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By MICHAEL WILSON

Special to The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — In nearly all aviation, the goal is quite simple: Depart from the point of origin and arrive at the destination.

There’s something special, then, about a manner of flying in which the principal focus is not the destination but the journey.

Like years before, this year, as part of the Natchez Balloon Festival, around 40 pilots will take off from locations across Miss-Lou, dazzling visitors and locals alike as they demonstrate their intricately decorated balloons and their skills in piloting them.

Veteran pilot and balloonist Walt Rudy, who has been piloting balloons since 1984, said he likes to “Coddiwomple,” – which means “to travel purposefully toward an as-yet-unknown destination.”

But ballooning isn’t all whimsical; it is a lot of work. Pilots must take classroom courses, pass a written exam, and take oral exams and practical tests to demonstrate their flying skills.

And it isn’t cheap. A basic starter balloon can run about $10,000, Rudy said. Also, you’re looking at several thousand dollars a year in fuel and maintenance.

One of the biggest challenges with piloting hot air balloons is dealing with weather, specifically wind. In fact, changes in wind can affect the path of the balloons as close as an hour or two before takeoff.
Longtime Natchez Balloon Festival Committee Member and Natchez Alderman Curtis Moroney explained the process of determining flight paths.

“Each morning, we’ll have a pilot briefing at 6:30 a.m., and we’ll meet and take wind readings right before the meeting. Based on what we see, we’ll determine our flight path. But when we go into those pilot briefings, be it 6:30 in the morning or 4:30 in the afternoon, we still don’t know for sure where we’re flying yet. But the answer will generally be: wherever is safest,” Moroney said.

The Natchez Balloon Festival no longer holds officially sanctioned races, but friendly informal competitions still occur.

Moroney and Rudy said a balloon “race” is typically measured by accuracy, not necessarily the first one there.

“The key is you’ve got to be able to get to your target, and then you’ve got to be able to land after you get to the target. And a lot of people don’t realize how heavily wooded Natchez and Adams County are,” Moroney said.

Hot air balloons may seem primitive, but they’ve come a long way. Today’s balloons use propane, which is clean and relatively safe. But when the balloons were first invented, the hot air was created from an actual fire.

“They didn’t have gas tanks and burners back then,” Moroney said.

Rudy resides in Ohio and makes the trip to Natchez each year for the festival. He said the unique geography of the Miss Lou offers special challenges for ballooning.

“The river itself can actually have its own micro-climate. It can generate its own weather and even its own winds, from pretty much any direction, so it definitely makes for interesting flying.”

Moroney and Rudy enjoy ballooning as much for the ballooning community as the actual flying of the balloon. It’s a small community that’s like family, both said.

“I can travel anywhere in the United States and find a fellow balloonist and be welcomed in as if I were family, you don’t get that from a lot of other forms of aviation.” Rudy said.

The 39th annual Natchez Balloon Festival will be held Oct. 18 and 19. For more information and tickets, go to natchezballoonfestival.com.