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Brian
Sweet Inspiration
United Kingdom
2040 Posts |
 Posted - 13/05/2008 : 09:25:46
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OK = Plans are now in place.
We will meet at Malvern Showground at 9.30 am on Saturday, hopefully bringing our transistors so not to miss SOTS?.
We should be in the basket by 10 at the latest. I've arranged badges with your names on them - eg 'Trek basket case'. This is just in case anyone falls out - it will make it so much easier for the emergency services should identification be needed
We take off singing (it's so much fun this way). The first 'tune' will be 'Up, up and away', followed by 'Prety red balloons' * you can sing 99 red balloons if your German - of course IF your German it will be 99 LUFT baloons by that's nit-picking. I hope Emm will do a 'solo' on 'Fly me to the moon' if her voice is up to it.
You will be allowed to wave at the crowd below - but PLEASE not all on one side
Depending on the wind we will head east, west, north or possibly south (we will have a map). If you are being collected later by a 'loved one' tell them to meet you in Gloucester, or Monmouth, or Kidderminster or Wyre Piddle. COMPASSMENTIS
It will be a treat, not only for us but for the folk of the Malverns who will hear 'The hills are alive with the sound of music' as a 'live' performance. Our balloon will be orange in case you need to co-ordinate your outfit.
TOOTLE UP IN THE AIR |
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Motown Diva
Moderator
United Kingdom
938 Posts |
Posted - 13/05/2008 : 12:21:57
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Excellent- I've been up in a balloon before, so I'll be prepared and ready to go! With reference to the sing-a-long, I could also give a rendition of Jackie Wilson's 'Higher and Higher' if you like- seems quite appropriate, just as long as we can get down again! Although with all us women in the basket, we shouldn't be short of hot air! Oh and I'll pack us a few nun's outfits to wear for the sound of music performance- Yes you too Toots .
Emz xXx |
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Carole R.
Higher and Higher
United Kingdom
13663 Posts |
Posted - 13/05/2008 : 13:50:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Berthavenation
Maybe they're a kind of Qtips, for sticking in your ears
Frans
Is that when we're being 'treated to Emz's singing Frans?..
PEN xx |
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Motown Diva
Moderator
United Kingdom
938 Posts |
Posted - 13/05/2008 : 16:19:03
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quote:
Is that when we're being 'treated to Emz's singing Frans?..
ooo I say Matron! What are you trying to say exactly? Well it helped you out of the last little 'hole' you got yourself into didn't it PEN?
....honestly some people...
A 'mute' Emma xXx
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dave d
Wishing And Hoping
United Kingdom
830 Posts |
Posted - 13/05/2008 : 17:37:33
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could i please be excused from singing duties
if i try and give a rendition of the Kinks Loony Balloon (which i have no doubt it wont be)the mood could get rather deflatedand turn the milk sour in Tootles flask of tea made from real malvern hills springwater- and we dont want that do we!!
those travel tranquiliser Qwells thingies are drugs-take them and we'll all end up high anyway
When you passed my way
It seemed my lucky day
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Carole R.
Higher and Higher
United Kingdom
13663 Posts |
Posted - 13/05/2008 : 18:39:40
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Erm... Pardon me for breathing, but will one balloon be enough?
It sounds like the World and its wife will be on board.
..I think they have Air Balloons (deflated) on a BOGOF offer at Morrisons this week.
Maybe a trip there, would be in order, Toots??
The nothing but helpful PEN xx |
Edited by - Carole R. on 13/05/2008 18:40:18 |
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Brian
Sweet Inspiration
United Kingdom
2040 Posts |
Posted - 13/05/2008 : 20:12:59
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Do not worry - the balloons will be supplied by INFLATABLES'R'US - they have 2 orange ones. They assure me they will both be ready on Saturday morning filled with air by their number one 'Jumpin Jack' (it's a.....gas, gas, gas), ably assisted by his nephew 'Helium Horace'. They have a 100% blemish free accident record - not bad for a company who have only been going for 8 days - already they have 2 successful flights under their belt. Actually it's one really, because there was a slight crash-landing on the second....NOTHING serious, as they fell on the Malvern Link Ladies Weightwatchers on an outdoor ramble. It was passed as 'cushion effect'.
TOOTLE |
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treking
Wasn't Born To Follow
United Kingdom
5670 Posts |
Posted - 13/05/2008 : 22:48:44
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This sounds really exciting.
I am ready with hot air, Quells which I bought today...as I can get abit queasy on the big dipper and this sounds like that.
By the way its best to swallow them rather than shoving them in your ears
I think all that gas will make our voices high and strange so the singing should prove interesting
I can also suss out all the golf courses in the area from up on high
Trek
Also known as Carole. |
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Brian
Sweet Inspiration
United Kingdom
2040 Posts |
Posted - 14/05/2008 : 22:32:29
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LATEST UPDATE*
The met office forecast for Saturday is for a strongish wind with possible slight thunder. I'll tell you now - anyone singing Lou Chrisie's 'Lightening strikes' will get a slap!
Of course the thunder will be a blessing in disguise for those of you who havent brought your Qwells
TOOTLE AIRHEAD |
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treking
Wasn't Born To Follow
United Kingdom
5670 Posts |
Posted - 14/05/2008 : 22:44:56
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I shall sing Thunderclap Newman's Something In The Air.
Followed by Flash Bang Wallop..
Trek
Also known as Carole. |
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Carole R.
Higher and Higher
United Kingdom
13663 Posts |
Posted - 14/05/2008 : 22:53:25
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Whats with all this singing?..
Do you normally sing when in a travelling basket?..50,000 ft up in the air?
I'll be just holding on for grim death, and hoping my parachute is in working order.
Thats if I don't decide to wash my hair instead..
By the way, I asked my friend Captain Birdseye, about Qwells, and apparently they are used for 'seasickness.'
So, unless we land in the sea it aint worth takin' em.
Trust Toots to get it all a**e about face... yet again.
PEN xx |
Edited by - Carole R. on 14/05/2008 22:55:25 |
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treking
Wasn't Born To Follow
United Kingdom
5670 Posts |
Posted - 14/05/2008 : 23:03:17
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I shall sing to take my mind off the fact that....
I shall be 1/2 a mile off the ground in a thunder storm
Hopful that the quells I shall have taken are not required as we will not land in the North sea
Trek
Also known as Carole. |
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Brian
Sweet Inspiration
United Kingdom
2040 Posts |
Posted - 15/05/2008 : 20:32:57
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[quote]Originally posted by Carole R.
By the way, I asked my friend Captain Birdseye, about Qwells, and apparently they are used for 'seasickness.'- That's an old wives tale...Qwells are for travel sickness i.e a 'rough ride' (have YOU NEVER had a rough ride?)
Trust Toots - YOU SHOULD!
AIR COMMANDER TOOT |
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Brian
Sweet Inspiration
United Kingdom
2040 Posts |
Posted - 16/05/2008 : 18:54:36
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Final update re: tomorrow's flight.
N;B Malvern water will be available - free!
REFRESHED TOOTLE |
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Carole R.
Higher and Higher
United Kingdom
13663 Posts |
Posted - 16/05/2008 : 19:10:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Brian
Final update re: tomorrow's flight.
N;B Malvern water will be available - free!
REFRESHED TOOTLE
FREE?...There must be a catch here.. I'm suspicious of Tootle's motives.
What can they be?...
Is this water out of his kitchen tap?..and he wants to come over as a good egg, cos, we have a couple of new recruits?
Anyway... When we're in those genetically modified satsuma look-alike balloons... I think water will be the least of our problems.
Weather forecast for tomorrow:
Malvern Hills and surrounding air space.
Heavy rain followed by intermittent showers, with a likelihood of thunder, and flashes of lightning...
Ideal weather for a Balloon Flight Folks!...
btw, Is anyone bringing a picnic?
PEN xx
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Edited by - Carole R. on 16/05/2008 19:12:41 |
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Brian
Sweet Inspiration
United Kingdom
2040 Posts |
Posted - 17/05/2008 : 19:01:30
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Do you want the good news or the bad news?
The good news was we took off ok, we sang, we breathed fresh air, we touched on vertigo several times and we had a ball.....well until 10.45 when the wind got up
We were blown south-westwards over Ledbury (it was market day and all the people looked like ants)...we passed over Hereford at 11.31 picking up speed. I kept calm whilst all around me were going ga-ga and changing colour (different shades of green). Pen complained yet again about 'spoilt hairstyles', but was ignored en masse. Emz tried to keep our mind off impending doom by singing 'Nowhere to run' (bad choice m'dear!), but 'Up the ladder to the roof' raised a smile. Any ballooon up, eventually the wind eased and we floated down to earth, but unfortunately we landed in a field of 'Hereford Freesians' who were on their way to milking. Saturday afternoon sitting in a cow-pat is not everyone's idea of fun. We were picked up by the farmer in his Land Rover who took us to the big barn and HOSED US DOWN!! . Pen, by this time was beside herself with ruined hair stories. Fortunately for us the farmer was arable as well, so we all piled into the wheat drier and had a good blow I'm catching the train home - don't know what the others are doing
All I can say it was better than going to the Cup final.
TOOTLE |
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Motown Diva
Moderator
United Kingdom
938 Posts |
Posted - 17/05/2008 : 20:49:33
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....Well I must say, I am absolutely knackered! Being the fitness freak that I am, I decided not to opt for the train in the end and have instead walked all the way home. I have just this second got in, although I was nearly arrested because SOMEONE thought I was a footie hooligan- not that it helped I suppose with my ranting and raving in protest, and my appearance didn't exactly help matters. However in the end the officer had to let me go due to the fact that I had started singing, but insulted me by saying that my singing was a crime in itself! I mean really... Although I think it also helped that I mentioned I would set PEN and Trek onto him.
Anyhoo I am back now,(still finding extracts of straw in my hair) and looking forward to a relaxing evening in front of the t.v. Hope the rest of you get in ok!
Until we meet again...
xXx |
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treking
Wasn't Born To Follow
United Kingdom
5670 Posts |
Posted - 17/05/2008 : 22:29:05
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I've just arrived back at the old homestead.
What a day.
Soaked in the balloon.
Soaked in the barn after a hose down.
Soaked walking to the train station, only to find early falling leaves meant the train was cancelled.
Soaked hitching a lift.
They all enjoyed my picnic I took into the balloon, pea soup followed by sardine sarnies, all washed down with Toot's Malvern/tap water.
Up,up and away....
Trek
Also known as Carole. |
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dave d
Wishing And Hoping
United Kingdom
830 Posts |
Posted - 19/05/2008 : 17:52:05
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wow-- i learnt loads
Hot air balloons are an ingenious application of basic scientific principles. Here we will show exactly how the balloon works, what makes it rise and fall and how a pilot is able to maneuver it when it is in the air.
The basis of how the balloon works is that warmer air rises in cooler air. This is because hot air is lighter than cool air as it has less mass per unit of volume. Mass can be defined by the measure of how much matter something contains. The actual balloon (called an envelope) has to be so large as it takes such a large amount of heated air to lift it off the ground. For example, to lift 1000 pounds worth of weight you would need almost 65,000 cubic feet of heated air! To help keep the balloon in the air and rising, hot air needs to be propelled upwards into the envelope using the burner
A hot air balloon is made up of 3 main parts:
The Envelope
The actual fabric balloon which holds the air
The Burner
The unit which propels the heat up inside the envelope
The Basket
Where the passengers and pilot stand
The burner uses propane gas to heat up the air in the envelope to move the balloon off the ground and into the air. The pilot must keep firing the burner at regular intervals throughout the flight to ensure that the balloon continues to be stable. Naturally, the hot air will not escape from the hole at the very bottom of the envelope as firstly, hot air rises and secondly, the buoyancy keeps it moving up.
The controls for piloting a balloon are actually extremely simple....
1 - To move the balloon upwards - the pilot opens up the propane valve which lets the propane flow to the burner which in turn fires the flame up into the envelope. Works in much the same way as a gas grill, the more you open the valve, the bigger the flame to heat the air, the faster the balloon rises.
2 - To move the balloon downwards - the 'Parachute Valve' at the very top of the balloon is what is used to bring the balloon down towards the ground. It is essentially a circle of fabric cut out of the top of the envelope which is controlled by a long chord which runs down through the middle of the envelope to the basket. If the pilot wants to bring the balloon down he simply pulls on the chord which will open the valve, letting hot air escape, decreasing the inner air temperature. This cooling of air causes the balloon to slow its ascent.
So essentially this takes care of the up and down movement, so how does the balloon move from place to place? Again the answer is very simple, the pilot can maneuver horizontally by changing the vertical position of the balloon because the wind blows in different directions at different altitudes. If the pilot wants to move in a particular direction they simply ascend and descend to the appropriate level and ride with the wind.
has anyone told Pen about her singed eyelashes yet?
oh and the M5 isnt the best place to thumb a lift whilst smelling of Farmer Palmers front yard
Gotta know for sure
A broken heart don't have a cure
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Motown Diva
Moderator
United Kingdom
938 Posts |
Posted - 19/05/2008 : 19:13:12
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Well blow me down! Thanks Dave for putting it into a rational scientific perspective although I doubt any of us at the time were comprehending such detail- poor Toots was trying ever so hard to navigate amongst my singing, Pen and her 'hairdo' stories, and Trek negotiating rations from the picnic basket!
Next time you should be on board, I would feel much safer, and we probably wouldn't land in a field full of cow-pats!
xXx |
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Where shall we go next ?
