G-IKEA
Category:Catalogue number:
Details
| Description: | A Cameron SS IKEA-120, serial number 10562, named IKEA. First flown on 3 July 2004, Southampton, Hampshire. Last flown 19 June 2010. Logbook held by BBM&L. Total hours flown 87. The IKEA balloon is unusual as it has twin parachutes, one for each side of the heart. When landing, they are both operated at the same time. Pete Dalby, was the IKEA balloon pilot and said, “It is like any other balloon to fly, the main difference is in the descent. The IKEA balloon is not streamlined, making for a slow descent due to the air pressure underneath the box shape.” The box also makes it difficult to pack away the 120,000 cubic feet shape, as there is baffling in the corners to maintain the box shape, and this tends to hold the air. The corners have Velcro rip panels but the baffling limits their effect. |
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| Name: | IKEA |
| Type: | Cameron SS IKEA 120 |
| Serial No.: | 10562 |
| First flown: | 3 July 2004, Southampton, Hampshire |
| Donated by: | Peter Dalby, 2014 |
| Image(s) credit: | Clive Bailey, Angela Lickorish |
History
14 June 2004
Owners: IKEA Limited
12-15 August 2004
The IKEA balloon’s claim to fame is it was part of the first sky-high blindfolded tightrope walk! This took place at the Bristol International Balloon Festival in 2004 when fellow balloon pilot Mike Howard walked across a lightweight 19-foot aluminium bar between the IKEA balloon and the South Western Electricity Board (SWEB) balloon at 4,000 feet above the ground! The blindfold helped as Mike said “You can’t see how high up you are. I just try to imagine I am only three feet above the ground.”
The balloons were held together by two steel wires between the burner frames. The SWEB balloon, piloted by Clive Bailey, had the quick release to these wires. The balloons took off together, with the aluminium bar already in place. The difficult part was keeping the balloons level, “We were quite close so we could talk to each other. We were in constant conversation and monitoring the other basket’s height,” explains Pete. The walk itself took three minutes, what an achievement, and after completing it, Mike parachuted back to the ground. “At about a thousand feet we separated. We released the bar from our end and it was then hanging from Clive’s balloon. I had a Sky TV presenter and cameraman onboard; I warned them we might swing apart when the quick release was pulled. Clive counted down and pulled the quick release and the basket swung violently. The Sky presenter held his head and crouched down in the basket…but it lasted only a few seconds before we steadied.”
For the IKEA balloon it was a normal landing, the SWEB balloon still had the bar attached and dragged it behind the balloon on landing.
10 November 2014
Registration cancelled by CAA