Calgary Balloon Club

06/07/2026

The Calgary Balloon Club thanks all of the sponsors at Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival 2026. Special thanks to Real Estate Collective, the sponsor of our big yellow club balloon.

06/05/2026

If you've ever been curious about the balloons and want to get a closer look, HIIBF ballooning 101 is a great place to start!

06/04/2026

Crossing the Atlantic by Hydrogen Balloon!
You can follow along on the adventure on their facebook Atlantic Explorer 2026 Flight Control or their live tracking site at: https://my.yb.tl/pertwood

The Atlantic Explorer has just crossed into the Northumberland Strait between the two Canadian coastal communities of Lorneville & Amherst Shore.

Alicia reports from the basket that they are flying under clear blue skies at just over 20knts.

In the coming hours, the team will analyse and review the position/status of the balloon with the Atlantic looming large…

More soon!

06/04/2026

Gas is on! You can follow along with this incredible endeavor on their page.

06/02/2026

The next big Alberta balloon festival is coming up quick!

Help us fill the skies with colour this September! Our hot air balloon festival returns to High River September 23 to 27, 2026, and we’re looking for sponsors to help bring the event to life.

This festival is only possible through the support of local businesses, organizations, and community partners. Sponsorship opportunities are available for a variety of budgets and involvement levels.

Visit our website https://heritageinninternationalballoonfestival.com/ or message us to learn more about becoming a sponsor.

06/01/2026

Before modern inflation fans became common and powerful, cold inflations sometimes required a little extra help — and a little extra bravery. As Dennis Myrthu recalls from the early days of ballooning, crew members would stand inside the mouth of the balloon during inflation, holding the fabric open to help create a larger pocket of air before the hot inflation began. These volunteers earned the memorable nickname “Cremation Charlies.”

Dennis remembers being volunteered for the job while Stan operated the burner, “If you get too hot, lower your arms and I will stop burning and let you out.” Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, those instructions were forgotten. Dennis recalls that he lowered his arms, his face felt like it was on fire, and he eventually collapsed to the floor before crawling out for fresh air. He adds that it was both his first and last experience as a “Cremation Charlie.”

Ballooning has changed a great deal over the years, but the stories from those early days remain unforgettable.

05/28/2026

Thanks to everyone who shared their photos with Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival. They had amazing social media coverage of the whole event.

05/27/2026

Fresh on the heels of the Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival, we just found out that Calgary Balloon Club pilot Scott Gordon has just officially earned his Flight Instructors rating for Hot Air Balloons! Scott has been flying balloons since September of 2021 and in addition to flying with the club has helped to organize and run the Arizona Balloon Classic for the past three years. His two favorite places to fly from are the cricket field in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada and Hespero, Alberta. Congrats Scott. We are super excited for you.

If you have ever dreamed of learning to fly a Hot Air Balloon and float above the landscape, we can help you! The club is a Transport Canada Flight Training Unit. We have the instructors to teach you and we even have a bright yellow Sundance 90,000 cubic foot rental balloon that members have access too.

You can send us a message here, check out our web page at www.calgaryballoonclub.ca or send us an email to learn about how to get started.

05/24/2026

Well. Thats a wrap for Rise Up Hot Air Balloon Festival 2026. Folks are making their way home and for a lot of us its back to "regular" life tomorrow.

Although there was no flight this morning, it was still a special briefing. Balloon Meister Dale Ritchie handed out the prizes to the pilots who did the best following him in the hare and hound competition. Club member Cliff Skocdopole won third place!! Congrats to Francois Doucet and David Gleed for second and first place.

After the brief, club members Jonathan Perron-Clow from Ontario and P-A from Quebec recieved their basket banners from 2026 Club President Karl Schultz . If you hadn't heard, you dont need to be from Calgary to be a member of the club! We have members from all over Alberta, BC, Ontario, Quebec and even the United States.

What an incredible weekend. Thanks to the Rise Up crew, W***y Taillon and Cindy Taillon, Our Collective Journey and all the Sponsors.

05/23/2026