For many workers, hot air comes with the job. For Dan Gauthier of Clarkston, his hot air comes after work is finished.
As a hot-air balloon enthusiast, he spends as much time up in the air as he can.
‘It’s a fun, awesome activity ? floating over farmers? fields, checking out what’s going on,? said Gauthier, who is the president of the Southeastern Michigan Balloon Association.
Dan Gauthier has been hot-air ballooning with his family since the 1970s. Of the six brothers in his family, five are balloon pilots, flying balloons with names like Spitfire, Nudge Me, and Where the Fun Is. Gauthier’s balloon, with its 75,000-cubic-feet envelope, is called Dan’s Turn.
In the summer, he tries to fly 2-3 times per week. The best time to fly is at sunrise or sunset ? that’s when the air is calmest. When the only control a pilot has over an aircraft is ‘up? and ‘down,? the direction and strength of the wind is of major importance. Pilots, who are licensed by the FAA, check the weather carefully before going up, he said.
‘We meet about a half hour before we set up and decide where the wind is blowing and where we expect to land,? he said.
At balloon meets, held around the country, pilots often compete to see who can land closest to a designated point. Wind currents move in different directions at different altitudes, so pilots can change direction by going up or down.
‘It’s not always easy to read,? he said. ‘Most balloon pilots are very good ? it’s quite impressive.?
Temperature makes a difference, too. In cooler weather, a balloon can carry more weight than it can in warmer weather.
‘Lift comes from the difference between the temperature inside of envelope (which holds the hot air, at a temperature of about 250 degrees) and the ambient temperature (outside),? he said.
Advancements in the past 30 years include better fabrics, frame materials, safety features, and technology, such as GPS navigation units.
‘You can set a target and use the GPS to see whether you’re left or right of it,? he said.
Gauthier navigates the old fashioned way, by sight, he said.
One improvement to the basket was a metal framework to support the propane burner, which supplies the heat for the balloon’s hot air. On older designs, the burner was connected by wires, and was held up only by the lift of the balloon’s envelope.
Hot-air balloon piloting is the family sport, he said.
‘It’s rare for any of us to fly alone,? he said. ‘If one of us plans to fly, we call each other up.?
Flying with other balloons is more fun than flying solo, he said.
‘You can’t really see the balloon you’re in,? he said. ‘But you can look at the other balloons and see what’s going on.?
Some of his brothers, Guy, Joey, Marty, and Ted, are commercial balloon pilots, but Dan Gauthier flies for fun, as a private pilot.
Entry fees at balloon meets are much less for private pilots. For balloons with commercial logos on the envelopes, fees are usually at least $1,000 more.
Gauthier bought his balloon used about two years ago. He earned his pilot’s license in 2000, and has been involved in the hobby with his brothers since 1979.
When flying, one of his favorite activities is the ‘splash and dash.? This is when the pilot brings the balloon down onto the surface of a lake or pond.
‘I land on the water whenever I can,? he said. ‘It’s a blast ? you can float there like a sailboat.?
He also enjoys talking to people on the ground as he flies by.
‘Once I was flying low and some people asked me to come down for some food and something to drink,? he said.
To show their thanks to home owners who let them land on their property, SEMBA holds a drawing for ‘landowner of the year.? The winner gets a prize, usually a free balloon ride. They also get a Christmas card, he said.
Even in Gauthier’s work, as owner of the American Speedy Printing Center in downtown Clarkston, ballooning isn’t far from his mind. His balloon, colored in a spiral of rainbow colors, is printed on much of his promotional materials, and photos of his and other balloons decorate the shop.
His employees aren’t exempt. Christian Amundin also pilots balloons, and recently went to a balloon meet in New Mexico with about 750 other balloonists.
‘Instead of getting high on drugs, we get high on hot air,? Amundin said, joking.
Gauthier also uses his print shop to produce SEMBA’s 12-page, full-color newsletter. He has produced it since 1977, though it hasn’t always looked like it does now. Technology has advanced rapidly in the printing industry.
Gauthier has been a printer and typesetter out of his home for about 30 years. Advances in printing software reduced the demand for typesetting services, so he worked for printer Walt Rickens for a couple years, then opened Speedy Printing on South Main Street in 1999.
Some of the work is still labor intensive, such as when they make signs using vinyl lettering, but much of it is now performed by computer. Instead of bringing a paper copy of an order, such as a wedding invitation, customers can send it electronically as a PDF file. The shop will import that file into Adobe Illustrator or other software to create the invitations. The shop can handle most formats and hardware, including various memory sticks and thumb drives.
‘With the digital files now, you have higher resolution ? it works out really well,? he said.
An example of the advancements in the printing industry is Gauthier’s own trailer ? it is decorated with a full-color, photo-quality picture of hot-air balloons. The images were taken with a digital camera, and blown up to 6-by-18 feet, printed on adhesive vinyl, applied to the sides of the trailer, then laminated for durability.
‘It was a year-and-a-half project,? he said.
The shop is equipped with machines that cut, drill, fold, and bind paper, and he has a network of vendors for bigger jobs. He also uses his computers to provide customers with ‘digital renderings? of their projects. They show them what the completed work, such as a logo and design work on a car, would look like.
The office has files from about 10 years ago, which was still in the ‘scissors and glue stick? days. The shop can use and update that information for new printing work. American Speedy is located at 5811 S. Main Street. For more information, call 248-625-8090.