Private Story
Austria From Above
This flight I documented is done before sunrise, around 6 am in Styria, Austria, end of August 2017.
Before a safe hot air balloon flight can begin, the pilot must check the weather and select a suitable take-off point. The current and forecast weather must have sufficient visibility for the pilot to see and avoid obstructions (little or no fog or low clouds) and sufficiently slow winds to allow take off and landing.
A balloon is considered a registered flying aircraft when it leaves the ground.
A common tradition among balloonists is to have a champagne toast upon landing. Legend has it that early French aeronauts carried champagne to appease angry or frightened spectators at the landing site.
Many balloonists recite the Balloonist's Blessing also known as 'The Balloonists Prayer' with the champagne toast:
The winds have welcomed you with softnessThe sun has blessed you with its warm hands
You have flown so high and so well
That God has joined you in your laughter
and set you gently back into the loving arms of mother earth.
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