Balloons Event Show Tunisia Takes to the Skies in Southern Tunisia
Three cities in southern Tunisia have hosted, for the first time, the "Balloons Event Show Tunisia", a unique event that will continue until November 1st. Many foreign professionals passionate about aeronautics, accompanied by their equipment, have participated in this event.
Frédéric Ragot, a pilot, instructor, and owner of a hot air balloon company in France, shared his impressions on the originality of the event. The professional pilot recalled that he had already had the opportunity to visit Tunisia for a hot air balloon flight on the occasion of a volleyball championship, specifying that he had participated in his very first hot air balloon flight 40 years ago for a well-known Tunisian jeans brand.
The instructor and professional pilot indicated that he was used to organizing numerous meetings around the world. He reassured that the risks were minimal, stating that if the weather conditions, which are a primary factor in this activity, are respected, flying in a hot air balloon presents no danger. He affirmed that all their equipment was reliable, tested, and controlled. The instructor even mentioned that he provided public transportation and had already transported up to 24 people on board one of his hot air balloons.
The French instructor, who brought four equipment for this event, acknowledged preferring free-flight ballooning to captive-flight programming within the festival framework. He explained that during captive flights, the balloons were tied to the ground by cables to prevent them from flying away, whereas for free-flight, "we release the ropes to let the balloon fly alone, following the wind direction."
Continuing his explanation, the professional pilot described the main rules for piloting a hot air balloon. He specified that a hot air balloon is an apparatus that does not steer but follows the wind. "We just control the altitude and direction," he said, affirming that it is essential to check the wind direction before takeoff to avoid the apparatus escaping the pilot's control. He emphasized that failing to gather all information about the wind could lead the pilot to find themselves, for example, in the middle of the sea. Moreover, for free flights, professionals usually follow the hot air balloons with a car until they land, adding that some have even been forced to take ferries to recover their equipment.
