Up, up and away

Hot-air balloons fill the sky over White Sands


Most men of retirement age consider an early-morning tee time to be the perfect way to start a day.

Bob Mass, of Albuquerque, isn't one of them.

"This is my weekend golf," said Mass, who pilots a hot-air balloon named Pita's Kiss. "That's what I tell folks. I try to do it every weekend, just like a golfer tries to go golfing every weekend."

Mass piloted his balloon early Saturday morning above White Sands National Monument's gypsum sand dunes during the 18th annual White Sands Balloon Invitational.

The balloon festival is the only time Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range allow their airspace to be used. All balloons must be grounded by noon.

That's just fine with Mass, who spent four years as an airman at Holloman, piloting T-38s.

"Aviation's been in my blood for 40-something years now," he said. "I picked up ballooning after I got out of the Air Force as a way to keep air under my butt."

Threatening clouds hovered over White Sands National Monument for much of the morning before the sun rose over the Sacramento Mountains as many crews prepared their respective balloons for flight.

Thick clouds later gave way to clear blue skies as the morning progressed.

"I think the conditions turned out very well," Mass said. "We flew for more than an hour. We had a great time."

Gary Smith and his wife, Judy Thompson, both of Las Cruces, said they enjoyed watching the balloons early Saturday.

"We just wanted to get out, have a picnic and see the balloons," Smith said. "We've done it for a number of years when the balloons fly. It's a good thing to see on an early morning in New Mexico."

"I just wish I had $1 for every camera I see out here," he added.

"The White Sands Balloon Invitational is the best one I've ever seen because of the white sand," Thompson said. "I mean, what better backdrop can you have? I may come back (Sunday) morning, if I can get (Gary) out of bed."

About 52 hot-air balloons registered for this year's event. Half of the crews lifted off from White Sands National Monument while the other half took flight from Alamogordo.

Mass said ballooning is a great way to meet people.

"It's a community sport," he said. "You can't do it by yourself. You must have a crew. For some reason, people seem to be attracted by balloons. Whenever I land, there are a bunch of folks who will come over and want to help and be a part of it."

Piloting a balloon also provides for some excitement.

"You never know where you're going to end up," he said. "You go where the wind takes you. The only thing you can control is going up or down. I got about 1,500 feet off the ground, but I've been up to 10,000 feet above mean sea level. Here, that would be about 6,000 feet off the ground."

Brian Hodges, of Las Cruces, said he grew up in Alamogordo, but never ventured to White Sands National Monument to see the balloons take flight.

"We always used to watch them from our house," he said. "I wanted to see them up close."

Hodges brought his wife, Heather, and 1-year-old son, John, to the balloon festival.

"We wanted John to see the balloons," he said. "We've lived in this area for much of our lives, but this is the first time he's seen them."

Hodges said he was impressed by the spectacle put on by the balloons.

"It's really cool," he said. "They're so graceful. It's really neat the way they take off. They move faster than I thought they would move."

"This is amazing," said Heather Hodges, who also enjoyed her first balloon festival visit. "I've lived here for 14 years and this is my first time coming out to see them."

Brian wasn't too sure about taking a balloon ride. He prefers to keep his feet on the ground.

"I'm afraid of heights," he said. "Being in a wicker basket high above the ground just doesn't do anything for me."

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