SONIC HOT AIR BALLOON STILL IN COMMISSION
There’s still a chance you might be able to hire the Sonic balloon out for your wedding or surprisingly upbeat it’s-what-he-would’ve-wanted funeral. It’s still flying and surprisingly hasn’t got stuck on the scenery and died.
“Sonic is still burning his nuts! Saw this on eBay, which led me to this, which has another huge photo in it” – Andy the Squirrel.
Despite the old fashioned aspect ratio of that image, the photograph is modern. The Sonic balloon flew in 2010 in Ireland. Has anyone spotted it in 2012 yet?
filed in OFF THE INTERNET, SEGA IN THE MODERN AGE on Aug.16, 2010
August 16th, 2010 on 11:23 am
His Legs! what’s happened to his legs? Has he got MS? He now resembles Jimmy from South Park. Such an athlete struck down by a debilitating condition. The irony.
August 16th, 2010 on 11:38 am
Is this you subtly hinting, Zorg?
If so, is there any particular area over which you’ve like the balloon flown whilst ashes are being scattered? I’d suggest over Sony headquarters, hopefully around a lunchtime when Kaz or Ken (or whoever’s in charge then) has a picnic in a nice open area of the grounds.
August 16th, 2010 on 11:39 am
My gran used to live there. An interesting trivia FACT is that lots of the film Braveheart was shot in and around that castle. So if Sonic follows Mel Gibson’s lead and starts blaming the Jews for not having starred in a decent game for 16 years then he’ll be following in a long line of famous anti-semites to have graced the castle grounds.
August 16th, 2010 on 12:08 pm
Your gran used to live in a castle? Is your gran the Queen, rolan?
If so, I believe you are Peter Phillips and I claim my five pounds.
August 16th, 2010 on 1:48 pm
My grandmother is indeed the queen, she enjoys hiding around the ruins of old irish castles and planting union jacks everywhere she can as a unique way of trying to irritate the people who live near the castle. To claim your five pounds you need to catch me and hold me for five full seconds. This is harder then you can imagine. For I am permanently bathing in bacon grease. Even when running.
August 16th, 2010 on 2:18 pm
I’m not one for pissing on bonfires, but I’m almost sure it’s not flying..
1. Look at the tethers on that pic.
2. Check out this page – no pilot details under the Sonic balloon
3. It’s been de-registered by the CAA. It can’t fly.
That said, perhaps we can rent it to sit in the car park of Sega Europe when they launch the Dreamcast 2
August 16th, 2010 on 2:44 pm
So they just blew it up to look at? A fittingly SEGA-like display of futility.
August 16th, 2010 on 2:49 pm
rolan: Surely bacon grease is just an added incentive?
And as for not wanting piss on bonfires, courtster;
1) You should, it’s a great laugh. Providing it’s your own bonfire and not your local village’s November 5th family event. I was taught in Cubs that it was the best way of ensuring a fire was out and consequently we only accidentally incinerated 1 small hillside while I was there. (True story)
2) Isn’t calling someone who rides in the basket of a balloon, occasionally making a decision as to whether to go a bit higher or not, ‘a pilot’ a bit over the top? Is that not akin to calling the bloke who cuts the strips of meat from the kebab spindle ‘a surgeon’?
August 16th, 2010 on 8:08 pm
The sky even graduates in blueness just like the background image of this site.. It’s almost too perfect..
Would.
June 16th, 2011 on 8:30 pm
If you check the CAA G-INFO website, it now says that G-SEGA, the Sonic Hot Air Balloon is back on the UK register. I should know, I own it!! Malcolm
June 17th, 2011 on 9:55 am
@GigerPunk – Hot Air Balloons are registered aircraft and, as such, its PILOT has to have a PPL or (in our case) a CPL in order to carry out commercial work. As well as ‘occasionally making a decision as to whether to go a bit higher or not’ there are many elements to flying a balloon i.e. passing all the exams, communication with ATC etc etc. Wouldn’t it be great is life was as simple as you make out. I would stick to pissing on bonfires if I was you.
June 17th, 2011 on 10:38 am
Are there any recent photos/videos of it in action?
June 17th, 2011 on 11:23 am
Well, that’s me told then. As for sticking to pissing on bonfires, I’d best not – as pointed out before, last time I did this most of a hillside went up in flames.
Of course, the driver* of the fire engine didn’t help – on seeing a load of cub scouts running down the hillside, waving their arms, they obviously thought “Oh, it’s not real a fire, it’s just cubs camping” as they promptly turned round to go back to the fire station, which didn’t really help matters. By the time they came back half the bracken was ablaze. No amount of our top-deck shandy-enhanced wee-wee could stop it then.
*Maybe they’re not called drivers, maybe they’re pilots too?
June 17th, 2011 on 12:44 pm
>>top-deck shandy-enhance wee-wee
Haha, your pee was probably flammable :-)
June 17th, 2011 on 12:46 pm
>>Are there any recent photos/videos of it in action?
The most recent photo is the one above taken at the end of March 2010. There is some video from 2007 on YouTube. We are planning to get him out soon to give him a thorough medical to see if we can get him airworthy again. We are holding the ballooning event in Trim again at Easter 2012 and hope to have Sonic make his official re-appearance in the skies.
June 17th, 2011 on 1:03 pm
Awesome news! At least one thing to do with SEGA hasn’t come crashing down in flames.
June 17th, 2011 on 1:37 pm
>>His Legs! what’s happened to his legs?
The reason that his legs are a little limp in this photograph is due to a lack of internal pressurisation. There are vents in the feet (held together with velcro) which can be opened and a cold-air fan can inflate the feet. When the balloon is ready for launch and up to temperature, the feet should stay inflated with the internal pressure (there is an opening at the top of the legs inside the balloon). That photo was taken before the feet had inflated.
As hot air balloons get older, the fabric becomes more porous and it gets more difficult to maintain sufficient pressure to inflate ‘appendages’. We may end up replacing fabric in order to reduce any porosity. We will know in a month or two if it’s a feasible project.
June 17th, 2011 on 1:42 pm
Who knew I had so much in common with a hot air balloon.
June 17th, 2011 on 3:01 pm
Unfortunately, Viagra won’t work with Sonic :-)