Philippine Travel Blog - The Travelers Guide to Philippine Destinations

Erickberth Calupe » January 28th, 2007 at 6:54 pm

We plan to go on February 10. Do we have to book early for this or we can just go there on that date?

erica » January 29th, 2007 at 12:57 am

how much does it cost to ride a hot air balloon?

shorty » January 29th, 2007 at 3:32 am

we went last year…it was a spontaneous thing…we didnt know what to expect neither did we know the schedule…all we knew then was there was this event in Clark. When we got there, we only needed to pay P100 entrance fee and that was it. The venue is really big so even though there was a lot of people, it didnt really get crowded…i dont recommend planning to stay a whole day there…decide on a morning (really early) or afternoon visit.
what to expect: the exhibitions are great but seeing the balloons lighting up the night sky can be pretty memorable =)

Len » February 3rd, 2007 at 1:30 pm

Can we rent a hot air balloon? and how much does it cost? i would really love to experience this..

maglex » February 7th, 2007 at 10:28 am

Ok, I guess we’ll see each other there chika!!! :>

Sidney » February 7th, 2007 at 8:44 pm

Hi JM,

I really don’t know if you can join an operator during the ride. I think you should discuss this with the operators.
(There might be a question of liability in case of an accident).
Officially they don’t organize balloon rides.

You need to register and show your ID (media/press/photographer or anything else that give you some weight) They will give you a pass and then you can go inside the VIP area which is fenced to separate the balloons (and the VIPs) from the common tao. In the VIP section you can get close to the balloons.

As I explained before even if you don’t have a pass you can give it a try. Especially in the early morning. It all depends on the security guards. I was quite lucky last year.

In the VIP area you will be able to speak with the balloon owners. If you are lucky you might find someone accepting to take you into the air! Just try your luck.
Last year the balloons started early morning, disappeared into the sky and only came back around 5-6pm.

My information is from last year. It might have changed in the meantime.

Go there early!

I hope this helps!

Sidney » February 8th, 2007 at 12:27 pm

Good Luck, JM!
Hopefully you manage to fly this weekend!

Sidney » February 9th, 2007 at 8:26 am

JM:

I don’t think so but you never know…
Bring cash, food and drinks in case you manage to board a balloon.

You might be interested in an old Manila Times article:

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/feb/13/yehey/top_stories/20060213top2.html

Sidney » February 10th, 2007 at 9:20 pm

Hi Neil,

That is indeed unacceptable! Especially since most people are traveling all the way from Manila or even further away like you.
At least they should apologize.
I am very sad to hear that. I hope that the show will go on as planned on Saturday and Sunday!

Reichskanzler » February 11th, 2007 at 6:37 pm

I LOVE HOT AIR BALLOONS!!! :D

David Lillico » July 18th, 2007 at 1:15 am

To Whom It May Concern,
Are you interested in having our Green Beret Parachute Team jump into your 12 Hot Air Balloon Festival, City Events, or any other events that you might want us for this year or any
other year (fairs, festivals, parades, rodeos, races {car, horse, dog, lawn
mower, soap box derby, etc}, schools (elementary, high schools & colleges) ballgames {football, baseball, soccer, rugby, tennis, etc}, grand openings, social functions, beauty pageants, etc,)? We can jump other flags, smoke, presentation items, etc.

My name is David Lillico and I’m the demo team leader for the Green Beret
Parachute Team. We are out of Ft. Bragg, NC (Fayetteville, NC). We are a
military parachute team comprised of active duty, retirees, and dependents
(all branches of the services & ID card holders). We do have regular jobs, so this is our part-time, non-paying job.

We have jumped all across the country for various events and people have been elated by our performances. We have done bomb bursts, diamond tracking, barber poles, CRW (canopy relative work anddownplanes), flag jumps, smoke jumps, etc.. We have one jumper, that is an
honorary Green Beret Parachute Team Member, that jumps a 33′ x 65′ American Flag. That’s over 2,100 square feet! Jamie Lynn is an authorized Civilian who has been jumping with our team for the last three years. He charges $350 per jump for his huge American Flag. It takes him over an hour to pack it. This price pays for wear and tear, etc. of the flag. You can see some pictures at our website: http://gbpt.us.

The cost involved in having us for your demo is: Paying for our transportation to the event, lodging, meals, rental vehicle, parking at the airport, and furnishing & paying for the jump aircraft. Medical coverage should be available and provided.

Vicky Lee, 18th ABN Corps PAO (Public Affairs Office), is the person to
contact (or myself) to get the required forms to fill out. She or I can
answer any questions that you might have. I can help you fill out the forms
once you receive them.

Requests should be made as soon as possible. The sooner Vicky Lee gets the
paperwork back (do not send the Certificate of Waiver back to Vicky; that
goes to the FAA) then it’s put permanent on her schedule. I put it
temporary on my schedule until she tells me that she has the paperwork back.
If you can put in the paperwork a year out, you can almost be guaranteed
nobody will bump you. You should request demo’s at least three to six
months out, but we have been able to do them with as little as three weeks,
but that depends on the FAA since they require the paperwork usually thirty
days out.

I can also show you how you can cut your costs by getting the Army
Recruiters involved. You can defer some of the costs, if not most of it
through the Army Recruiting Command with the use of TAIR (Total Army
Involvement in Recruiting) funding. The closest Army Recruiting Station to you is: . If interested in having us jump for you or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you.

David J. Lillico
1605 Hennessy Place
Fayetteville, NC 28303-3821
Home Phone: 910-822-0828 home
Cell Phone: 910-263-0404
E-mail: lillicod@nc.rr.com or air0572@yahoo.com or kinnisos@soc.mil