Have you ever wondered how a hot air balloon manages to get airborne?
As magical as balloon flights seem, getting the aircraft into the air doesn't happen magically! It takes hard work! There are always a number of dedicated crew people required to assemble, inflate, chase, and pack up the balloon after landing.
The pilots always seem to get the glory, but a balloon pilot without crew is just a pedestrian!
Actually the ground crew is just as important as the pilot, both has to be very skilled and there has to be team work for a good takeoff,the flight and the landing.
Believe it or not we landed on the back of a trailer pickup and that was precision work from the ground crew.
I took this picture while it was still dark around 5 in the morning.