Dogpatch Balloon Launch (July 2010)

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On a nice sunny day in July 2010, we took the aerial photography balloon setup out for its inaugural run. A banner group was present for the event: Holly and myself, Joe and Victoria, Mark and David, Devin and Jannie and Sum, Tingting, even Hoshi. We made the launch from Agua Vista Park, within view of the nearby dry dock.

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Tingting and David snacking on cheese and baguette before the launch.	Sum playing with the picavet suspension system. The shipyards are in the background.	Starting inflation. The balloon starts off as a sad little rubber whoopie cushion.	The inflation sounds like nothing more than a loud-ass fart. Here, Hoshi obligingly mimes.

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Holly and Jannie laughing at the surprising noise.	The balloon slowly inflates. I had to hold the balloon neck tightly, and also bend the nozzle, which was very hand-cramping.	Sum holds her ears from the loud farts, while Joe readies the wire ties.	Slowly, the balloon grows.

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David waiting with the picavet and gondola.	Mark, marching the balloon forward in a revolutionary fervor!!!	A super-precise method for measuring a four foot diameter. (Next time I'll bring a cloth tape measure.)	Mark holds the inflated balloon, ready to go!

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Careful gondola attachment. At this point, the primary knot holding the cord to the balloon came undone. Whoops! Good thing we hadn't let go yet!	Launch ready!	Devin and Mark hold the balloon steady. Note the picavet, in its expected flight position.	And, the balloon is finally aloft! Hurray!

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Sending the cord out. I started off using Holly's jacket to prevent string burns (gloves would be a better idea).	I love it when a plan comes together!	A view of the balloon in the air. It looks so far away!

Here are some photographs taken from the balloon. Aside from changing orientation, they haven't been retouched at all. Most photos were blurry, and there were a lot of "oh, here's the ocean" type shots. But, the shots that did come out are pretty interesting!

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Camera on! A fascinating view of our shoes.	Hoshi pointing at the camera from underneath.	Is this thing live???	The launch party, shortly after launch!

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A blurry shot of Jannie from above.	An even blurrier shot of the lonely helium tank sitting left behind on the path.	A lot of shots look like this, mostly water, with some sparkling sun.	A shot of the long, T-shaped fishing pier.

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The only shot I got of the shipyards, which were the original objective of the mission. Unfortunately a bit blurry. Next time perhaps the winds will be more southerly!	A shot of the crumbling old piers south of Agua Vista Park (blocked off to the public).	A sailboat near the old piers.	The sailboat shrinks as the balloon rises.

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Another tantalizing blurry shot of some docks.	Looking east, a blurry view of Alameda.	Another shot of the old ruined pier.	The fishing pier, as we begin our descent.

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A blurry shot of the fishing pier which is interesting because it is the only shot where the tether line is clearly visible.	The sharpest view of the fishing pier (probably the sharpest photo taken by the camera this launch!).	Nearing the ground...	Mark reaches up to grab the gondola and its precious cargo.

After the balloon was in the air for a while, we started bringing it down. We started by winding the reel directly, but then decided it was safer and easier to do it in parts: one person would pull the balloon in by hand, another person would wind the reel, and a last person would feed the cord into the winding reel.

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Joe takes the first shift winding the reel. Note the beautiful view of the dry docks and ships undergoing repair in the background!	Devin pulling in a big aerial fish.	My turn to wind, while David feeds the line.	Devin pulling, Mark untangling, David feeding, Joe steadying, me winding.

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The final descent.	Sum is going to jump up and catch the balloon...	Mark grabs the gondola and secures the balloon.	Sum wants the balloon!

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Time to check that the camera hasn't fallen out!	Removing the precious, precious cargo and checking that the camera was actually taking pictures the whole time. (It was!)	Sum holding the balloon. She is probably 5% lighter with the help of the balloon.	Cleaning up, while Sum hangs on to the balloon.

The launch was exhilarating and fun. Thanks everybody who came! After the launch, we decided to stop at home to back up photos, then do a second launch at Corona Heights Park (see that page to read about the lessons we learned from the first balloon launch day). We tried to save the balloon by ferrying it home, holding it through the sunroof of the Mini, but sadly, it popped en route.

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The last view of the balloon, moments before it popped dramatically in Hoshi's hand.

Andrew Ho (andrew@zeuscat.com)