Photo: Farmpix Photography via Facebook/Kavanagh Balloons
Some of the most unusual types of races are hot air balloon competitions. These whimsical vehicles don’t actually have a propulsion system, so how can it be about speed? Well, it’s not. Other piloting skills are evaluated during these competitions, which can be much more adrenaline-pumping than you would imagine.
This year’s World Hot Air Balloon Championship is coming up in just a few days. After the delays caused by the pandemic, it will finally take place in Slovenia, starting September 16.
Although it’s a form of race, speed isn’t the decisive factor, since hot air balloons are known to basically go as fast as the wind takes them. Instead, they have to reach certain targets and prove they’ve done it by dropping a marker as close as possible.
This requires several skills from the pilots, who must be able to navigate in various conditions, change direction, and most of all, stay on track. In a championship where hundreds of balloons will be up against each other, things can get really heated.
“For such a gentle, peaceful activity, the competitions are like being in a Formula One car,” Anton Kerr told ABC News Australia. Kerr qualified for the World Championship back in 2019, when he won fourth place in the Australia National Championship.
He didn’t always intend to become a pilot flying in high-level competitions, but his passion and his family’s hot air balloon business eventually led him to that.
Kerr says this sport is more exciting than it seems, especially during competitions such as this one, where you must navigate at different altitudes, trying to reach numerous targets, while other balloons around you might be falling apart or drifting off track. However, pilots are not alone. They’re also supported by a team on the ground, with navigation and with the landing part.
Kerr’s balloon is a tribute to the boxing kangaroo symbol, which became iconic in 1983, when Australia infamously defeated in America’s Cup sailing competition. The U.S. had dominated it for more than a century, until “the underdog” sporting the boxing kangaroo flag scored a memorable victory. One that will inspire Anton Kerr to do his best in Slovenia.
Although it’s a form of race, speed isn’t the decisive factor, since hot air balloons are known to basically go as fast as the wind takes them. Instead, they have to reach certain targets and prove they’ve done it by dropping a marker as close as possible.
This requires several skills from the pilots, who must be able to navigate in various conditions, change direction, and most of all, stay on track. In a championship where hundreds of balloons will be up against each other, things can get really heated.
“For such a gentle, peaceful activity, the competitions are like being in a Formula One car,” Anton Kerr told ABC News Australia. Kerr qualified for the World Championship back in 2019, when he won fourth place in the Australia National Championship.
He didn’t always intend to become a pilot flying in high-level competitions, but his passion and his family’s hot air balloon business eventually led him to that.
Kerr says this sport is more exciting than it seems, especially during competitions such as this one, where you must navigate at different altitudes, trying to reach numerous targets, while other balloons around you might be falling apart or drifting off track. However, pilots are not alone. They’re also supported by a team on the ground, with navigation and with the landing part.
Kerr’s balloon is a tribute to the boxing kangaroo symbol, which became iconic in 1983, when Australia infamously defeated in America’s Cup sailing competition. The U.S. had dominated it for more than a century, until “the underdog” sporting the boxing kangaroo flag scored a memorable victory. One that will inspire Anton Kerr to do his best in Slovenia.
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