The weather defines Todd Davis’ way of life. He lives for days with high clouds and light winds.
So when one of those winds arose on a recent Friday morning, Davis was eager to get to the business of hot-air ballooning. His Delmarva Balloon Rides operates out of his Chester home and he flies with clients from various sites, including one in Caroline County’s Greensboro.
The skies haven’t been kind this year, and the number of flights he has done reflects that. He made 138 last year; his goal for the end of this year is 130. But that is a challenge in December, since riders, even if it is warmer on the balloon, usually want to fly in warmer temperatures.
Earlier this year, he added a second balloon — one that can carry 10 — to his inventory.
“The weather has been funky this year, so I’m a little off,” said Davis, who has run his business since 2008. “But you know what? I’ll take it.”
The best time to ride in a hot-air balloon depends on the location, but in this region it’s usually the summer and fall, experts said.
“It pretty much shuts down in the wintertime,” said Scott Appelman, president and CEO of Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Rainbow Ryders.
The best time “is when it’s most comfortable outside,” Appelman said. “As far as the East Coast, that’s summer and fall. There are stunning (views) with the colors changing in the fall.”
Storm chasing
The road to becoming a hot-air balloon pilot starts with joining the crew, those who assist experienced pilots with their flights.
A crew member like Davis’ Ryan Bowers helps with the weather forecasting and the logistics of takeoffs and landings, among other things. Davis employs six other crew members who work part-time.
In the four months Bowers has worked with Davis, he has been following the balloon on the ground in Davis’ truck.
Once the balloon lands — sometimes in a farmer’s field — Bowers is the one who has to knock on doors to get the homeowner’s permission to remove it. He’s a bit like a storm chaser.
“That’s exactly what I compare it to. I say, ‘Yeah, I chase tornadoes,'” said Bowers, who also has another part-time job. “But it’s way less dangerous to chase a hot-air balloon.”
After working as crew members, aspiring pilots must work with the Federal Aviation Administration to get a student certificate allowing them to start training. Trainees must have 10 hours of flying instruction, including six with an instructor. The FAA also administers a test, some of it a written, some of it applying practical knowledge.
To get a commercial license, the applicant must log additional training and testing.
Takeoffs
The flight at 6 a.m. Friday was on the smaller balloon, which can hold about three.
Once the riders board, Davis instructs them on the three types of landings: the gentle, the bounce, and the bounce, tip over and drag.
For any landing, riders must hold on tight and bend their knees, using them as “shock absorbers,” Davis said. Flights typically start at $260.
On the balloon, Davis’ equipment includes a GPS and an iPad. The scenery of the 40-minute flight included trees, fields, two white-tailed deer and the Caroline County landfill. The balloon got up to 750 feet and went about 13 mph.
Over the years, Davis has handled flights for all ages, including children as young as 5.
While he is busier in summer, he has had some memorable flights in the winter. Last year, he took a group out on a 5-degree day with 6 inches of snow on the ground. On the balloon, temperatures got up to 50 degrees and the landing included a slide across an icy road.
“It’s not a violent jerking motion; you’re just floating,” Davis said. “It’s very gentle. If there’s anything in aviation you’re going to do, (hot-air ballooning) is the most calmest, most gentle form of aviation you can get. You’re not doing turns. Maybe the wind direction might push us to the left, but that’s about it.”
Robert Doyal agreed. Doyal is the founder of the Houston-based Balloonster, an online community devoted to hot-air ballooning.
“It’s not like a plane barreling down the runway. You leave it in the arms of Mother Earth and off you go,” he said. “The one thing I hear from people is that even though they’re afraid of heights, when it comes to ballooning, it’s such a graceful experience their fears just seem to be relief.”
The experience
Scott Robey became a customer after one of Davis’ balloons landed on his property in Greensboro. His daughter was fascinated, and they made arrangements for a flight in November, for her fifth birthday.
“You get a lot better views. It’s like standing on a bridge,” Robey said, adding that he’d like to do it again and bring his wife, who is afraid of heights. “If my 5-year-old is brave enough, that’ll probably shame my wife into going.”
A balloon ride was a bucket list item for Cindy Nichols. She has been battling cancer and was looking to do things she hadn’t done before. On Christmas 2013, she bought tickets for herself, her husband, her son and his girlfriend to take a ride in the fall.
Her ride was planned for October but kept getting postponed because of the weather. Eventually, her family was part of a group of nine that took off in November.
“You put your life into categories and this was one of the things I was too chicken to do,” said Nichols, who lives in Wicomico County. “I think everyone should try something like that. You just get a whole new perspective out of the land. We saw there was even a plane that circled us a couple of times.”
The grind
Davis grew up in Davidsonville. He was once a magician who did stage shows.
He became a crew member for a friend who ran a ballooning business in State College, Pennsylvania. Then he started working on his license.
Now, he is the sole full-time employee of a business that he admits is costly and can keep him working around the clock. The balloon he bought this year cost $90,000. He expects to spend about $25,000 on his next balloon.
With ballooning as his profession, the only hobby he has time for is sleep.
“In good weather, you’re up for a week straight — morning-evening, morning-evening … there’s not much time in between flights to sleep,” Davis said. “There is no staff. I’m the staff. I’m the secretary. The pilot. I do it all. I’m the guy that refuels. I’m the guy that does promotion.”
Landings, with a toast
The balloon touched down — a pendulum landing, a little bit bumpy — on the back field of a Ridgely property with four cows as witnesses. Bowers got the necessary permission and he and Davis worked to load up the balloon.
Back at the takeoff site, Davis told the story of the first hot-air balloon flight in Paris in 1783. He poured Champagne, glasses clinked and it was over.
This had been flight No. 124. Certificates were distributed.
“I may get to 130 by the end of the year,” Davis said, “but the weather has been getting funkier and funkier.”
