Low-flying balloon causes concern among North Kildonan residents

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This article was published 13/08/2019 (1716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

North Kildonan residents say they spotted a near miss on Friday night when a hot air balloon flew over the neighbourhood at building-height.

A yellow hot air balloon was spotted floating in the area near the intersection of Henderson Highway and Chief Peguis Trail on Friday around 8 p.m.

“It was so low I actually thought they were making an emergency landing on top of one of the apartment buildings,” local resident Mitch Paul said.

Paul said the basket appeared to be about 20 storeys high — adjacent to the top of a nearby apartment building.

It’s rare enough to see a hot air balloon in the residential area but the low height is what took him by surprise, so much so he decided to walk around the neighbourhood to see if he could figure out where it landed.

When he didn’t find the hot air balloon again, Paul said he was concerned it was flying so low it could have “easily” crashed into a power line or tall building.

Sundance Balloons said the company’s balloon launched from a park in the area that night. It then climbed to a normal flight altitude and both the pilot and all passengers had “a calm, magical flight and a great landing,” office manager Judy McGonigle said in an email statement.

McGonigle added it is difficult to distinguish height and perspectives from the ground and that the company operates with safety as a priority at all times.

Jennifer Rzedzian, a West St. Paul resident who often sees balloons in her neighbourhood, said the balloon was so unusually low that drivers were pulling over on the highway to stare and wave at its passengers.

Rzedzian said she was driving into the city when she spotted the balloon Friday and thought it might end up in the Red River.

“I was concerned that someone would be hurt,” she said. “We could see the peoples’ faces in the balloon, usually you just see the balloon, you don’t see who’s inside.”

The passengers looked happy from afar, which was a relief, she added. But Rzedzian said the sighting only further reinforced her fear of heights.

Almost exactly 12 years ago, three people, including a pilot, suffered severe burns when a Sundance Balloons-owned hot air balloon attempting to land in strong winds near Birds Hill Provincial Park tipped over far enough to cause a fuel leak and uncontrollable fire. Four others suffered minor injuries during the incident.

The incident sparked calls for tougher hot air balloon safety standards and subsequent Transport Canada safety reviews.

Hot air balloon pilots and operators must comply with the Canadian Aviation Regulations just like all other aircraft pilots and operators. Transport Canada regulations require flight crew licensing and training, aircraft registration, maintenance and operating procedures, including passenger safety briefings.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie