Hot air balloons take flight in Calgary

Seeing hot air balloons flying in Calgary skies used to be commonplace, but in recent years their presence hasn't been as noticeable. 

On Wednesday, the Calgary Eyeopener team spotted two just outside their window, high above Edworthy Park. 

Pilot and president of Sundance Balloon, Barry McGonigle, says hot air balloonists may not be frequenting Calgary skies in the way they once did — but they're still here.

"It's just the city is so big," he told Eyeopener host David Gray on Thursday. "And depending on the day and the weather and the conditions that Mother Nature gives us, that dictates or predicates where we take off from. So, we might be flying today but we could be at the other end of the city and you wouldn't see us up there."

McGonigle says it's also been harder for Calgarians to see balloons in the sky in recent years because of adverse weather and air conditions. 

"It was tough for people see the balloons with all the fires and smoke over the past few years, even if we were flying over the city," he said. "This year the smoke's down and it's been great."

Changes to Canadian airspace rules in recent years have also impacted where balloons can fly, making them harder to spot in the city, according to McGonigle. 

"All airspace in Canada, it's controlled by Transport Canada civil aviation, and there's places we just can't go," he said. 

"A few years ago, they changed the airspace regulations around Calgary International [Airport] and we can't fly that zone any longer. For us, flight planning is pretty important. It's big."

McGonigle says they're always looking to add more people to the ballooning community, which is primarily made up of an older demographic now.

"A lot of it is more mature," he said. "We do see a couple of new pilots every year coming into ballooning in the country.  We welcome them."

In fact, this city has the Calgary Balloon Club. 

"They always welcome anybody that's interested to come out and check them out and share in the fun and the magic that is man's oldest form of flight. There's a lot of history and a lot of magic that goes with that."

And while there aren't as many balloons flying anywhere in Canada, including Calgary, McGonigle says most major centres do have some. 

"We actually operate balloons in nine markets in Canada including three in Alberta," he said. "Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie."

McGonigle says some people may remember the 1988 Winter Olympics when there was a balloon festival as a part of the event. 

"A lot of pilots that participated in that are still around and flying. We do it for the love of ballooning," he said. 

For those looking to learn more about the air sport, McGonigle recommends attending the Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival this September in High River.