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Topic starter
27/06/2021 11:14 am
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost.
He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below.
He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”
The woman below replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground.
You’re between 59 and 60 degrees north latitude and between 107 and 108 degrees west longitude.”
“You must be an engineer,” said the balloonist.
“I am,” replied the woman, “how did you know?”
“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I’m still lost.
Frankly, you’ve not been much help at all.
If anything, you’ve delayed my trip.”
The woman below responded, “You must be a politician.”
“I am,” replied the balloonist, “but how did you know?”
“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you’re going.
You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise, which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems.
The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault.”
27/06/2021 11:36 am
Hilarious!
This reminds me of a hot air balloon ride I took several years ago. The operator was very good at maneuvering the ballon. Ultimately, he was subject to the way the wind blows. As we neared the end of our trip, with propane running low, we drifted over a residential area just outside of Washington D.C. marked by quiet lanes and cul de sacs. He said, "I'm going to set down over there," pointing toward a cul de sac, "When we land, let me do the talking."
As we approached the landing point, people began streaming out of their homes, looking upward, pointing, and being excited. The basket touched down right in the middle of the cul de sac, the operator jumped out and began speaking French, asking if anyone spoke the language. It was hilarious! The people began shouting, "They're from France!" One guy, standing in back with his arms folded said loudly, "You can't fly in a ballon from France! It's too far. They're not French, they're Canadian, probably from Montreal"
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
Topic starter
27/06/2021 11:52 am
Great story JK. Better, I think, than my initial post.
I've done several balloon flights, the best being in Cappadocia, Turkey. Love the flights and views but the landing is usually the most interesting part of the journey. I hope that your chase vehicle caught up to you before the crowd found out that they were being fooled.
John Kuvakas and John Kuvakas reacted
27/06/2021 12:36 pm
The folks gathered around were good-natured and hospitable. It took about 15 mins for the chase crew to find us. The subdivision had a lot of dead ends and, while they could see us, it was hard to get to where we were. One of the residents offered to guide them in via the radios we were using.
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
David Green and David Green reacted