DHL Balloon
1°17′54.5″N 103°51′25.8″E / 1.298472°N 103.857167°E
The DHL Balloon, in Singapore, was the world's second largest
History
The
The business partners involved in the project worked with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore Land Authority and Singapore Tourism Board to allow public advertising on the balloon, and arranged to lease the site at a cost of more than S$1 million over two years. Prior to this project, large advertisements in public areas were not allowed in Singapore.[3] S$800,000 was spent priming the ground for the balloon and another S$60,000 to purchase the helium.[4]
On 19 April 2006, 40 crew members took 12 hours to inflate the French-made balloon, which took its first passengers in May 2006. The DHL Balloon was operated by Singapore Ducktours, a company which also offers city tours on its amphibious vehicles.[1] By September 2007, more than 150,000 people had ridden on the balloon, 70% of whom were tourists. Up to 1,000 people rode the balloon each weekend and its usage was the highest among all of Aerophile's balloons.
The DHL Balloon's lease on its site on Tan Quee Lan Street expired in August 2008[5] and URA terminated the lease as the site was to be used for the new Downtown line's Bugis MRT station. Singapore Ducktours considered three alternative sites: Beach Road near Park View Hotel, Clarke Quay near Novotel Clarke Quay Hotel, and Gardens by the Bay at Marina Bay but was told by the authorities that these sites were unavailable. Other plans included relocating the balloon to Kuala Lumpur or Johor Bahru in Malaysia. Terminating the venture would cost the company S$1.2 million.[4]
Unable to find a suitable site at which to continue operations, Singapore Ducktours dismantled the DHL Balloon in October 2008.[6]
Ride
Passengers could ride the DHL Balloon and have a view of Singapore's Central Area, including the central business district, Suntec City, Marina Bay, Orchard Road and Little India, and could see Indonesia and Malaysia.[2] Standard flights to 150 metres (500') typically lasted between seven and ten minutes and higher level flights to 180 metres (600') lasted up to 13 minutes.
Features and specifications
The DHL Balloon measured 22 metres (72') in diameter and was filled with 6,500 cubic metres (8500 cu. yd.) of helium. It was certified as an aircraft.[2] It was one of only fifteen similar balloons around the world in cities including Paris and Hong Kong made by Aerophile.
As the balloon was
Piloting
The balloon, which flew between two and six times an hour, was operated by a pilot within the gondola. A
Maintenance
A crew of six pilots worked in rotation with one on duty at any one time. They conducted routine checks daily, weekly and every three months on the balloon and its equipment. The helium was replenished every four to six months and engineers visited the balloon each year to conduct an inspection.[7]
See also
Notes
- ^ The Business Times.
- ^ Channel NewsAsia. 19 April 2006. Archivedfrom the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
- ^ Chua Mui Hoong (17 November 2006). "Wanted in public service: Guts, gumption and risk-taking". The Straits Times.
- ^ The Sunday Times. p. 9.
- The Sunday Times.
- ^ "Express send-off for DHL balloon". The Straits Times. 6 October 2008. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
- ^ The Sunday Times. p. L5.
References
- Teo Cheng Wee (2 September 2007). "Float or Fly?: DHL Balloon owners say they don't view Singapore Flyer as a competitor". The Sunday Times. Singapore. p. L5.
External links
