St Joseph’s Primary School students were wowed recently, by a visit from some of the teams involved in the Northam National Hot Air Ballooning Championships.
Northam brothers Andrew and Michael Clements, who piloted Team Jenna and Team Bradley, attended the school along with Geoffrey Howe, who was popular this year for flying the CloudHopper.
Geoffrey thrilled students and teachers alike when he inflated his Cloudhopper and used it to explain the basics of hot air ballooning.
The vehicle has a single seat that is attached to a 42 thousand cubic feet hot air balloon and one 65 litre gas bottle.
There are only a handful of them in Australia.
The students were given the chance to look at the baskets up close and feel the material of the balloon.
Defending champion Mathew Scaife from New South Wales won the Northam Hot Air Ballooning Championships, that finished two weeks ago.
Matthew’s wife Nicola Skaife was second and Sean Kavanagh was third.
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
