The next time
you see a cluster of balloons flying through the sky, you just might find John
Ninomiya in a harness attached to the end of them.
Ninomiya,
a hot-air balloon instructor with about 700 hours, has been flying cluster
balloons since 1997. He's completed 47 cluster balloon flights, each taking
place in the early morning or late-afternoon hours and lasting about one
hour—just like conventional ballooning.
So
far, he's reached an altitude of 21,400 feet over a rural area in Riverside
County east of Los Angeles. (Yes, he was equipped with a transponder, aircraft
radio, and had advance permission from Los Angeles Center.)
He
is scheduled to make a cluster balloon flight on October 21 during the
Shenandoah Valley Hot-Air Balloon and Wine Festival in Millwood, Virginia.