It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Cathedral City's Hot Air Balloon Festival this weekend
Justin Wilkinson said flying a hot air balloon is more like steering a sailboat than a plane. Pilots don’t have a joystick to steer — they have to change altitude to move forward, back, left or right.
“We like to say it takes a real pilot to steer without a rudder,” Wilkinson said.
He is one of dozens of hot air balloon pilots who took off from Agua Caliente Rancho Mirage early Friday as part of the eighth annual Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival & Food Truck Fiesta this weekend. When Wilkinson's balloon was ready to take flight, passengers were rushed to jump inside for a gradual rise into the sky. It was a bright and clear day, allowing passengers to enjoy a peaceful view of the Coachella Valley desert and mountains.
Aside from the sold-out balloon rides in the mornings, the festival includes tethered balloon rides, food trucks, drinks, live music, a drone light show and other activities.
“I think it just keeps getting bigger and better … We've got pilots from all over the globe that are joining us. We’ve got a pilot from the (United Kingdom). So it's really become more of a global spectacle,” said Ryan Hunt, Cathedral City’s communication and events manager.
Many Coachella Valley residents looking up to the sky Friday morning could see around 30 colorful balloons — including ones in the shape of an alien, witch and unicorn — playing a game of hare and hound. The object of the game seems simple: There is a target set up in the desert and the pilot has to throw a marker as close to it as possible to win a prize. But as pilots have to navigate in the wind, it can prove to be difficult.
Wilkinson said pilots will drop a little shaving cream, water or even spit down the side of the hot air balloon to help them steer.
“We can launch that little dot, follow (it to) the ground and we can see a good idea of if it's going forward, back, left and right, and about how fast it's going to be changing those directions,” he said. “So we use that as kind of our steering guide, as we drop into those winds we’re also gonna move those same directions.”
He was unofficially in sixth place in the competition as of Friday morning. As he landed in the desert after around an hour ride, he joked with eight passengers that this was one of the times he has to wish other pilots did worse than he did. But he said he will get another chance on Saturday.
It was a slightly bumpy stop. The chase crew, responsible for following hot air balloons on the ground to help them land, quickly went to work after passengers hopped out.
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Wilkinson said he was born into flying. He started when he was 12, got his private license when he was 17, and his commercial license at 18. His father, Steve Wilkinson, started Fantasy Balloon Flights around 50 years ago but Justin Wilkinson said his wife, Courteney Wilkinson, runs most of its operations now.
Fantasy Balloon Flights has been working with Cathedral City for its hot air balloon festivals every year, according to Justin Wilkinson. They also provide guided tours every day.
Wilkinson has flown in Panama, Mexico and Canada, while his father has been to places like New Zealand, Fiji, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Qatar with hot air balloons. He said he'd like to do more international travel too eventually.
“We get to travel all over the country, all over the world. I get to do it with my family,” he said. “It's my job but it's also my sport and my passion … it checks off a lot of boxes.”
8th annual Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival & Food Truck Fiesta
When: Friday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20
Friday: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Food Truck Fiesta, live music, and tethered hot air balloon rides at the Cathedral City Amphitheater, located at 68-526 Avenida Lalo Guerrero in Cathedral City. A drone light show will begin at 6 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Food Truck Fiesta, live music, and tethered balloon rides at the Cathedral City Amphitheater, located at 68-526 Avenida Lalo Guerrero in Cathedral City. The rooftop lounge and car show is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost for Saturday and Sunday: Free for Cathedral City residents, Agua Caliente Casinos card holders, and active military. For those not in those categories, $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at www.hotairballoonfest.com or in person. Tethered hot air balloon rides are an additional cost.
Sunday: 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Special Shape Sunday Pancake Breakfast and tethered balloon rides at Big League Dreams, located at 33-700 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City.
Cost for Sunday: $20 for adults and $15 for children, with breakfast included. $10 for adults and $5 for children, for entry only. Tickets can be purchased at www.hotairballoonfest.com or in person. Tethered hot air balloon rides are an additional cost.
Tip: If you're interested in a hot air balloon ride, you may not want to wear a skirt or dress since you have to climb into the gondola. A hat may also protect you from the overhead heat caused by the hot air balloon's burner.
A full schedule is at hotairballoonfest.com under "Festival Info."
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Cathedral City hot air balloon festival back this weekend
