Article originally published by The Leader News – Houston on July 17, 2013.
Heights resident enjoys hot air ballooning
As a child, Robert Doyal was fascinated by the hot air balloons that flew over his family’s northern Arkansas ranch.
Doyal, 33, moved to Austin in 2005 for a job at the University of Texas and wanted to make friends in his new locale.
He decided to join the Central Texas Ballooning Association and before long, became its president.
“The hot air ballooning community is a small community. It feels like a family,” said Doyal, who lives on West 18th Street in the Heights and works as the webmaster for the Harris County Department of Education. “Anytime there’s a balloon event in Texas, you can find me there.”
Hot Air Ballooning is the oldest form of human flight, dating back to the late 18th century. Balloon envelopes come in all shapes, including one shaped like an astronaut. They’re powered a source of heat and can usually go to heights of about 2,400 feet.
“There’s no loud noises, and you’re gradually lifting off the earth,” Doyal said. “It’s quiet and very powerful.”
While many people enjoy watching the balloons fly over their neighborhoods, there’s a lot more that goes into the sport than piloting the balloon.
Doyal has been inside the basket of hot air balloons, but most of the time, he’s on the “chase crew” which serves as the pilot’s “eyes on the ground” during flight.
The chase crew needs to be aware of nearby obstacles, coordinate with landowners for permission to land on their property and monitor weather and flight reports to see what’s going on.
“A lot of coordination goes on when the flight happens,” Doyal said. “The exciting part is being on the chase crew. You meet people and explain to spectators how it works. You’re educating the public on how the balloon works. Safety is the big thing. There are a lot of eyes watching balloons and inspect them.”
Doyal is also a member of the Houston-based Lone Star Hot Air Balloon Association, the Metroplex Ballooning Association and the Balloon Federation of America.
He’s participated in the prestigious Albuquerque Balloon Festival four times.
