Mechta
13th Apr 2010, 12:05
Around 10am on Saturday, just as we were getting the gliders ready to start launching, a wierd sight appeared. From the upwind side of the airfield, a white ball about 40" in diameter, came rolling across towards us. Every so often, it would skip into the air and then land:eek:. Before long, there were several of them rolling and bouncing along behind the first.
I went out to intercept the first one. It seemed to have a bit of 'deja vu' about it, as I was sure I had seen something like this in an excerpt from an old TV programme*.
Once I intercepted the 'ball', it turned out to be a tissue paper hot air balloon, or 'Chinese lantern'. All in all, between the gliding club and the chaps from the VGS we intercepted about eight of them.
My guess is, given that we didn't see any in flight, that they were launched the night before, and landed on the upwind edge of the airfield. A combination of sun and the wind coming up probably set them off again. Some of the ones we found had scorch marks, presumably from their solid fuel burners.
Not too much of a hazard to gliders, but I wouldn't want their wire burner supports going through a propeller.
Has anyone else had a ground 'attack' of these?
* I spoke to one of the instructors on the Sunday, and the TV programme was 'The Prisoner'. He said every time 'the prisoner' tried to get away, the bouncing balls appeared. They evidently didn't succeed, as one of our guys 'got away' for his Silver C distance later on!:D.
I went out to intercept the first one. It seemed to have a bit of 'deja vu' about it, as I was sure I had seen something like this in an excerpt from an old TV programme*.
Once I intercepted the 'ball', it turned out to be a tissue paper hot air balloon, or 'Chinese lantern'. All in all, between the gliding club and the chaps from the VGS we intercepted about eight of them.
My guess is, given that we didn't see any in flight, that they were launched the night before, and landed on the upwind edge of the airfield. A combination of sun and the wind coming up probably set them off again. Some of the ones we found had scorch marks, presumably from their solid fuel burners.
Not too much of a hazard to gliders, but I wouldn't want their wire burner supports going through a propeller.
Has anyone else had a ground 'attack' of these?
* I spoke to one of the instructors on the Sunday, and the TV programme was 'The Prisoner'. He said every time 'the prisoner' tried to get away, the bouncing balls appeared. They evidently didn't succeed, as one of our guys 'got away' for his Silver C distance later on!:D.