Fraternite' 89  Is the first great meeting to which I have participated.Not as pilot, but as journalist. They are passed by now twelve years but the memory of that experience extremely lovable, both for the grandeur of the event and for the reception furnished by the organizers, still it is alive in my memory. It was also the "Prima" of the European demonstration that contends the record to Albuquerque and that it repeats him every two years to Metz with the name of "Biennale dell'Aerostation." And this is the smallest.Lecce, november 1999 at 'Scommettiamo che...'. The choice was fallen on Lecce because, besides the possibility of an exceptional choreographic frame, to Lecce it seems that it never rains, therefore surely we would have found the correct time for a bet to the open air   what it needed little wind and no rain. As per the Murphy law, the day of the bet the contrary happened; it never stopped raining so much that the tests were forced to do in a gym kindly furnished us by the local authority. Despite everything, however, the final test was all right and we succeeded in completing our appointment even if the public made us arrive last in the specific episode. The task it consisted in the inflating of a balloon in plastic tall 15 meters, from us realized, and to lift of at least 4 earth meters, with the solo use of the warm air and in maximum time of four minutes, a wasp of epoch of the approximate weight of around 100 Kg. Sunday, 18 november 2001, 17.00 LT.  We were on the road of house after having completed the last preparations for the party of children that would have been later two days, on November 20, to Plain of the Steps. The moral one was under the shoes and it hindered the guide. But that not only prevented a calm guide; the tons of water that he was pouring again on the Pontina, in a deep dark often illuminated by terrible lightnings, they made their part, rather they were the first cause of our discouragement. The party would, naturally, have been to the open one and us, we would have had to entertain the  boys with our hot-air balloons. Besides the maximum authorities of the region would have intervened or, at least, so they had let understand!To complete the work, personally I had guaranteed beautiful time, counting on the proverbial good fate reserved to our beloved hot-air balloons. Tuesday, November 20 th 2001, times 09.00. Clear sky, clean air, wind zero, dry fields; La  classical blow of "fortulo" (a semi-polite way to say fortune), as my brother-in-law Peter says. I explain to the amazed bystanders, with to do enough, that is normal with the hot-air balloons and I remembers that I had told that it would have been beautiful time. Naturally  the maximum authority of the region is not made to see, however the demonstration has been the same a success. Besides the hot-air balloons, that served as contour, the demonstration foresaw different interventions on tied up themes to the Politics for the Family, for the infancy and for the Social services. To follow, after the lunch, the visit to the museum of Plain of the Steps. Actively participated well 530 boys, coming from elementary schools, averages and superior of all the provinces of the Lazio. All the hot-air balloons of plastic have been realized by Alexander Piacenti that can be defined , to all the effects, a teacher in the kind.     A week of continuous rains that have "marshed" (neologism) the field of take-off and, presumably, many other accredited fields of landing, with dramatic forecasts for the weekend devoted to the "party of the air."
Pino Tamburella, that the organization takes care of, considered that the field of take-off soaked with water would have prevented a regular carrying out of the festival, while the field turned to parking lot would have guaranteed the entrapment of all the spectators that would be introduced, he has annulled the demonstration, but not for the pilots for which the invitation has been maintained. Why, seen the state of the fields and the forecasts?Because to Crevalcore he doesn't go only for flying but also and above all for the pleasure to be together. And this second aspect of the meeting could not remove from it any forecast of bad time. We are introduced in six there (someone has not come however) and we have been entertained as usual. The Sunday, contrarily to all the forecasts, was born with clean sky and no wind. The fields however they were still inaccessible and the verification has come from Paul that is risked with its van on the field of take-off and he has remained immediately bogged. The day was really stimulating however so four of us, those richer and endowed with means of recovery "all terrain", they are taken off and they have made a splendid flight. The afternoon is again spoiled and the assembly is ended there. During the supper has been definite the date of the next meeting. A thanks felt to Pino Tamburella and all those people that have helped him because he has wanted to maintain alive the spirit of friendship that all the participants tie to the "Party of the air" of Crevalcore, done what this meeting makes one of the most desirable. |