Hot air balloons fill Clark skies with colors
TWO OF the crowd favorites, “Old and the Shoe” and “Vincent van Gogh,” slowly lift from the ground of the Philippine Air Force aviation complex in Clark. JUN MALIG/ INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON
CLARK FREEPORT—Giant hot air balloons in blue, red, purple and other colors are back two years after their last flight in this former American military air base in 2013.
At least 34 balloons took off at 6:20 a.m. on Thursday from the Philippine Air Force aviation complex at the start of the four-day Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.
Two balloons, however, failed to fly. One of them, the “Miss Daisy” flower-shaped balloon owned and piloted by Daniel Stukas from the United States, was damaged after a grass fire beside the basket where the propane tanks were installed.
Nobody was hurt, said Capt. Joy Roa, head of the organizing committee and president of the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Foundation Inc.
Hundreds of residents in Pampanga and nearby provinces and tourists flocked to this free port to see the balloons, which came in different designs and shapes, as they slowly glided toward the southern part of Angeles City.
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