That lonely silhouette is one of the ground crew. When a balloon launches there is full-on chaos, and a rush of activity at the mouth of the hot air balloon. On each side are two huge fans with airplane propellers pushing massive volumes of cold air into the balloon. Taking the full blast of the morning air are two crew holding the mouth of the balloon open. The pilot is inside the tipped over basket, checking lines, aiming the burner that will throw a 40 foot flame deep inside the balloon to start the rising. It’s noisy, busy, and… well, chaos. Meanwhile, one crewman is holding a line that extends from the crown of the balloon, the center of its top, out into the peaceful daybreak about 100 feet. As the hot air balloon rises, he walks it in, keeping it under control. This shot was taken between burner blasts just before the crown of the balloon rises up. The sun always shines in through the top of the balloon creating this wonderful stained glass effect.
