Lift! Northern Colorado Balloonists Aim High Using Hot Air

Richard Gonet  |  North Forty News

The seventh annual Great Aardvark Embark Hot Air Balloon Launch was held at Aims  Community College in Greeley, Colorado, on Saturday, September 28, 2024.  Over a dozen teams of professional balloon pilots and their crews assembled at dawn on an athletic field at the college to lay out and inflate their hot air balloons prior to rising into the heavens and soaring away with passengers in their gondolas.  The morning was cool, and the air was very still, so the balloonists had no trouble inflating their craft.

The event gets its name of Aardvark from the mascot of Aims Community College, and its official ambassador is named Arty.  Aardvarks are African mammals that eat ants and termites, but because there were none in evidence that morning, Arty did not make an appearance.  Several thousand humans of all ages attended; however, in deference to their eating habits, food trucks served burritos and drinks that did not contain any insects.  The host of this annual event is Aims Community College, which was founded more than 50 years ago in Greeley and now has established locations in Fort Lupton, Loveland, and Windsor.  The school’s curriculum includes 4,000 day, evening, weekend, and online courses in more than 200 degree and certificate programs.

The type of passenger balloon used was invented by the French Montgolfier brothers in 1783 but today’s balloons are constructed of sophisticated synthetic Nomex fabric and are outfitted with radios, GPS devices, and other electronics and safety devices.  Tanks of liquid propane provide the fuel for the flame that heats the air and gives the balloon its lift because the hot air in the balloon is lighter than the ambient air.  Pilots adjust the altitude of the balloon by controlling the amount of hot air in the balloon and they can navigate by searching for air currents aloft blowing in a direction they want to travel, though this can be more a matter of chance than design.  Their chase teams follow them on the ground using visual and radio contact and meet their balloons when they set down in a park or farm field.

Hot air balloon pilots must be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration and like other aircraft in the United States, balloons must be registered, have an airworthiness certificate, and pass annual inspections.  Dedicated enthusiasts try to fly every weekend when they can during the fair weather flying season, which extends from spring until fall.  There are several hot air balloon clubs in Colorado, and balloonists meet up informally and at large balloon festivals all over the country.  The next scheduled Aardvark Embark is scheduled for September 2025.  The event is free and open to all, and the spectacle is well worth the visit, even without ants or termites.