As you can see, many of our weekends were devoted to exhibitions, workshops and festivals. But that dream of making the kite flyers when there is no wind? To fly something else, obviously! Recently, some of us had a dream, flying a solar balloon. .. But before fly, we must build. |
|
One of us had plans, the other a large garage for the cutting .... Our challenge: to build in a weekend 8 solar balloons. |
|
Our solar balloon had often fly, but we knew it had a limited lifespan. Its last flight it did on the site Geopark Saint Die des Vosges (88), the last weekend of August 2009. |
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick and Jim Lechleiter arrival Challenge Handbikes |
he last inflation solar balloon |
|
This park has hosted Adventures Days, an event created for charitable purposes in 2008 where for two days amateurs and professionals are invited to participate in numerous activities around the theme of adventure, mechanics sports of all terrain |
|
|
|
and outdoor recreation. All revenue collected is fully repaid à the association Domaine Nature to the proposed creation of a center for people with disabilities. Jacky Lechleiter, its designer and friend since many years, is also the boss of the society Equip'Raid whom we bought our last Toyota. |
|
We left for our world tour with a new solar balloon, but this time designed and built by a professional and no less friend, Christophe Praturlon |
|
|
|
|
|
Novices in the world of balloons, we have become real "sponges" to better understand the world of modern airships. We visited the hangar of the German company Zepppelin NT and of course the inevitable Zeppelin Museum in Friedrichshafen.
We began to become addicted to these old airships, and we spent hours, days entire archive to the Museum of Aviation (Bourget). Our website Book Flight was born a new section on balloons.
And as we like challenges, we have agreed in early 2009 to collaborate with leaders of the Association of Friends of Hangar Ecaussevile, whose main purpose, besides the renovation of the hangar is to revitalize the center of ballooning by restoring activities including new aircraft. |
|
|
|
|
After inflating air Miss Louise, the balloon of Stéphane,
to test for leaks, helium inflation |
Patrick trains at inflating the balloon with helium
under the watchful eye of Stephane Rousson |
Patrick first flight with Miss Louise in Hangar |
|
|
|
Huge cathedral of steel and concrete of 150m long and 30m high, the airships Hangar Ecausseville is the sole survivor of the twelve centers airships built by the Navy during the First World War to house airships loaded combat German submarines. The president of this association has suggested to the website to showcase this hangar full of history. We went there, because we must enter into the building to understand the immensity, see on the walls graffiti of German and American soldiers ... And now, after weeks of work, the website : Histoire du Hangar d'Ecausseville |
|
|
|
|
|
Patrick takes place in the harness of Aéroplume |
Start flapping wings for up come and go |
|
|
|
But how just make the website when the Hangar is like a magnet? We return regularly to help inflate the balloons, make stories, meet all sorts of projects ... and even fly like a bird in the hangar. This, we are not ready to forget! |
|
|