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ISSUE 1,145 Friday 26th July 2024
NEW RECORD SET FOR LONG JUMP Michael Oakley and his crew, Dave Tilman and Pete Chadwick, have just set a new record for the longest hot air balloon flight in New Zealand. Michael and his team took part in BAANZ Long Jump and won the trophy for the longest flight in a hot air balloon traveling a distance of 165km from Woodbury, west of Geraldine, to the top end of Lake Taylor by Lake Sumner. Michael says the Long Jump is held every year during the months of April and May and is a copy of an event that has been running in the UK for years. This year seven pilots entered, with five flight entries received. “It’s a challenge to see who can do the longest flight in a hot air balloon over those two months. This is the third year now that it has run in New Zealand,” he says. This year Michael flew with his
Michael Oakley from Ballooning Canterbury has just set a new record in New Zealand for long distance flying – travelling 165km from west of Geraldine to Lake Taylor.
gliding friend, Dave, while his other gliding mate, Pete, was his chase crew – they kept in touch with ground to air radios.
Being prepared was key to a successful flight – making sure the balloon was ready with all the gear required and keeping a close eye on the weather. “We were looking for a strong southerly flow up the country and picking the right launch site for the wind direction,” says Michael. “NZ is very narrow country and flying speeds at nearly 70 kph you can be in the sea in no time if you get taken in the wrong direction.” During the flight the balloon
got up to 68 kph with a maximum altitude of 9,500 feet. This was the first time Michael had entered the competition and had previously flown around 50km in distance. Michael loves the challenge of controlling a bubble of hot air around the skies and steering it by the many wind currents. When asked how it feels to have set a new record, Michael says, “Pretty cool to have one in ballooning to go along side my gliding ones.”