Great British Long Jump Report

Richard Parry

October 2010

The Plot

Whilst my competition form in the UK and Japan GP’s has been a little lack lustre this year I have performed well at the fringe events like The Icicle and Bristol Fiesta with my CFS balloon so there was a good chance of success at the final fringe event of the year, The Great British Long Jump, I mean wins do go in three’s don’t they? It was not going to be an easy jump this year as I was participating in the Worlds in Hungary for the first 2 weeks of the October so I coerced James Strickland and his Omega balloon to make an attempt in the first 2 weeks when he was here and then I would have a shot in the last 2 weeks, if he failed to make a valiant attempt and I would borrow his lovely new Omega balloon. As it transpired, his lovely brand new balloon was on standby for the cross channel flight and not available, my titanium LPG bottles came back from Hungary in another vehicle and were locked in a shed with the owner heading off to Italy – not available, and my Scirroco burner was sent back to Mondovi for Dr Bonanno to service and repair – not available. That left me with a basket, admittedly I had a choice of baskets but when the Retrieve van nearside wheel bearing disintegrated I decided that somebody was trying to tell me something! However, I was feeling rather guilty that the Flea was still sitting on my Trophy shelf where it has been for the past 3 years despite my lack of GBLJ attempts (I figured out that Robin had “lost “ it) and since it is an ugly trophy, it might as well have a new home this year. And so it is with tremendous pride and humility I humbly submit my only UK flight in October which has already been published once in the Valley News, little did I think it would have to be my GBLJ 2010 report too! Well I wasn’t going to be one of those classified as “No Flight” …………………………………….

The Flight

We launched from the top playing field at Chalford just after 8-30am, under the watchful eye of my first balloon instructor – Tom Sage who was also watching David Bareford’s son Dominic perform his first solo flight. I had taken a couple of old ladies along for the ride and announced to all and sundry that we would try to land in the bottom playing field, down in the Golden Valley. It was a wonderful day for steerage with all manner of winds under the inversion and above it and so it was that 30mins later we had covered 1700 metres and were approaching the bottom playing field.

Soon I was passing Aston Down Airfield home of the Cotswold Gliding Club

The Golden Valley is a very pretty area, that’s probably why it is classified as an area of outstanding natural beauty! We climbed up gently over Aston Down and tracked off to the south before picking up the SE wind at 5000ft and had an unsurpassed view of the Golden Valley and the Cotswolds

Golden Valley looking towards Stroud 

Minchinhampton Common featuring Tom Long’s Post where they held the last public hanging in the area, presumably a chap called Tom! And looking west towards the Severn estuary and Wales. My landing was on the left hand side of the common, but you can’t see the balloon as I took the picture in the descent!

My Route

Being a Sunday morning just after 9am, there were a fair few golfers looking a little apprehensive as the Eagle balloon with 2 old ladies and Captain Winddrifter narrowly missed the 18^th green to land in The Lodge car park, after a couple of bounces along the fairway. To celebrate a successful and safe flight we adjourned to Brookside along with messrs Bareford, Sage and others for a traditional English breakfast and honey on toast, all produced in the Golden Valley.

I apologise if this report is a little less adventurous than some of my flights but having qualified for a free bus pass and having returned the missing Flea trophy I will promise to do better next year if I am allowed an OAP entry fee exemption in 2011.