Balloon Fiesta; Balloon Fiesta 20

Transcript

The Archi balloon requires 15 to 18 people to safely and comfortably put the balloon up or to take it down once we land. An average balloon takes two to three people to put it up. So the extra people are needed because of the size of the balloon and also because we have so many ports on the balloon. There's over 128 separate Velcro ports that need to be opened. And we land to put the balloon away and to be closed hopefully all before we take off. And personally for you, how are the balloons flying this balloon and what do you choose this balloon over any other balloon to have a bond with this? Well I believe personally that God chose me to fly the balloon because I enjoy flying balloons. It's the desire of my heart and God allowed me to be in the place where the people needed to pilot and I was the one that happened to be there at the time. So I was asked to fly the balloon.

I've been flying balloons for over 28 years and I've had the opportunity to fly all over the world and it's just something I love to do. It is a type of flight that is different than any other. I also fly airplanes and if the engine doesn't quit I pretty well steer that airplane to where I want to go with the balloon, every flight is different. You anticipate where you might go but ultimately it's where God's going to take you. And so it's an exciting adventure every time you get in the air with the balloon. And does it, how do you feel about being able to bring it to the Fiesta? Well the Albuquerque Fiesta is, balloon Fiesta is one of the premier events. We'll do that again, I need to block this one like this. So I'll come over and do something. There we go. I'm going to take, see the big light on it.

Yeah. That's fine. So basically I just wanted to find out how do you feel about balloon Fiesta and especially in conjunction with this balloon. I think that would be nice. And that was a beautiful way to look at it. Is it in the right place in the right time? And it's worked out really well. Yep. The Albuquerque balloon Fiesta is the premier balloon event in the world. It brings together people from all over the world. It's an exciting place to be, the folks because of the number of people that attend this event, creates an excitement on the field. And it is just there again a pleasure to be here and I feel blessed to be part of it. Is there an atmosphere where you don't find anywhere else? I believe so. With the number of balloons that are flying, there's nowhere else in the world that you have this number of balloons flying. So the color, the number of shapes and designs, just the atmosphere of the whole event,

it makes it very exciting. I don't know of any other place where we fly that we have that many elements coming together. There's other events that are great events, not to take anything away from them, but this is... I believe that Fiesta, the memory that comes back the most and we get to experience that every year, it's similar, I believe, to what it would feel like to run for a touchdown in the Super Bowl. When you fly into the field and you have thousands of people surrounding the field and you're going into a target or into a key grab and having the people cheering you on, it is something that you'll never forget. And do you have one specific memory that you did really well or there was a reaction from the product you didn't expect? One of the things too, the glows, even though it's not my preference to stand a balloon up and not fly,

but because the people are able to come out around the balloons and to talk with the pilots and to walk right up to a balloon basket and those are very, very special times too, and to see the joy and excitement on the children's faces, it's really a great, great fun thing to do. And do you give the example of how you interact with people when you're a pilot in the balloon during the club? Well, one of the things that you have is you have hundreds of people coming, thousands of people coming up to you over a couple of hours, period of time. And what I enjoy doing is spending as much time with each individual as I can. People have questions and you want to answer those, and I feel at a privilege to be there and to be able to answer some of those questions. And I imagine you get some of the same questions over and over again?

Yeah, we do get the same questions over and over again, but we have to realize that the folks asking that still have the, we have the same questions answered, ask. Okay, we have the same questions asked over and over again at close and other places, but for those individuals, that question is important to them as the previous 200 people that you've talked to. So I find it a privilege to be able to answer those questions the best that I can. And when Fiesta is over and you go home, what, what are you feeling afterwards? Well, when Fiesta is over and, and one of the things that when you come back to the field on Sunday afternoon or if you happen to be around and have a reason to come back on Monday, it's, it just seems like it's, it's a vacant. And when you come back to the field after the Fiesta is over, if you have that opportunity and the people aren't there, the balloons aren't there. It's, it's just a big field in the, in the middle of, of a large city, but the people, both the people working here, the volunteers and the crowds is what makes Fiesta special.

Okay, my two minutes. Oh, I enjoyed so much. It's really fun. I'm so sorry for windy day today, but it's just so much fun. So basically what I'm going to do is ask one of the questions and if I have to say question over again, don't worry about it for editing purposes. Okay. You're doing great. Look at me. Okay. Yes.

And I'm going to be edited out. Okay. So if you could just repeat my question and your answers, that goes me out in the edit room. Okay. I don't have to explain. You're doing all the explaining. Okay. How has it been watching Igor fly? How has it been watching Igor flying? Oh, you know, it's, it's, it's has two, two sensations. It's feel like a father, I feel, you know, you're always afraid a little bit. Like a pilot, it's great because he's flying really good and he's a good competitor and, and like a trainer, it's, oh, much better. It's just to make me proud like a father or a trainer. And how has it been watching him fly at the balloon fiesta? Ha. The, the same answer is quite how it was watching him flying on a balloon fiesta. Well, look, balloon fiesta is something really, just sensation of just, just, something great. So we're coming on that balloon fiesta now for time and it's, it's always nice to fly here.

Well, this year he, he was, he's the first time the pilot. We forgot to, to sign us for the secondary and the third pilot. So a little bit jealous, he's okay, but we, again, you know, it's quite, you know, how to fly, you have to know how to fly here. You have to be experienced pilots and you have to be a good pilot. And he proved that he is a good pilot again. And I, again, like a father, I was worrying when he was in high winds in the, in the air. And I was proud when he win the gold medal. Tell me about his winning the gold medal. Well, that was the first I fly it. He, he just went to, I know, one inch to inch of the, I think he has the best result overall in the, like, close to the target. And did you get to watch him fly? I, I get, did I get a watch him fly? Yes. We was pretty close. You know, we didn't, we never came to the field, but we was around the field waiting for him to land.

It's, you know, you have to see, you have to make a good decision or come to the field and look how he will throw it or just go and then wait for him for landing. But here, because it was quite windy, we were, we was always outside waiting for him landing. Except that, that day we, the first day, when he, he landed, we couldn't find him. But that, that's the part of the, you know, Murphy never make a mistake. The Murphy law is always there. What, what's your favorite Fiesta memory? Oh, well, what's my favorite Fiesta memory? I really cannot decide. It's every day of Fiesta is a special. I, I think this is the capital of the world of the ballooning. So you're asking me two hard questions. The box flying here, the friends I made here, we made here. Good food, as you can see, I enjoy here. Well, it's a difficult question. I just like, I just love Albuquerque. It just, I think it's a capital of the ballooning. Welcome.

When you were a pilot here, what did you look forward to most? When I was a pilot here, what I was looking at the most, get the result, but I never did it. And I enjoy flying. It's, you know, it's quite not, when you go fly on a city, it's sometimes, if you don't know how to do it, it can be a little bit tricky. But we get first year, we get a local pilot, which taught us how to fly in Albuquerque. That's mean, if you're going to the town, you have to all fly the town. If you're going there, it's, well, it's Indian reservation. So you can land there. And I did once, because I just want to land in Indian reservation, you know, for us from Europe is something very, very rare. So that, when I put that always in the, in my book, when I'm going to somewhere, I don't know, I was first, my longest fly was so long ago. And I land in the Indian reservation in Albuquerque. That's a new Mexico. That's how it is.

How has it been meeting people here? Oh, how has it been to meeting people here? I never found, I was, I really flew all over the world. It's just after this fiesta, we are going to France, to La Puy, where the ballooning began, and then we are going to Thailand, and then we go to Italy. And so we are, we are flying a lot around the world. And again, I would say that there is no so nice people like here. They just, you know, I feel just part of home and our friends here, which we are spending now the second year with them. And they were back in Croatia with us. It's just part of the family. We feel just my second home. It's, you know, probably I'm not the right person for asking. I really enjoyed so much here. And how is it? You came so far in Croatia just to this event. When you're back home, what are you thinking of getting ready for?

Well, what I'm getting ready for by coming back, you know, we start planning to how to come back. That's the shoulder sensor. Well, for sure, you know, there is a lot of events we are going to, but first we put the fiesta on our schedule. And then we put all the other things around it. We have to go to European Championship. We'll probably I'll be a jury member and wore their games in Mundo in Italy. But we'll be back next year. That's what we are going to think first when we come back. And then what we are doing usually, now it's a little bit cold in Croatia. Croatia, we have a clubhouse, so we put the fire on a fireplace and then all the club members come and we are going through our pictures. We did a thousand pictures this year and like each year. And then we are, you know, we are refreshing the memories and you will be one of the dead memories as well. How many pictures did you have? We took about a thousand pictures. Yeah, all six of us, five of us. How is the flying here different from back home?

Oh, it's very different. It is different because when it's nice to flying, Albuquerque is really nice to fly. You can fly that box and on and on and on. When it's windy, it's tricky. But, you know, again, I'm coming back. If you come to Albuquerque, you have to be prepared to fly. That's usually what I would suggest to the other pilots which are coming there asking how it is. First year, you just came here and watched what other are doing. So if you feel good, you've gone for a short flight. And with the years, you will get experience. How is look flying in Albuquerque? And, well, as I heard, you have about 300 balloons in Albuquerque. That's, it's answered on your question. It's great for flying. And see, you plan on coming back year after year. If we are planning to coming back year after year, of course we are planning that. I just told you.

As long we could do it and as long we would be on a flight of nations. And I'm planning to coming back because it's really good experience. You know, we are commercial balloons. We are doing the flying at home. And it's a kind of holiday for us. I really relax here. If, you know, the internet is not always the best solution. So because when you come home, you find all the problems you have at home. So I decide now from yesterday evening I shut down the internet. And I will not pick it up till we will go back. Either one was telling me that he really enjoys it because it's time you three get to spend together. That's how I feel when he is now prepared to go away from the house. And it's a great time for us to spend. And I think we will spend that three weeks here always together. And lesson I hope so.

What's my favorite on the fiesta? Flying, France. And again, a whole event which is give you know, it's so it's the biggest event of ballooning in the world. So that's everything, tailgating, good food again, flying, France. That's just that. Is it kind of like you come to a second family? If I come to the second family, yes, I told you that before. That is the reason I feel I'll be curking my second home. That's how it is. I feel great when I come home.

Let's say so. I know it's strange for the European pilot to say something like that. But you have to understand I did my license first in I was the first ex-communist countries pilot which was ever which had a balloon license. And I get American balloon license in commercial license in 1986 like a commercial commercial pilot because in Yugoslavia in that time, the Croatia was part of Yugoslavia, we didn't have any license for ballooning or for balloons on whatever. But I had luck so I could travel which Yugoslavia wasn't so close like Russia or Bulgaria. We had a little bit more freedom so we could travel. So I have a possibility to travel and I met in 85 or 84. I met a pilot from America. His name was Bob Sparks and he taught me to fly.

And then we came to America and I did my private license first and then I did my commercial license. So I'm definitely the first one from the communist countries pilots which has American license. And then in 1988 I then I get a license from Yugoslavia. So I gave the license to all the pilots from Yugoslavia in that time. So that's how I feel very familiar with America and then when we discovered Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, well that's that. How did you meet your wife?

Oh, me and Maria, how did I meet my wife? Well, me and Maria, we were together for more than 30 years. Well, we met on an Adriatic coast where all the young people met. And again, I told you about how I get involved in ballooning and I quit my job and in 1989 Maria, she is a fashion designer and I was working for a big Italian company in Zagreb. We decided to quit our works and we start just do ballooning. And when first Maria, she was my crew chief and then about 12 or 13 years ago she did her license. And while she is also a very good competitor, she did a, I don't know, fought on a ladies' world cup in France and she is a good pilot, very, very good pilot and we are still flying at home. Oh, it was, well, now it's going back to when I was very young. There was a bunch of us, I was studying in Ljubljana, Slovenia and there was a bunch of us. One of them was Avishorn who is part of this Fiesta as well, his pilot from Slovenia.

And we started to, you know, we were first hot dogs skiing in that time and so on. And then we saw somewhere the picture of the balloons and we said, oh, that's something, we was hand-guiding as well. And then we find out that it's very interesting. So we really saw the first balloon together, Avi flew out, flew it. And after that I became in love with Maria and I went to work for a big company in Italian company in Zagreb and one day my friend came over, I was two years after we married. That's mean I was out of that group for about three, four years. And he says, look Tom, I'm in a business so you can sell everything. Can you sell a balloon? And I was trying. And we were successful. We sell the first balloon in, I know, 84, something like that, 85. And that's the old beginning of the ballooning. So we start, when you sell the balloon, you start to fly it and then you need a license and then we meet Bob Sparks and that's the history.

Did you teach E4 to fly? Of course, I did. I teach E4 to fly. Yes, it's difficult to not. He was born when we was flying. Well, he has three years when he has his first flight. And yes, I taught him to fly. But I also asked my friends, very close friends from England, America, to taught him to fly. So because you know, like a father or a trainer, I don't know the best. You know, if he gets more experience or other pilots, he gets it. And so, but mostly, I taught him to fly. Yes. And he has, what I have, hasn't so much. He has that sport. He is so consistent. He wants to win like his mother. You know, that's, he can get that from her. I was always happy. When, oh, if I miss the target, no, doesn't matter. I'll go and have a party somewhere. But he will go after Maria as well.

They will compete as strongly. Well, he had a lot of ballooning. Yes, but we never pressed him. He never, we never asked him to fly till he about when he was about 16, 17 or something like that. He says, I want to fly. We never asked him to fly. We never asked him to, you must be a pilot. You know, that's sometimes it can make you the things counterproductive. So in reality, we never, we never push him to fly. So that was his wish and his decision to fly. That's mean to start flying. And how did you feel about that decision? Well, I have, we're coming back. How I feel about that decision. Okay. We're coming back to the, to the beginning. You know, like a father, you, if dear God wants us to fly, they will give us wings. You know, everything what we are flying as it is normal, but it's not natural. So even balloons are the first was the first flying objects. So you're always worried a little bit about it. But later on you just, you know, now when he's going to fly, I'm not, but when he's competing, I'm a little bit worse.

And you just cannot say to somebody, I'm not happy with that because that was our decision like a family. And also in our club, we have other pilots. Igor is the best of them. So if we, if he had somebody who would be better than him, we would come with them here is just like that. And how do you feel about representing your country? Well, you know, Croatia has a very difficult, let's say, history. Well, I'm proud to be proud. So I'm proud to be here is just like that. Can you tell me a bit about about that history? About the history in Croatia? Well, Croatia was stayed about 900 years ago and then we was invited, but one third for Yugoslavia and so on. And then we have that silly war.

And, you know, you just feel, when we have our own state, we feel quite proud to be there and to be across. And representing it as a balloon team is ballooning not very common there. Well, ballooning is not very common. It is, it is, but not that there are not too many too many balloon clubs. It's the biggest one, but let's go back. We are, just a second, how to, we are a national team. We are a Croat national team. So like a Croat national team, we're proud to be there. Like there is a Croat national team in par shooting or in swimming or in basketball. So you know a lot of our basketball players are playing in American and NRA league and so on. And can you give me a greeting in your native language? Great. Oh, well, you want a word in a Croatian? An entire phrase.

An entire phrase. Albuquerque, a glau, glau, glau, glau ballona na svieto. The Albuquerque is the capital of the balloons in the world. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. It was so much to meet you. Thank you. Thank you.