Balloon Competition

Competition information on this page provided by Carolinas Balloon Association.

The Balloonist's Prayer
May the winds welcome you with softness.
May the sun bless you with its warm hands.
May you fly so high and so well that God
joins you in laughter and sets you gently
back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.

Competitions are held on Saturday and Sunday mornings between the window of 8-9:30 a.m.

Competition directors have developed extremely complicated tasks for pilots to accomplish, and many pilots lose points for rules violations even though they flew quite well. Here is a sampling of some of the tasks competitors may be assigned to fly. The first four are fairly simple competitions that are very popular at festivals that offer light competition. The others will give you an idea of the complexity of tasks that occur during heavy competition like world or national championships.

Hare and Hound

All the balloons launch from the same site, usually a festival. One balloon takes off first and is the hare balloon. The other balloons are called the hounds, and they will launch a predetermined time after the hare. The hare lands at a suitable site and lays out a large fabric X, usually about 50 feet in diameter. The hound balloons attempt to drop their markers as close to the center of the X as possible. The closest marker achieves the highest score.

Watership Down

This is a two-part task that combines a CNT with a Hare and Hound. Competitors take off outside of a predetermined radius of the first target (usually at the festival site) and drop their first marker. The hare balloon launches from the first X and the hound balloons continue on to drop their second marker at the X set down by the hare.

Fly-In

Competitors find their own launch areas and attempt to drop a marker close to a set goal or target. The result is the distance from the mark to the target, if displayed, or goal. Smallest result is best.

Pilot-Declared Goal (PDG)

Competitors attempt to drop a marker close to a goal selected and declared by him before flight. The result is the distance from the mark to nearest valid declared goal. Smallest result is best.

Judge-Declared Goal (JDG)

Competitors attempt to drop a marker close to a set goal. The result is the distance from the mark to the target, if displayed, or goal. Smallest result is best.

Hesitation Waltz (HWZ)

Competitors attempt to drop a marker close to one of several set goals. The result is the distance from the mark to the nearest target, if displayed, or goal. Smallest result is best.

Gordon Bennett Memorial

Competitors attempt to drop a marker within a scoring area(s) close to a set goal. The result is the distance from the mark to the target, if displayed, or goal. Smallest result is best.