- Video shows crews that help hot air balloon pilots launch and land from their flights.
- Janelle Merritt, one crew member, has been helping balloons take flight for ten years.
- The Women's National Ballooning Championship continues through July 19.
- Jackson's Hot Air Jubilee runs through July 19-21.
Before taking to the sky, it's a mad dash to get hot air balloons ready for launch. One balloon's crew members, Janelle Merritt, has been helping balloons get in the air for ten years. "This is about the only thing you'll get me up early in the morning for," says Merritt, referring to the 5:15am meeting time. "There's a lot of heavy lifting, so you've got to be ready to bring your muscles early in the morning," Merritt says.
Watch balloons take flight:
Once pilots are airborne, it's all about the chase for these early risers. Jacqueline Austin explains, "We don't know what the targets are until the pilots come out and give us the briefing of where we need to go and where we need to launch from." Those targets have been placed throughout the county for pilots to fly over and aim at to score points, using a bean bag. Austin continues, "Once they get in the air, they have to navigate using the winds and wind direction at different altitudes to hit those targets."
With this week being the Women's National Ballooning Championship, it was high stakes for these crew members. However, crew members like Merritt don't just do it for the friendly competition.
Meet one of the pilots:
She says, "The ballooning community really invites people in to experience it. They want to share their hobby. They want to share their joy." Merritt also volunteers for the feeling she gets when she sees a balloon soar: "When you're around a hot air balloon and you realize there's so much possibility. That, regular people can do whatever they want. These women pilots are chasing their dreams. It's just fun to be a small part of making that happen."
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