go to a festival we say, ''Wow, this is so much fun.'''
Haupt''s family participates in four to five local festivals every year and plans to keep it a family tradition. Prizes and cash are common rewards to participants. Sponsors know that balloonists need incentives to keep them coming back. Haupt gives his wife any cash they receive as a reward for putting up with his aeronautical hobby.
'Our favorite festival is the Art City Days Festival, but the Freedom Festival is really generous and fun, too,' Julie Haupt said. 'One balloonist said if you wanted to, you could pack up your trailer and travel from one festival to another all summer long.'
Their daughter, Laurie, will be 14 years old soon and is planning on getting her student pilot certificate, which will allow her to fly solo. She must be 16 years old to obtain a pilot certificate and take other passengers up. She accompanies her father on many flights and is a seasoned crewmember. The crown line, a long rope attached to the top of the balloon, is her responsibility this morning. She holds it taut as the balloon envelope fills with air.
As the launch is prepared, Haupt carefully instructs his wife and daughter on various aspects and duties. Other crewmembers at the morning launch are less experienced, but still involved and important. A minimum of four to five crewmembers are necessary to maintain safety and help lift equipment. The checklist is reviewed and the final chore is completed.
'He must kiss his wife goodbye,' his wife said. 'It''s even on his checklist. If she has the courage to let him go up, he has to give her a kiss.'
Once Haupt calls the Provo Airport control tower and receives a take-off clearance, the crew loads up the trailer and quickly heads out to a parking lot to wait for his radio instructions. The balloon quickly ascends and moves north. The air currents are a little squirrelly because of the warm temperatures.
Fifteen minutes pass before Haupt can get a feeling for where he will try to land. He sends his chase crew around the neighborhood as air currents at different elevations move the balloon. Fortunately, Haupt grew up in the area and is familiar with the parks and schools.
'It''s like a 3-D chess match up there,' Julie Haupt said. 'There are many layers of air movement up there and you have to have spatial ability to judge it.'
He guides the crew to the northeast side of BYU campus, then they are sent to a church parking lot, and then a school field is spotted. A few minutes later he directs the crew to Kiwanis Park. With a little bit of luck he will reach the baseball fields. He aims for the top of a tree, and he lands and gently brushes it as he lands in the middle of the grassy field.
'We have had some fancy landings,' Laurie Haupt said. 'Sometimes we bounce a little or have to grab a drop line to help. One pilot made an error and got his balloon stuck on a 700-foot radio tower. He and his two grandsons had to get out and climb down the tower. That''s the worst we''ve heard.'
A half dozen residents walk toward the colorful, surprise visitor with fascination. One man walks quickly forward as the guide rope is pulled to direct the envelope deflation. He offers to help and participates in the tug-of-war as the air escapes.
Julie says her husband will sometimes hold impromptu classes on school grounds if he can land on a school day. The school principals often call an unplanned assembly and all classes come out for the presentation. Haupt will teach the children about flight principles, wind patterns and will even let them help deflate, or 'burp,' the balloon.
Fuel is used more rapidly on warm days and it took Haupt over an hour to direct the balloon to the park. His tanks have 30 percent left, so no one else will get a ride today. He tells one crewmember to hop in the basket and he will lift her up in the air a few feet.
'Ballooning is a year-round sport,' Haupt said. 'It''s actually better in the winter when the air is cooler. The fuel is not burned as rapidly.'
According to Laurie Haupt, winter flights are the 'really good days' for flying. They tell of taking a friend from Brazil up for a moonrise flight with three feet of snow on the ground. The friend mentions it every time they talk with her.
As the balloon deflates, the morning dew gets the envelope wet, but Haupt assures the crew that it will be dry in no time.
'It''s like a washing machine,' Haupt said. 'It''s good for the balloon.'
The control tower is notified of the balloon''s landing and everything is loaded up. Haupt heads off to work while his family and crew head back to Springville.
'He smiles the whole morning after a flight,' his wife said. 'The euphoria lasts for hours, sometimes days.'