Longbranch

Whisky

The thoughts and memories of Michael Fairbanks of the use of gas balloons in advertisements. Looking backward to the early years of the Balloon Club of America.

(1) Canadian Club Whisky.

The ad that Mike has in his archives was published in March 1958. The title of the ad is “I forgot to let go of this Runaway Balloon” the location indicated in the ad is south of Montreal. At that time there were no balloon clubs in Canada for “a meeting of Canadian balloon clubs.” Canadian Club Whisky is imported from Canada and therefore a Canadian connection was important to the story about a whisky imported.

The location for the inflation of the club’s 35,000 cu. ft. balloon was a small airport in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Years ago the airport became a golf course. The gas used for the inflation was cooking gas.

The ground winds were calm and Tony Fairbanks, the senior pilot, decided to have only the single hemp rope attached to the load- ring located above the heads of the pilots. Members of the Balloon Club who assisted in the inflation held the end of the rope. A tether of the balloon above the ground or a free flight into the sky was not planned on this day of photography.

An unexpected gust of wind pushed the balloon into the sky with Francis Shields holding onto the drag rope. Francis held the rope and allowed the balloon to lift him off the ground to add additional weight to the weight of the pilot and sandbags resting inside the wicker basket. At that moment the balloon was in danger of an unplanned launch.

A fun event for Tony Fairbanks and a good friend Francis Shields. Sadly, in June 1968, Francis Shields died as pilot of a rented gas balloon after the balloon crashed into the top of a five hundred foot tower in Vienna, Austria. Tony was in Europe at the time of the accident as he was to meet Francis in Switzerland to fly a gas balloons.

Written by Michael Fairbanks