Within seconds we were upright and the order to board was given as Attila struggled to keep the balloon stable and then he released the mooring rope and we ascended silently but at a rapid rate into the rising dawn. It was very exciting to see the ground receding, the horizon extending and the sun rising above the dunes but all in complete silence apart from short bursts on the gas burners.
The balloons (Manufactured in England) were owned and operated by Attila and his Hungarian boss, Peter, who was flying the other balloon this morning. Peter was the flight director and once in the air it was clear that Peter and Attila had an unusual relationship. Over the radio would come “Attila Darlinq (Hungarian for Darling) follow me please” to which the response from Attila would be “Regardez”. Now you need to understand of course that balloons are at the mercy of the wind and that the wind direction on the ground is very different for that some 2,000ft up. By the time Peter was at 2,000 feet he was able to determine the direction that the flight would take this morning. More loving directions – “Attila Darlinq you are too low and too far behind, get a move on”. This went on for some time until Attila decided he had enough and I cannot publish the expletives that exploded across the radio waves. It was all part of the act and we drifted up to 4,000ft – bare in mind that the Al Khalifa Tower is about 2,653 feet tall! Attila had been piloting balloons for over 15 years and was indeed a qualified test pilot.
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