In Lubao festival, it’s smooth sailing for hot air balloons

Some of the hot air balloons from different countries take off from Lubao town in Pampanga province for the Lubao International Balloon Festival. E.I. REYMOND T. OREJAS/CONTRIBUTOR

LUBAO, Pampanga—Gentle winds on Thursday allowed 42 hot air balloons from different countries to take to the skies at the Lubao International Balloon Festival.

The smooth flight helped establish the event at Pradera Verde, a recreation estate in Barangay Prado Siongco here, to be the biggest hot air balloon festival in Southeast Asia, organizers said.

The balloons began soaring at 7 a.m. when strong winds that blew as early as 5 a.m. eased up.

“The flight of 42 balloons secured the Philippines’ place in international ballooning events. This is the biggest so far in Southeast Asia,” said Ronaldo Tiotuico, director of the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Central Luzon.

At least 19 balloons participated in the Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Malaysia on March 14 and 15.

Ettore Cadel, a French pilot who had been steering hot air balloons in the last 15 years, waited until the huge bag stopped jiggling. He hopped on the basket when the balloon stabilized.

Gary Kaye Moore, an American who had flown in instances of extreme weather, said the winds here were not too harsh. His Humpty Dumpty-shaped balloon, trailed by a chase crew of four vehicles, took off and returned without a hitch.

The chase crews consisted of Filipinos who served previous hot air festivals in Clark and who volunteered as crisis or disaster rescue teams.

Rain Cervantes, who rode on the SM Pampanga balloon piloted by Belgian Jonas van Doorsselaere, enjoyed what she called a “calm ascent and descent.”

It was the Central Luzon sights that awed Karen ven Middendorp, a Belgian who rode on a Smurf balloon flown by her husband, Koen Audenaert.

“It was very nice flying although it was a little bit windy. We saw a lot of greens. There were rice fields that we don’t have in Belgium,” she said.

The safety of pilots was the main consideration in the four-day event, according to Noel Castro, president of Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc. His group organized the event with the DOT, Pampanga provincial government and Lubao municipal government.

“The wind strength was within the forecast given by the [Philippine Air Force]. We had no aborted flights. We have experienced pilots,” Castro said.

Steve Kim, event director, said three balloons descended to their launch area by 9 a.m., which, he noted, was rare. “There is boxed air here,” Castro said to explain why balloons flying from Lubao landed from where they took off.

The festival, which drew 50,000 people on opening day, was held more than a month after the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) concluded its 19th event on Feb. 12 to 15 at the Clark Freeport.

The first festival in April 2014 gathered 35 balloonists from 18 countries when PIHABF opted to cancel its event that year. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon

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