'Like a pinball machine': Skydivers see Balloon Fiesta glow from up high

It took two rooms to hold the gear for the six-member skydiving crew.

One smelled sharp — the odor came from the pyrotechnics, explained Yulia Pangburg, one of the skydivers suiting up to jump over Balloon Fiesta Park.

Pangburn is a member of Team Fastrax, an Ohio-based skydiving team that boasts of dozens of members, making it the largest parachute-based demonstration team in the world. The team has been performing at Balloon Fiesta since 2018.

When skydiving over Balloon Fiesta Park at night, fellow skydiver Larry Compton said, the balloon-filled field lights up like a pinball machine.

For first-time skydivers, the ground below is just a rush. But the team said over time, that blur turns into an acute awareness of one’s surroundings, including the glow of hundreds of hot air balloons.

But on Thursday night, the field was dark after the scheduled Balloon Glow was canceled.

Earlier in the day, high winds had grounded the morning Special Shapes launch and forced the team to cancel its 5 p.m. performance. At night, Pangburn said, the team is especially cautious because of the decreased visibility; she said the only thing they can see is the landing site. For crew members carrying heavy pyrotechnics, they have to use bigger parachutes, which makes them more vulnerable to gusts of wind.

But Pangburn said she doesn't get nervous — "no time," she said.

The team devoted three days to getting the gear together, said Matt Harvey, who served as ground crew for the Thursday flight. It took about an hour for the crew to assemble its gear, adding various lights and gadgets to their flight suits. A few crew members strapped shoebox-sized bundles of fireworks to their calves, weighing between 20 and 25 pounds each.

As their Cessna 208 Caravan "Patriot" circled the park, the crew discussed the very wind speeds that blew through Balloon Fiesta earlier that morning. Pilot Thomas Birdwell clocked 26 knots at 2,000 feet.

It was above the threshold. The Cessna returned to the runway, full.

"I don't want to jump in conditions like that," said Karen "Lew" Lewis. "But I also don't want to land in a plane."

Pangburn said the team trains in high winds to test their limits. But it's important to know when to say "no," she continued.

The team has two more days of performances planned, and Birdwell said the Friday weather should be mild.

During their day performances, the crew brings out smoke, a massive American flag and a 2,000-square-foot Balloon Fiesta banner. At night, the team matches the balloon glow with their own fireworks.

Harvey said his first Balloon Fiesta experience was “overwhelming.”

“To see 500 balloons inflating in front of you, and you can just walk out and be surrounded by them, immersed in that balloon experience — it’s a bucket list item,” Harvey said. “It’s something that everybody has to experience in their life.”

Skydiving was once just a bucket list item for Harvey, too. But 15 years and thousands of jumps later, it’s evolved into a career.

That’s the story for several of the crew members, who fell for the skydiving world after what they thought was a one-time jump.

Kevin Engel started skydiving when he turned 40.

“I told my wife I needed something exciting to do, so I decided to take up skydiving,” Engel said. “That was 18 years ago. That’s probably my favorite form of relaxation.”

Engel said he still gets a bit nervous when he first leaves the aircraft. But once he jumps, the feeling fades.

“Solitude,” Engel said. “I don’t care what’s on your mind, what’s going on in your life. You’re in that moment, and everything else kind of just goes off to the side.”

But Harvey said the core mission of the team is more important than any jump or performance. At each performance, the team honors a veteran that died on that day by carrying a photo near their hearts. Over the years, the team has been able to connect with family and friends of the fallen veterans when they display their photos.

“We’re skydivers because we love it,” Harvey said. “But what brings us all to the team is the greater mission of honoring those who have made that sacrifice.”