Khairudin aims to put Malaysia on the map of hot air balloon sport

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MALAYSIA’s first hot air balloon pilot, Captain Khairudin Abdul Rani, does not consider flying a hot air balloon to be a dangerous sport and is proud to have introduced the sport to the Malaysian public.

Flying a hot air balloon is like flying an aeroplane, but with a hot air balloon, the pilot need not fly it high and steering is not possible — the direction the balloon takes depends on the wind direction.

“We won’t know where the pilot is going to land. The pilot just plays around with the speed and we go where the wind takes us. So when taking off, balloon pilots need to adhere to the conventional regulations and maintenance procedures, similar to airplanes,” said Khairudin, who is the chairman of the 2nd Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta that will be held for four days in Putrajaya from March 18 to 21.

A hot air balloon is a registered aircraft and one needs a licence to fly it. To obtain a licence, a qualified balloon pilot will have to go through tests and examinations and have a certain number of flying hours.

According to Khairudin, the sport is male-dominated but challenging though it may sound, a number of women have been taking up the challenge of becoming pilot of late, and this year, Akari Sue from Japan will be competing in the male-dominated field that includes participants from Belgium, Switzerland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, USA and France.

Khairudin, who has more than 15 years of experience in the field, said the idea of bringing hot air balloons to Malaysia dawned on him during a stint in the Philippines. Although he had done hot air balloon fiestas on a smaller scale at weddings and corporate functions, the inaugural Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta last year was his biggest challenge yet.

“We made a big appearance at the inaugural Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2009, which was precceded by a publicity stunt held at the Palace of the Golden Horses Hotel in Seri Kembangan at which reporters were invited to take a static ride in two balloons,” said Khairudin, who owns a hot air balloon — AKA Balloon — through his company, AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd, that was formed in 1993.

Khairudin, who is Malaysian Sports Aviation Federation vice-president, is happy that the Putrajaya fiesta is now an annual event in the tourism calendar, and although rides in the hot air balloons will not be offered to the public, visitors to this year’s fiesta can look forward to enjoying viewing thrilling take-offs and landings.

He said it would be simply impossible to entertain requests from the public, especially as this year’s event is expected to attract more than 250,000 visitors over its four-day duration.

According to him, international hot air balloon events in the Philippines, where the sport is in its eighth year, easily attract more than 400,000 spectators, while those in Pattaya, Thailand, attract between 250,000 and 300,000 spectators.

“That was when I figured there was potential in this sport, as there were many hot air balloon enthusiasts taking part in those international events so close to home,” Khairudin said.

Khairudin had his first view of a flying hot air balloon during a train journey in Switzerland. He was a student in Cardiff, Wales, then and was holidaying in Europe, where hot air balloons were a common feature.

“This was the turning point for me. Since those days in college, hot air balloons have interested me. I piloted my first balloon piloting during NST’s 150-years celebrations in 1995 and since then, I’ve been involved in international fiestas.

The inaugural Putrajaya hot air balloon fiesta, however, was his first personal foray into the business. A Malaysian had approached him at an international event, about having a similar event in Malaysia.

He teamed up with Mohd Sobri of Cat Balloon, a qualified hot air balloon pilot since 1995, and started it all. They are now the two Malaysian participants whose long-term objective is to put Malaysia on par with other places that boast established events, like Saga in Japan and Albuquerque in the United States.

Mohd Sobri, who is the chief executive officer of a local IT company, has flown hot air balloons all over the world, from the Austrian Alps to the island of Cheju in South Korea.

“I am not a registered pilot yet, but I hope to get my commercial pilot licence — when I have clocked 100 hours — within the year, which would then permit me to start my own school to train pilots, which is akin to training aircraft pilots as both are governed by the same aviation guidelines,” said Khairudin, who will be turning 54 this year.

In order to pilot a hot air balloon, one has to be a member of the Federation of Aviation International (FAI).

Khairudin pointed out that the fiesta’s venue being close to the KL International Airport should not pose a problem. As organisers, they had held discussions with the Department of Aviation and Air Traffic Control, and had been given clearance to fly not more than 1,000 feet and stay within a three-kilometre radius.

According to Khairudin, when one is piloting a hot air balloon, there is always the fear of drifting away and landing in some place where one would least expect to, like on water or on a tree or roof tops, but the idea is to fly and drift with the wind, so as soon the balloon takes off, it is important to watch for wind directions and a place to land.

“As long as you are up and above, enjoy nature and the scenery around you. This will take away the fear,” advised Khairudin, whose ambition is to make Alor Setar — his hometown — a name in the ballooning circle, like Saga or Albuquerque.

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