UK and French hot air balloon championships come to Lot-et-Garonne

The UK and French Hot Air Balloon Championships will take place simultaneously in Marmande (Lot-et-Garonne, 47) from August 10–16.

“We are expecting 30 French competitors and 15 competitors from the UK, plus 30 hot air balloons providing rides for the public, and around 80,000 spectators,” says Frédéric Costacurta, president of the Marmande Montgolfières Association.

At €200 per person, he says tickets are actually a bargain.

“It is a unique experience which lasts up to four hours. I flew in one and, despite normally having vertigo, I absolutely loved it. You help get the balloon ready for take-off; you are part of the crew.

“Of course, you don’t know where you are going to land because when you get in a hot air balloon, it is like giving your car keys to nature. But balloon flight is very gentle and quiet. You don’t wear seat belts and, because you move along with the wind, there is no feeling of having the wind in your face.”

Although they can fly higher, the hot air balloon rides in Marmande will only climb to an altitude of 1,500ft so that passengers can see all the details of the countryside below.

“We also limit the size of the montgolfières so that the largest can carry a pilot and a maximum of four passengers. Some hot air balloons can carry up to a dozen passengers. Some are even smaller, only taking one or two passengers.”

The competitions include a variety of challenges, including distance, speed, manoeuvrability and precision (i.e. flying over one or more predetermined spots).

“Balloon pilots have no way of steering; they just know that the wind changes direction as you rise. It’s incredibly complicated,” he says.

Among the UK pilots at Marmande this year are the vice-president of the British Balloon and Airship Club, David Bareford, his son Dominic and his daughter Stephanie, who will all be competing individually.

“We are really looking forward to it. There are only about 12 hot air balloon pilots in the UK, but there are around 25 in France. The better weather helps and there is more space. France is less densely populated than the UK and landowners are more welcoming.”

David began flying in the military and says flying a hot air balloon is totally different.

“It’s quiet; you just hear the burner start up every five to 10 seconds. You see more, you move slowly, you can only go up and down, and the balloon responds quite slowly. It’s low-tech in the sense that you don’t need AI, GPS or a mobile phone, and we don’t use transponders. Obviously, pilots need to understand the weather. The saying goes that a plane flies almost all the time; a montgolfière almost never.”

Training for a hot air balloon licence can take just a week in Italy, where they have perfect conditions, or six months in the UK, where the weather is trickier.

“We avoid flying at midday because thermals can pull the balloon up unexpectedly, which is why you won’t see gliders and balloons flying at the same time. Balloons fly either very early in the morning or very late in the afternoon.”

In Marmande, David says he and his family are hoping for good weather, open spaces, fabulous food and, of course, good wine. The organisers are working hard to make sure that happens. All events are free for spectators. Ascensions are at 07:30 and 19:00, and there are events and activities every day.

To take advantage of the solar eclipse on August 12, there will be a tethered balloon show featuring music and the lighting of all the burners as the moon blocks out the sun.