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The distinctive purple cross on the side of Chris Whitfield's brightly colored Heaven Bound is a familiar sight to visitors to the Tigard Balloon Festival.
Hundreds of people have taken tethered flights here with Whitfield over the past decade, but there's something special about the balloon they may not know.
Whitfield made it himself.
With years of piloting experience, Albany's Balloonmeisters belong to a niche within a niche — a tiny slice of hot air balloon pilots — who are literally taking DIY to new heights with balloons that take hundreds of hours to hand-build.
“It's like making a very, very large quilt — the fabric is slippery and it's big enough to cover the whole house,” he said.
Heaven Bound was the first of three balloons the veteran pilot has made; his latest creation, Heaven Bound Too, will debut this month in Tigard. He spent the entire winter and spring measuring, cutting, sorting and sewing fabric to make his newest balloon in time for the festival this month.
This meticulous job requires precise measurements and sharp organizational skills: Whitfield sews in a spare room in her Albany home, and because she can only see a few panels at a time as she works, she carefully labels each piece to make sure it's in the right place.
Although the process is time-consuming (Whitfield's first balloon took three months, the new one five), the effort will save thousands of dollars: Heaven Bound Two cost about $6,000 to make, compared with about $20,000 to build a comparable model in a factory, Whitfield estimates.
The biggest difference was my motivation for making balloons in 2011.
At the time, Whitfield had no sewing experience and had recently bought a second balloon, but it was past its lifespan and no longer flew, so she couldn't afford to replace it.
Instead, he got an industrial sewing machine and got to work creating spreadsheets, planning patterns and calculating measurements, with careful guidance from veteran balloonists Marianne and Bob LeDoux, who, as far as he knows, are the only people making their own balloons in Oregon.
“I cut out 252 individual pieces and started sewing them together,” he said. “It was done in a little over three months, which was really fast. I started in March of 2011, and I was hoping to have it flying at Tigard in June.”
Setting up a balloon is extremely simple: the outer part of the balloon is a giant patchwork of colorful material that holds air, attached to a gondola, or basket, which holds the pilot, the passengers, and a propane tank that fuels the burner. The burner blasts flames that heat the air, causing the outer part of the balloon to inflate, and the whole balloon to lift off.
The bigger the balloon, the more weight and passengers it can carry. For Whitfield, the camaraderie is one of the great joys of ballooning. Between his two Heaven Bounds, he built a “cloud hopper” balloon that's big enough to fly solo, without a basket, in a seat that attaches to the balloon, but he only flies it about once a season.
“A big part of what I enjoy about being a hot air balloon pilot is taking other people for a ride,” he said. “It's really fun, especially if it's their first time.”
Since his first Tigard Balloon Festival appearance in 2011, Whitfield has participated in morning flights and evening glows, and at the past few festivals he has carried passengers up to 40 feet in the air on short tethered flights in the early morning hours.
“My theory is that if you're on an airplane (a long-distance passenger flight), you can make two people happy for an hour, or if you're on a tethered ride, you can make 100 people happy for five minutes each. There are a lot of people on board and they're really enjoying themselves. You can see it in their faces.”
With Heaven Bound Too, he's increased the size and capacity of the boat, with a larger basket that can accommodate two or three to four passengers (in addition to the pilot) and more space for tethered rides all weekend, weather permitting.
Like his previous balloon, which was recently retired, the new one features the distinctive purple cross that represents his faith, but he says it blends in more subtly with the pattern and color scheme than the first one.
Some have found solace in seeing the purple cross.
“I've met at least three times with people who'd just lost a loved one or it was the day of a funeral, and they happened to see my balloons flying over their town or their home and it meant something to them,” he said. It's not the only time people have delivered messages for Whitfield to the city after finding Heaven Bound.
“I've had letters through city hall staff from people who say they were so lucky to have been able to see my balloons at such an important time in their lives, and I think that's wonderful.”
2024 Tigard Balloon Festival
when: June 21st to 23rd (Friday to Sunday)
The balloons launch each morning at 5:45am (weather permitting) and the festivities continue all day.
where: Cook Family Park
17005 SW 92nd Avenue
Tigard, OR 97224
Tickets: www.tigardballoon.org.
Tickets must be purchased in advance: $15 plus processing fee, valid for three days; children 6 and under are free.
Fun Facts
Not originally Tigard: The festival began in 1983 as the Portland Hot Air Balloon Classic, hosted by the Rose Festival at Delta Park.
Beaverton's turn: After Delta Park, the Rose Festival was held in Beaverton from 1987-1992.
Tigard Embrace: The event first took place in Tigard in 1993 and attracted more than 11,000 participants. In recent years, attendance has exceeded 20,000, helping to boost the local economy.
Community Champions: When the Rose Festival withdrew its support in 1994, Tigard rallied together to continue the festival.
Funding giants: The festival has grown into a major fundraiser for local nonprofits and since moving to Tigard, has given more than $500,000 back into the community.
More than just balloons: It's a full-scale festival with live music, a carnival, a car show, a craft fair and more.
Rewards for getting up early: The most spectacular sight is the launch of a dozen hot air balloons just before dawn.
Night magic: The NW Natural Night Glow, featuring glow-in-the-dark balloons, is a huge crowd pleaser.
5K Fun Run: The festival will also feature a 5K Fun Run for the whole family.
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