21 March 2017

How to fly a giant inflatable wine bottle

The Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League have an interesting sponsor - Pellar Estates Winery in the Okanagan of British Columbia. Their sponsorship with the Giants includes this giant, radio controlled, wine bottle blimp. During the intermissions of the game, Brent the pilot and his assistant load the blimp with prizes and drop them randomly to excited fans. Brent and Don are responsible for the complete operation of the blimp, from game time filling and flying, to also maintaining the equipment during the season and post season. As simple as this looks, at times it can be quite challenging with building currents, aggressive fans trying to grab the blimp, and of course, everyone that walks by its docking station wants a picture with the blimp!