Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-14
BALLOONING TO
ORDER IS PLAN
California Aeronautic Society Believes
Combination of Scenery, Climate
and Opportunity for Air Travel
Will Prove Popular

The California Aeronautic society
promises to send up the balloons which
have been inflated at Chutes park this
week, the United States and the Amer
lean, for pleasure trips unless weather
conditions not anticipated intervene
Roy Knabenshue will pilot one balloon
and A. E. Mueller will direct the other.
Today was set as Elks' day at the
Chutes, but arrangements have been
made to allow the double balloon as
cenSion before the two mines of ElkS
begin their ball games.
Paul Cowles, coast superintendent of
the Associated Press, will be a guest
of the society with one of the balloons
and Weather Observer w. D. Fuller
will accompany the other pilot. News
paper men will make up the rest of
have postponed their trip until the
mud dries and they can be sure of re-
turning in an automobile.
UNLESS the weather proves unfa-
vorable we hope to send the balloons
up every week. said J. B. Lehigh yes
terday. After the initial ascension of
the year we shall take any passengers
who apply, and we are ready to make
the trips long or short, as may be de-
sired If a tourist wishes to see Los
Angeles by balloon he has only to step
to the telephone to notify the society,
and an ascension will be prepared for
at his pleasure. We can accommodate
as many as eight at time, and with
pilots so experienced as KnabenShue
and Mueller ballooning is perfectly
safe and delightful Captain Mueller
thinks it feasible to arrange a trip to
San Diego by balloon; at any rate, we
should be able to go to Riverside or
Pasadena.
I'VE can do this any day of the
week that passengers may ask, and
the winter weather will not make un-
pleasant through rain, but with our
present facilities we require eighteen
or twenty hours for imitation when
both balloons are needed. We expect
to find responses slow at first, but as
the wonderful opportunities in Cali
fornia ballooning become appreciated
1 am confident that we shall have or
ders for balloon ascensions.
Our first ascension has been plan
ned by Mr.. Ferris and myself to create
more interest in aeronautics here and
without any thought of commercial re-
turn. In fact it will take numerous
orders with full reservations to put us
on the right side commercially, but this
will not deter us in forwarding the
sport. I believe eventually the climate
tageous boosts in all the year around
| ballooning, possible in Los Angeles as
nowhere else. Our idea is to try the
scheme out We have the balloons and
the pilots and the finest trip in the
world, all things considered, and we
can take a chance at combining them
in the hope that we shall have enough
orders for ascensions to make sight
seeing by balloon a permanent feature
in~ Los Angeles"
Following today's ascensions the
California Aeronautic society plans a
combined balloon ascension and air
ship fight, possibly a long distance
| trial by Knabenshue with his dirigible
Dick Ferris, as general manager fol
| the society, has arranged series OF
aeronautic flights throughout Califor-
| mia, which he says will prove of great
interest to the state, taking in towns
in the San Joaquin valley and else
| where.