A hot air balloon flying over Egypt’s ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field on Tuesday, killing at least 18 foreign tourists, a security official said.
I remember as a child going to a fair and seeing hot air balloons being launched. I asked my parents how they worked, and when I realized that there were no flight controls, and you never knew exactly where you’d land in a balloon ride, and my first thoughts were “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT???” So really hot air balloons just seem like a lot of trouble for a quiet helicopter ride with no flight control.
If I was like those who use “Gun Death” to push an agenda, I would totally use this story to push for banning hot air balloons, simply because they don’t seem to do much good in my book, but do have a danger.
Of course don’t let the part about them being generally safe get in the way of that argument…we can’t do anything dangerous EVER!!!!
My one and only hot air balloon flight was with Mike and Tony Fairbanks. It was an exhibition draw at a carnival where I was the attendant for the tent contractor.
[But that was back in the days when I was young, single, and had more of a daredevil streak in me.]
Maybe you and I can go to Washington to lobby the congresskooks to ban the hot air balloons. Maybe I can elicit sympathy as a HAB survivor.