It's a small world: Globitos have the magic of hot air balloons with a remote control twist

Globitos bring the glory of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta to a smaller scale.

The remote-controlled miniature balloons replicate the larger hot air balloons found at the Fiesta, sometimes in the same shape and color pattern. A remote control operates the Globitos’ propane burner inside the basket and flame that heats the air to fly the small balloons.

“We keep them tethered,” said Melissa Bond, RC Balloonmeister. “They don’t really do any free flying. They have three propane tanks inside the basket. They can fly, depending on the weather, anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. We do have one person that operates the radio control portion, and then we’ll have another person that is their crew person that kind of watches out in case they need a propane tank change out or help with the line that pulls the envelope or system down to the ground.”

There are 75 Globitos participating in this year’s Fiesta.

“There’s probably going to be a dozen little shapes that may resemble a bigger balloon or maybe new ones that really don’t resemble a balloon yet,” Bond said. “I know there’s going to be a couple of new shapes this year that haven’t been out to Fiesta. There will be little RC (remote control) shapes that will be brand new. It will be exciting to see those come out.”

The Fiesta de Los Globitos Remote Control Balloon Rally will be held at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, in rows N and P; 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, in rows N and P, and 7:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 13, in rows W and V. The Fiesta de Los Globitos RC Balloon Glow will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, in row W.

It's a small world: Globitos have the magic of hot air balloons with a remote control twist

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The Globitos are easy to operate and their compact size allows them to launch almost anywhere.

“We can get into places where maybe some of the big balloons can’t,” Bond said. “We can go to some of the schools that may be too close to the airport or maybe in an area that’s not the best for (large balloons). The little RCs can get in there and (we can) share with the schools, the kids, and the adults. A lot of us have gone to different schools and shared with the kids at the schools and participated in a science project. Last year, we did a project with Albuquerque Academy.”

Bond has been flying Globitos for about 30 years and has seen many large hot air balloon pilots transition to flying the smaller remote-control balloons.

“With the more senior folks that are seasoned, that have been flying for 30 to 40 years, decide ‘I’m not going to fly a big balloon anymore, but I still want to be involved in the community.’ So now they fly little RCs, and they still have the biggest smile on their faces.”

Many radio-controlled balloon pilots fly smaller replicas of their former large balloons. In Bond’s case, she flies a miniature balloon that memorializes her pets.

“The little white balloon with paw prints is the one that I had built,” Bond said. “It’s just a reflection of my pets that I had that are no longer with.”