Total Eclipse

Generally speaking, we never fly during the day or during seasonal transitions. It would take a very rare and unique opportunity to do so… and well, that opportunity arose on April 8, 2024, during the total eclipse that we were able to observe throughout Quebec.

We never fly during the month of April because at this time of year, with the snow melting, all the fields are muddy, making access very difficult for our takeoffs and landings. Furthermore, weather conditions are often very unstable during seasonal transitions, which further increases the risk of flight cancellations. It is for all these reasons that in Quebec we do not conduct passenger flights during this period.

So, to make this spectacular flight during the total eclipse a reality, we studied, analyzed, and scrutinized the weather forecasts for several days leading up to the eclipse, hoping that this flight would be possible and feasible without too much hassle. When the big day finally arrived, Mother Nature was kind enough to offer us a beautiful flight window that allowed us to take off.

No rain, not too much wind, a sky ready to welcome us with good conditions for takeoff—but what will the conditions be like once we’re in the air when the eclipse begins? No one will know unless we try! But to do so, we had to take several precautions and decided to keep the flight to ourselves, as if it were a private test flight. We received a lot of requests to do this special flight, but we decided, for safety reasons, to keep this surprise flight just for our team, even though we were offered a bid to do it with a private passenger. We would never take the risk of flying passengers without knowing that conditions are optimal… Even if we open up bidding, even if we’re threatened, and even if we’re intimidated! For us, safety is always the priority.

So once the whole team was together, we got ready for takeoff just before the eclipse began. Once we reached our altitude, we glided along, waiting for the moon to pass in front of the sun. When the moon passed…
Wow!!!

The feeling of seeing the twilight gradually approach, the orange-hued aura settling in, the sound of the birds!!! All those birds screaming in disorientation as night suddenly falls, their distress palpable. A deafening noise! We suddenly realize the power of nature, of our ecosystem, and of the order in which we live. That with a single movement of the moon, everything is thrown into chaos.

Up in the air, we feel the coolness wash over us; voices, awestruck by this extraordinary spectacle, reach us, and for a moment we find ourselves in the darkness of night in broad daylight! An indescribable experience.

Now that things are back to normal, it’s time to find a place to land! As we mentioned earlier, we’re well aware that in the middle of April, the fields are muddy, and it’s impossible for the support vehicle to drive into the fields to retrieve our gear, so things are getting complicated. The wind picks up, instability sets in… we try to aim for a row, an entrance, a parking lot, but definitely not a muddy field! Guess where we landed? In a muddy field—freshly plowed, no less! At least we were right by the road, so the vehicle could get to us easily. Phew!

Now, how do we deflate this huge balloon without getting mud on the fabric? We pull out our huge tarp to spread it out in the field and cross our fingers that the wind will help us deflate everything in the right direction, right onto the tarp… You know what?

Right on the fabric! That’s right. We managed to deflate our hot air balloon without a single stain. A miracle! Why shouldn’t you get a hot air balloon fabric dirty? Obviously, there’s no washer and dryer to do the job, so we can’t wash all that fabric as much as we’d like, and we also can’t use cleaning products that could damage the fabric over time. An aircraft fabric is inspected and must comply with standards and follow recommended maintenance procedures. Luckily we had a tarp (we admit it was planned) because just washing the tarp alone was very time-consuming and complicated with the amount of mud stuck to it… not to mention our boots! What a nightmare walking through a plowed mud field. It was as if we had a pound of mud sticking to our boots with every step… a real leg workout—and a test of our balance, too! Thank goodness the truck was waiting for us not too far away! We say it again and again: a huge thank you to the farmers for welcoming us to your homes and your land. You are amazing!!!!

After all those little adventures, we’ll always remember April 8, 2024, as an incredible experience. Since then, we’ve been wondering where our next eclipse adventure will take us… Stay tuned!