Back in the late 1960s, Nancy Sinatra, the Fifth Dimension and Dionne Warwick all crooned their own version of the song Up, Up and Away with the following lyrics, “Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon? Would you like to glide in my beautiful balloon? We could float among the stars together, you and I. For we can fly, we can fly…..”
Go For a Ride!
If you’d like to fly in a ‘beautiful balloon’ too, come on out to the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival, Friday, August 14, where Heartland Bank’s new hot air balloon will be making its inaugural appearance. For a small donation to the Helping Hands Food Pantry, festival attendees will have the opportunity for a tethered ride, up 100’ in the air, in the Heartland balloon.
“The Heartland Balloon represents a unique marketing opportunity that both promotes the brand and allows our staff to get involved as well,” according to Scott McComb, Chairman, President and CEO of Heartland Bank. “Watching it inflate creates excitement and watching it fly makes you feel good! All those emotions come along with true, local, community banking.” Twelve Bank employees have gone through extensive training to be able to assist the pilot with inflation, crowd control and chase/retrieval responsibilities and are all excited to serve on the Balloon Crew.
According to Tami Vanderhoff, Marketing Coordinator at Heartland Bank, “Being part of the Heartland Bank Balloon Crew has been a huge learning experience as it’s both challenging and a lot of fun. The results of seeing the balloon inflated and in the air are worth the hard work that goes into it. We can’t wait to bring the balloon to local community events and festivals in the future!”
10 Fun Facts about Hot Air Balloons
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Discovered in France in 1783
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According to the FAA, balloons must meet air traffic control requirements if they are in controlled air-space and pilots must have radio contact with controllers
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Hot air balloons don’t fly in the rain because balloon heat can cause water to boil atop the balloon, which would destroy the fabric
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The balloon is technically called an ‘envelope’
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There’s a parachute on a balloon, but it’s not the kind you think of. The parachute is located on the crown of the envelope and is a self-sealing flap that allows hot air to escape at a controlled rate slowing ascent or causing descent.
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Hot air balloons can fly to amazing heights, the world record is 68,900 feet.
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Winds determine a balloon’s direction. Balloonists can steer a balloon, to a limited extent, by adjusting the balloon’s altitude to make use of the different layers of wind speeds and directions.
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Balloons fly in the early morning and late afternoon because the air is more stable at those times and winds are generally most favorable the first hours after sunrise and the last hours before sunset. Because the only control a pilot has in a balloon is changing altitude, a pilot usually won’t fly in the middle of the day when that control is lost. Hot air balloon pilots usually prefer winds of less than 10 miles per hour.
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Balloons include several parts: The envelope (fabric portion of the balloon), the basket, burners and fuel system. The material for balloon envelopes is made of rip stop nylon or polyester with tough, durable coatings for heat and air retention. The basket is usually made of wicker, which is strong, yet flexible and is aesthetically pleasing. Burners are arranged in single, double or triple configurations, and each burner typically puts out 15,000,000 BTUs. Fuel systems consist of aluminum or stainless steel propane tank(s) and fuel hoses. Other necessary equipment includes an inflator fan, two-way radios and some means of transporting the balloon from location to location when it’s not flying (chase vehicle).
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Balloons operate through the basic principles of gravity and hot air weighs less than cold air. As air inside the balloon is heated, it rises. As the air inside the balloon cools, it descends. To inflate the balloon, an inflator fan fills it with cold air, and then the air is heated with the burner(s).
Is the relationship with your bank losing altitude? Don’t get caught in the crosswinds of other banks. Stop by one of our 12 central Ohio locations to find out how your finances can go ‘up, up and away’!
About the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival: This year marks the 50th annual Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival, August 14 and 15 at Huber Park. Sponsored by Heartland Bank, the event includes free admission and parking. The Tomato Festival highlights Reynoldsburg’s horticultural history with many tomato friendly events – a tomato contest, pizza taste-off, spaghetti eating contest and more. Festival activities include family fun, kids games, car show, entertainment, Ronald McDonald, the Shriner clowns and food/beverage vendors galore.