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Artem Medvedev
The Russian town of
Velikiye Luki , located 471 kilometers from Moscow, hosts the annual International Balloon Meet for aeronauts, featuring launches and competitions.
Artem Medvedev
This year’s international meet and conference took place on June 6-20, 2015.
Artem Medvedev
43 participants from five countries came to fly hot-air balloons over Russia.
Artem Medvedev
Why in Velikiye Luki? Traditionally in June and July the weather conditions are almost ideal.
Artem Medvedev
The balloon doesn’t take up much space when it’s folded; the biggest part is the basket. The baskets are transported to the launch point in special trailers. Before setting off in the air, the balloon has to be spread out on an even surface and filled with helium.
Artem Medvedev
Flights start early in the morning — at sunrise the wind is stable and air pressure is normal.
Artem Medvedev
The festival in Velikiye Luki is not the only place to observe Russia from the hot-air balloon. You can also check out the “Golden Ring of Russia” festival on July 15-19 in Rostov and Pereslavl-Zalessky (about 145 km from Moscow).
Artem Medvedev
High-flying air balloons have been known to mankind for going on 230 years. If all kinds of mechanisms and designs have fundamentally changed over the centuries-long technological evolution, the air balloon has remained the same in its essence and its construction.
Artem Medvedev
On the backdrop of the Russian landscape and the blue sky, these bright spots look even brighter.
Artem Medvedev
The first flight on an aerostat (Greek for “standing in the air”) in history was completed by a very unusual team: the happy travelers were a duck, a rooster, and a lamb.
