Newest RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon Takes to the Skies Over Northern Illinois; Debut Flight June 16

CHICAGO - June 13, 2018 - PRLog -- The newest edition of the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon, one of the world's most widely known corporate symbols, takes to the skies above northern Illinois for the first time on Saturday, June 16, in McHenry as part of a special event for RE/MAX Plaza, which is headquartered in the northwestern suburb.

The balloon's inaugural flight will lift off from McHenry and fly to a yet-to-be determined landing site within 10 miles of its takeoff point.

The body of the new balloon, technically known as the "envelope," measures 70 feet tall by 52 feet wide when fully inflated and features the recently refreshed RE/MAX logo. Its balloon basket holds two passengers. It can hold 70,000 cubic feet of air; a cubic foot is roughly equal to the size of a basketball.

"We're excited to bring the new and improved RE/MAX look to the skies of northern Illinois," said Jeff LaGrange, Vice President of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois Region. "As our older balloon retires, we anticipate that the new one will become a familiar sight across our region for many years."

The balloon envelope is made from 1,200 yards of rip-stop nylon by Cameron Balloons of Ann Arbor, Mich. It took about 40 hours to sew.  Its wicker basket required 80 hours to weave.  The envelope has a useful life of about 450 flight hours, while the basket can last about twice as long.

The RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon, and there have been several of them, has taken part in 1,300 operations and flown more than 13,000 miles since 2006 when the current balloon team was established. Those operations include 400 visits to area schools as part of the RE/MAX School Balloon Program, where the balloon crew teaches young students about the history, science and mechanics of balloon flight and demonstrates how the balloon operates.

Later this month, the new RE/MAX balloon is part of the 2018 Lisle Eyes to the Skies Balloon Festival in Lisle, Ill., on June 29-July 1. The RE/MAX balloon will participate in morning balloon flights and evening balloon glows.

RE/MAX Northern Illinois has been the leader in the northern Illinois real estate market since 1989 providing a full range of residential and commercial services. With more than 2,200 sales associates and 106 offices throughout the area, RE/MAX Northern Illinois has helped thousands of families with their home buying and selling needs. For more information, visit www.remax.com or download the RE/MAX mobile real estate app.