Will we soon see a hot air balloon in the colors of Monaco in the sky of the Côte d’Azur? It’s very likely
The year 2022 will be assured”the best year for the Monaco Aeronauts Club”, smiles its president Alain Cruteanschii. It must be said that the planets have aligned in recent months to allow the club to realize its bet: that of having an ecological hot air balloon in the colors of the Principality.
In recent days, Alain Cruteanschii has just finalized the technical plan of the project in the offices of the company Ultramagic in Igualada in Catalonia, 40 minutes from Barcelona. They are the ones in charge of the design. Production should start in May, with delivery expected at the end of June.
Epilogue of a long awaited project. Already in 2018, the club launched its first ecological balloon from Place du Palais. As a neighbor, the sovereign had come to encourage the mission and give his support to the project. “Still, many people were skeptical. We were unable to convince the government to grant us a grant to design this hot air balloon in the colors of Monaco. But we were able to count on the support of the Marzocco group, which finances 100%”, details the president of the Aeronauts of Monaco. A project which also had the support of the federal agency which designed the three sides of the balloon, red and white!
“The most ecological in the world”
If the balloon is delivered this summer, it does not aim to become a national attraction. “We do not plan to carry passengers. But rather to offer prestigious flights, departing from the Principality, to club members and friends of Monaco”, explains Alain Cruteanschii, who ensures that with this new equipment his club will become the first ecological national aeronautical team in the world! “This balloon which will come out of the Ultramagic factories will be the most technical and ecological balloon in the world”, he adds. The technical characteristics of the ball are delivered. But the club wants to make its activity a laboratory for studies on energy consumption.
Their previous hot-air balloon, already ecological, allowed them to study faults and perform better in this area. Who not only touches the ball but also all his equipment. Thus, the club is investing in a hybrid 4×4 to transport its crews to the take-off location. The trailer for moving the material is made of composite, to be lighter to the tractor and less energy-consuming.
Points that stick to the environmental policy of the country whose hot air balloon wants to become”the largest flag in the world”. The first of its first inflation should be reserved for the country at the beginning of the summer.
Then the Monaco balloon is expected in mid-July at the European Ballon Festival in Barcelona. “We have lots of projects with it, such as crossing the Channel or flying over Mont-Blanc”, enthuses Alain Cruteanschii. In the medium term, the Aeronauts club also intends to launch the first ecological balloon competition in Monaco, which will bear the name of Prince Albert II. And whose first edition is scheduled for spring 2023.