MIDDLETOWN — High winds grounded the hot air balloons the first night of the three-day MidFirst Ohio Challenge.
But balloon enthusiasts from near and far still were able to make it a real family event during the seventh annual hot air balloon festival at Middletown’s Smith Park.
“As my family gets older, balloon events are gonna be our family reunions,” said Ray Donner, a Louisville, Ky., pilot.
Wind gusts were about 21 mph at the time balloons were scheduled to launch, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
While the balloons were kept down, it did nothing to dampen the competitive spirit of the Donner clan.
“Aviation’s in my blood. It’s in all our blood,” said Donner’s son, Nick, a commercial airline pilot. His mother is a UPS pilot and hot air balloon crew member, along with his younger sister.
Ray Donner became a balloon pilot in 1990 and Nick got his license at age 14. Ray got into competitions after his sons Nick and Chase became involved, said Nick Donner.
“It’s just something I wanted to do rather than just fly,” said Nick Donner, 25, about balloon competitions. In fact, the national balloon championship winner is traveling with his family for five straight weekends of competition.
Scott and Matt McClinton race against each other, even when they’re on the same team.
The father-and-son duo from Prospect, Ky., fly several corporate balloons professionally.
“We go to have a good time,” Scott McClinton, 45, said of the MidFirst challenge.
“The whole balloon community is a family,” said Matt McClinton, 20.
He enjoys competitions because it allows for a break for his father and him. For a vacation, he said, “some people go to the lake. We go to races.”
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