Before I realised how dangerous and ecologically unsound they are, I flew a number of backyard 'hot air balloons'. These often presented amazing shows from the

Before I realised how dangerous and ecologically unsound they are, I flew a number of backyard 'hot air balloons'. These often presented amazing shows from the ground - flying in a 'formation', strobing, changing direction and speed as they hit different wind patterns, 'disappearing' as the fuel went out, sometimes dropping burning wax. Once launched it was so hard to see how far away they were on a dark night or even that they were fire balloons.