Nebraska balloonist to earn international award

The freezing morning temperatures did not stop a Blaine, Neb., man from taking a solo flight in an open-basket hot air balloon. Fair winds took him to Omaha, Neb., after he launched from Aberdeen at about 8:20 a.m Thursday.

Richard Jaworski took off from the parking lot of Moccasin Creek Country Club, 4807 130th St. N.E., in order to fly at least 300 miles in a hot air balloon to complete the last of the multiple components required to achieve an international award, which very few hold.

Orvin Olivier, an agent in Sioux Falls with American Family Insurance and also a pilot and owner of Olivier Balloons, helped Jaworski, with a few others, to get the balloon in the air. Members of the early-morning enterprise know each other since ballooning involves such a small community, Olivier said.

The group trailed behind Jaworski by car, tracking the flight with equipment on an iPad.

“He completely outran us,” Olivier said with a chuckle. “We had to head east to the interstate and had no chance of keeping up with him.”

Jaworski was doing between 77 to 83 miles per hour in the balloon and beat the group traveling by car by a couple hours: He obviously avoided traffic and had a straight shot into Omaha.

“Up in that little basket, he didn’t have much room; it was chuck full of fuel tanks,” Olivier said. “We were prepared for a much longer flight, but the wind was so strong that that whole flight lasted about five hours, but they were prepared for eight or nine hours.”

The group was pleasantly surprised the wind was as strong as it was at that altitude, according to Olivier, who pointed out that Jaworski was flying in excess of 16,500 feet and was on oxygen for quite a bit of the flight.

Olivier said they decided to try launching in Aberdeen because it’s about 300 miles from Omaha, and, when they do these types of flights, the winds usually take them to the southeast.

“This flight was perfect. We honestly could not have scripted it any better,” Olivier said.

Olivier said the balloons are very temperature sensitive and can hold more weight in the colder temperatures, which means they can carry more fuel which allows for longer flights. Jaworski dressed in extreme cold weather gear to stay warm.

While trying to find places from which to take off, Olivier contacted his friend and fellow American Family Insurance agent Mark Jorgensen, of Aberdeen.

“Orv is a good friend of mine and quite a balloonist,” Jorgensen said of Olivier, who also has a hot air balloon club in Sioux Falls. “He was trying to help a friend out, and he called me and wondered if I knew of any place he could launch the balloon from.”

Jorgensen found a spot for the balloon to successfully launch at the country club.

“When I woke up this morning and saw it was 25 below, I thought no way are they going to be out there, but, sure enough, they were,” Jorgensen said.

Olivier must now complete the paper work and send it to officials in Switzerland — a process expected to take a couple of months before receiving the award.

via – AberdeenNews.com.