Since she was little, balloons have always brought Kimberly Whiteman joy.
“I loved helium balloons, toy balloons,” Whiteman said. “I don't know what age I was when I really got into hot air balloons, but it’s just a bigger balloon, you know?”
Now she has a chance to represent the United States at the Women’s Hot Air Balloon World Championship in Australia.
After placing eighth in the July 2023 U.S. Women's Hot Air Balloon National Championship, Whiteman earned a spot on Team USA as an alternate. Another pilot pulled out because of family obligations in June, giving Whiteman the opportunity.
The World Championship will be Sept. 2 through Sept. 9 in Northam, Australia, just outside of Perth.
Whiteman said there’s 31 female pilots representing 13 countries. She’ll be one of four pilots representing the United States.
It’s a points-based competition. Whiteman said pilots receive a task sheet each day, showing them targets on the ground or virtual targets in the air.
“You get points depending on how close you are to the center of the target,” Whiteman said.
Pilots can steer the balloons simply by going higher or lower in the air.
“At different altitudes, the winds are going in different directions,” Whiteman explained.
Pilots also send out test balloons before the flight to see the direction of the winds at different altitudes.
Whiteman said she’s been able to fly about once or twice a month this year in preparation for nationals and now worlds.
Thanks to a GoFundMe set up by her sister, she’s already purchased a ticket to Australia.
They’re still raising money to ship her own balloon to the competition. Otherwise, they might need to rent one.
