The Great Reno Balloon Race - Rancho San Rafael 202218.09.2022 Google Banner Ad  During four days in early September, one can look up into the Reno skies and see a rainbow of hot air balloons soaring about. With an average of 120,000 spectators attending the event each year, the number of lives touched by the beautiful spectacle continues to rise just like the balloons themselves. From its humble beginnings in 1981 with just 20 balloons, The Great Reno Balloon Race has taken flight with up to 100 balloons each year. The idea was to create an event that would keep visitors in town the weekend between the State Fair and the Reno Air Races and 40 years later, it is known as a world-renowned, and locally, a beloved community tradition.     The mission of The Great Reno Balloon Race is to provide a premier, safe, family-oriented/tourist-attractive, a visually dramatic event that celebrates the joy of flight while remaining free to the public. The Great Reno Balloon Race has won many awards over the years, including 'Best Special Event in Reno' and 'Best Special Event in Northern Nevada.'     Pilots that are invited must have flown a minimum of 100 hours and have met The Great Reno Balloon Race safety standards. The pilots use wind currents and elevation to control the direction they travel. As pilots ascend or descend into a sea of wind currents that exist in the atmosphere, the balloon takes on different directions. Each morning, pilots are briefed about wind speeds and directions at various "ceilings" or elevation measurements. The pilots use this information along with the forecasted weather changes and the local terrain as navigational tools. When it comes to ballooning, there is much more than meets the eye!      Google Block Ad After eight years of the Dawn Patrol, yet another attraction was added to thrill onlookers as they waited for the show to begin. Just before Dawn Patrol, pilots light their lanterns for the Glow Show. The balloons take on an almost fictional appearance, not unlike a paper lantern which marks the beginning of the Balloon Race.  The Hare and Hound Competition The three-day event begins with the Hare and Hound Competition, a ballooning event in which two balloons act as the "hares" while the 100 or so other balloons follow the leaders as the "hounds." Modelled after the traditional English sport of freeing a rabbit, giving it a head-start, then releasing a pack of canines to hunt it down, the ballooning competition is less dire for the hare.    The E.L. Cord Tissue Paper Hot Air Balloon Launch The Great Reno Balloon Race Tissue Paper Balloon Launch, a Washoe County School District and Balloon Race tradition since 1999, is a sight to see. On Thursday and Friday of the Balloon Race, over 1,000 students release their colourful, hand-made, model hot air balloons off Bunsen burners.  Balloon Blackjack Another popular event at The Great Reno Balloon Races is Balloon Blackjack. This event, implemented at the Balloon Race in 1999, gives the pilots a taste of the Reno gaming experience in an airborne blackjack tournament. The pilots compete for prizes such as complimentary weekends and meals at many of the area's best casinos.  For us South Africans this may just be the ideal opportunity to combine a visit to the Still National Air Races at Reno with this truly spectacular event! Google Banner Ad  |
          |
 |
 |
Copyright © Pilot's Post PTY Ltd
The information, views and opinions by the authors contributing to Pilot's Post are not necessarily those of the editor or other writers at Pilot's Post.