Express send-off for DHL balloon

2008-10-06T09:21:00Z

April Chong witnesses the dismantling of a landmark.

IT WAS a quick and quiet farewell to what had once been a floating compass of sorts.

People used the gravid helium balloon to navigate their way around Bugis as a reference point for the past two years. I know, because I did it as well.

At one point, the icon even had up to 1,000 people clamouring for a piece of it in a day.

But when the red and yellow DHL balloon was taken down early this morning, it didn't attract much attention at all.

Sending the package off.
Source: Handout

Engineers from balloon company Aerophile and staff from Singapore Ducktours were already at the balloon field at 5am to start the dismantling.

Imminent bad weather had threatened to ruin the whole process and they had to let the helium out more than an hour ahead of the scheduled deflation time.

By 8am, the balloon was down. No fanfare. Nothing. Just a curious office crowd as witness.

I was at the balloon field, watching the 10 workers tugging the sad pile of material on the ground.

It was even denied a proper farewell last week when a microchip glitch forced the balloon to be grounded before its swan song. Ducktours had planned a farewell party but it did not materialise.

Weekends have always been hectic for the balloon pilots and the ground crew. Twenty-eight-year-old balloon pilot, Leonard Seek, recalled how he had been kept so busy that toilet breaks were taken with a sprint. Lunch was often a hastily-chomped burger while he brought passengers up on the balloon.

He was there when the balloon was set up and joined the motley crew in bringing the balloon down on Monday.

"It's like missing a friend," he said.

The balloon field will be making way for the new Bugis MRT station. As for the balloon, it will be packed off to France for a scrub down and servicing before being deployed to its next destination in the sky.

The Straits Times Blogs - April Chong

Express send-off for DHL balloon