‘Balloons Over Bavarian Inn’ Event Expects 216 Hot Air Balloon Over Frankenmuth on Memorial

May 11, 2015 - PRLog -- Thirty-six of the best hot air balloon pilots in the Midwest will be competing in this year’s “Balloons Over Bavarian Inn” event in Frankenmuth Memorial Day weekend, May 22 -25, 2015.

During this competition, pilots will fly hot air balloons for accuracy in flight tasks and have to land on targets on the ground in six flight attempts over the weekend. The first flight will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 22. There will be flights at 6 a.m. and 7 p.m on Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24. The final flight is a 6 a.m. on Monday, May 25. The free event is sponsored by the Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn (http://www.bavarianinn.com/), Gordon Food Service, Pepsi, and many other supporters.

“The competing pilots are from three surrounding states and are from as far away as Iowa. Ten of these pilots rank in the top 100 in North America,” states Jim Engel, chief operating officer, Bavarian Inn Lodge and event chairman. Engel is working with key leaders who have hosted national  and world hot air balloon championships to orchestrate the competition over and around Frankenmuth.

Pilot Larry Coan of Livonia, MI will be returning to this year’s competition. Coan has been steadily listed as one of the top 50 pilots in the United States. He will be flying his hot air balloon called “Superfluous.”

Held in conjunction with Dog Bowl 2015, (http://www.dogfunfest.com/) the balloon championship features an elite group of 36 balloon teams, assembled by a core team of balloon pilots and local planners. Derrick Jones, competition director for Balloons Over Bavaria states, “The Frankenmuth balloon events have become one of the favored Midwest balloon events because of the family friendly aspect of Frankenmuth; the unique architecture to fly over, and the tie-in with the Dog Bowl Olympic events and the Tour De Frankenmuth cycling events.”

Spectators will experience the village of balloons at the Balloon Glow Event on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings at River Place Field, giving them an opportunity to walk amongst 15 tethered hot air balloons that glow in the evening sky. Spectators can meet the pilots and crew, get autographs and even take pictures with their children inside or next to the pilot and his basket.

Piloting hot air balloons is a growing sport that is sophisticated and technical. The use of websites to track wind speeds and directions for every thousand foot level combined with the use of GPS technology allows pilots to better target their destination. This brings an unparalleled precision to the sport. During the morning and evening flights, the pilots will navigate their balloon to certain targets, placed and assigned to them by the officials.

Experience balloon launches and flyovers at River Place Field each morning and evening of Memorial Day Weekend.  See a complete schedule for the Balloons Over Bavaria  Balloon Championships at www.dogfunfest.com/balloons/.   Follow the action on Facebook by liking “Balloons Over Bavaria” & Frankenmuth Hot Air Balloon Glow Village.  Twitter Updates @BalloonsInMuth. Admission to balloon events is free.

Bavarian Inn Lodge: (bavarianinn.com) Nestled along the Cass River in one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations – Frankenmuth – is one of the state’s largest Indoor Water Park Hotels. The Lodge has 360 European-themed guest rooms, including whirlpool and family suites, an adult-only pool and whirlpool, two gift shops, two lounges and two restaurants — all under one roof. The expansive 35,000 square feet Family Fun Center houses two dramatic waterslides, three pools and two whirlpools, 150 video and redemption games, a two-story children’s play village and Willy’s Kingdom indoor mini-golf course. Guests can also enjoy live, year-round, nightly entertainment and test their own musical skills during weekend family karaoke shows. In 29 years of business, the Bavarian Inn Lodge has been an important destination for travelers, evidenced by the 1.25 million room-nights that have been booked there since its opening, along with its top rating on TripAdvisor^®.

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