Most
balloonists need people to help them set up the balloon, land it, and various other
tasks. A lot of them will accept
volunteer work. In return, you get interesting, if not
fantastic and
englightening experiences, free food, and, occasionally, free
hot-air balloon flghts, although you do have to get up repeatedly at the
butt crack of dawn.
This is some of the work typically involved in being a
memberof a balloon crew:
- holding a
gasoline-powered
fan in place so it doesn't
vibrate away as the
balloon is filling up (this can result in
numb fingers)
- helping, along with other
crew members and the
captain, to carry the balloon around in a
large bag
-
packing and
unpacking the balloon and spreading it out on the ground
-checking levels of, and filling, big
propane tanks
- driving around in a chase vehicle to pick up the
balloon when it lands
-consuming large amounts of
champagne
-using your body weight to stop the ballon from dragging when it lands
-participating in jokes played by the
captain on the
passengers.
-buying
deli food items for
picnics
-pulling on various ropes to control the balloon as it's inflating, or to deflate it
-pleasantly socializing with
strangers
If you can do any or all of these things, you might be an ideal candidate for a balloon crew. Some of the crews do offer
monetary compensation, especially the ones that run
advertising balloons for
corporations but that's more like a
real job and probably not as much
fun.