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MIDDLETOWN — "A leap to the sky."

That's the way a buddy described hot air balloon takeoffs, a day before my virgin flight.

Now, a few hours after touching down in a Madison Twp. backyard, I'm wondering if my buddy's ever leapt before.

Taking off in the Gentle Breeze Hot Air Balloon Co.'s Kettering Medical Center balloon was less Spud Webb, more slow moving elevator.

Maybe if I was a person with the sense to fear heights it would have felt more leap-like. But having spent my formative years jumping off furniture, trees and bridges (into a lake, of course), I'm pretty numb to the danger of high places.

If anything gave me pause it was my fellow passengers. Knowing the Journal's sometimes tempestuous relationship with the Middletown police, the thought of being thrown overboard by patrolmen and a dispatcher sharing the basket fleetingly crossed my mind.

But once we were up, floating across the Great Miami River, any visions of death were eclipsed by the sight of the morning sun glowing off mist in Middletown's treetops. Turns out even the city's factories look majestic at 1,000 feet.

Hot air balloons are like the pontoon boats of the sky. Personally, I've always been more of a speed-boat fan.

But while you don't get gusts of wind blowing through your hair, there's a Zen-like pleasure to be had in floating over a sea of trees, the silence broken only by the occasional bark of a dog or a blast from the propane tanks.

The sky's big enough for all of us, I guess, pontoon and ski boaters alike.

Fear of heights doesn't keep Heffner grounded

"A noble soul is not the one that can manage the highest flights but the one that rises very little and falls very little but always dwells in a free, resplendent atmosphere and altitude."

This quote by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche accurately describes the feelings of an acrophobic — a person afraid of heights — taking her very first balloon ride.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity to face my fears. Also, I was assured by MidFirst Ohio Challenge coordinators I would be riding with Middletown's finest — two city police officers. What could be safer?

Climbing into the basket was OK. I was sure to find a strap to hold onto and smile for the camera as we prepared to take off at Hook Field Municipal Airport.

Within minutes, pilot Mike Gliatti had the "SanMarGale" balloon well above 1,000 feet to clear the air space in a timely fashion. It was in this breathtaking but terrifying ascension that I clung to the basket and realized this may not have been a good idea.

But then we left the smog of the city behind and smoothly sailed into a paradise only the birds know.

The sun rose ahead of us, making the treetops and river glitter. The neighborhoods and farm fields spanned before me, peaceful, quiet and beautiful in their simplicity. We were close enough to see horses running across the fields and residents standing on their porches looking upward with their morning cup of coffee.

As we prepare to land, we skimmed the trees. Though I did not dare reach out, Gliatti pulled a "tree bouquet" for me to remember my flight.

He asked, was my fear of heights conquered?

I'm not there yet, but a hot air balloon ride is certainly changing my view.

Robinette rides a magic carpet with rotors

During last year's MidFirst Ohio Challenge, I flew in a hot air balloon for the first time. Being the agreeable sort that I am, I agreed to soar above the earth once again, but in a new vehicle: a helicopter.

As the hour of my ride approached, I began to think, "What have I done?" Perhaps pilot Matt Rupe sensed my apprehension, because he told me, "A helicopter's like a magic carpet ride. You'll be fine."

Then I saw the chopper that would take me aloft. It had one thing in common with a carpet: it didn't have any doors. Again, I wondered if I was too agreeable for my own good.

Then, in a turn of events that would have made Alfred Hitchcock grin, Rupe increased the suspense by announcing he didn't have his keys.

Yes, folks, helicopters are just like cars. Without keys, they don't fly. Soon enough, however, Rupe retrieved his keys from his partner, and off we went.

I was expecting a fast launch, but a chopper takeoff isn't that much more intense than a balloon launch. It took me a couple seconds to realize we weren't touching the ground.

As we ascended about 600 feet, we got an excellent view of the entire Ohio Challenge grounds, and the city beyond it. The helicopter was a bit more intense than a balloon. When the helicopter made a sharp bank, I felt the G-forces, and my heart rate went up like our altitude as I felt myself leaning closer toward those open doors.

And then, as was the case last year, I was back on the ground before I knew it, wanting to go back up again. I'm not sure if a helicopter is like a magic carpet ride, but it is surely a whole new world.