It is Balloon Ascension Day, commemorating the first balloon flight in the US in 1793. George Washington was on hand to witness French aeronaut Jean Pierre Blanchard fly over Walnut Street Prison in Philadelphia. He was using hydrogen to inflate his balloon. We had a hot air balloon at the Old Firm. It was blessed on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, though weather scuppered the plan to inflate it that day. On other occasions, I was able to walk inside while it was inflating which is rather fun and I took the opportunity for a quick flight at Portsmouth one time (straight up, straight down). It was tethered and remarkably stable that day. Any balloonatics here?
