JOIN USOf the many active clubs in the City, Balloon Club of India is easily one of the most popular ones. Begun in 1970, The Ballooning Club of India is the premiere organisation pertaining to ballooning, its development and popularisation in India. From organising India International Balloon Mela every year to short balloon trips and safaris in various Indian states, the Club has reached a new high.
Hot air balloons are nowadays brought into play for a good number of reasons. Their utilities are proven in activities such as pleasure and adventure rides, business advertisements, sports, explorations and voyages and even for those who want to get married differently! Even Geography students organise their trips to survey and observe land structures and city layouts which is helpful in their understanding of concepts and studies. Nowadays, even photographers use balloons to click pictures.
Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, one of the founding members of the Club, says, “I was the first pilot who got the licence for the hot air balloon. Since then we have been organising melas annually which have contributed greatly towards exposing the youth of our country to this adventure sport.”
Vishwa took the maiden flight with Jan and Nini Boesman in a gas balloon Nimbus from Safdarjung Airport to Kilazafargarh. And in February 1973, India took its baby steps in an international forum when Vishwa participated in the first World Hot Air Balloon Championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In October 1973, the first Indian hot-air Balloon Udan Khatola was designed, fabricated and successfully test flown at
Safdarjung Airport.
But the first mela took place only in November 1985. “The club has a number of trained pilots and crew and fully certified hot air balloons. The pilots are internationally acclaimed and have made balloon flights almost all over the world,” adds Vishwa.
The weather is also conducive to this sport in India and adventures are possible at various locations, particularly Puskhar, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Mathura, Agra and Jaipur.
The Ballooning Club has been organising India International Balloon Melas, which are attended by champion pilots from all over the world. This makes it an exciting event of colourful balloons in the Indian sky and thrill the young and the old alike.