PARTICIPANTS OF "YEREVAN-COLORED SKY" AEROSTATION FESTIVAL MAKE FIRST FLIGHT – WITH PARTICIPATION OF JOURNALISTS
Noyan Tapan
April 10, 2008
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The 18 crews, which represent
Armenia, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus at the first aerostation festival
"Yerevan-Colored Sky" being held in Yerevan on April 8-13, made their
first flight early April 9 – with the participation of journalists.
18 hot-air balloons went up in the air and then landed outside Yerevan,
in the area of the former "state farm No 40" on Yerevan-Ashtarak
highway. The crew of the balloon piloted by Andrey Denisenko – a
master of sports, winner of Russian and International Cups – included
an assistant, a navigator and NT’s correspondent. As A. Denisenko said
after the landing, their balloon was flying at a speed of 8-12.8 km
per hour at an altitude of 6.8 km.
He added that after brothers Montgolfier rose in the air in the
balloon made by them in 1783, the French king Louis XVI issued an
order, according to which only noblemen had the right to travel by
balloon. And if a balloonist was going to take a person who had not
the title of at least a count, then the balloonist was to present
a land plot nearby the place of landing to that person and confer
the title of count upon him. By tradition, the conferment of a title
was followed by burning the pilot’s hair and putting out the fire by
champagne. Hair burning symbolized sacrificing part of one’s body in
the name of keeping the balloon’s fuel inextinguishable. The title
of "Yerevan Count" was conferred on NT correspondent as he made his
first flight in the sky of Yerevan.
It is noteworthy that a Yerevan Cup tournament will be held within the
framework of the "Yerevan-Colored Sky 2008" festival. The participation
of the Armenian crew in this tournament will be its first-ever one
in internationl competitions. The official opening of the festival
took place late April 9 in Republic Square. Diring the festival, two
kinds of flights will be organized for citizens: amateur flights at
an altitude of 50-100 meters, and free sport flights.
The festival was organized by Bottler Alco company, which plans to
engage in viticulture, wine-making, and production of liqueurs and
cocktails in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress