Ballooning! No other form of flight so closely captures the feeling of freedom in air. The first balloons were made of everything from varnished taffeta to cloth and rubber, while today's airships are of colorful nylon and polyester. Modern balloons carry the latest in flight instrumentation: vertical speed indicators, altimeters and propane gas level indicators. Travel is limited to the early hours of the morning, when the air is cool and dense, because balloons cannot tolerate more than ten knots of wind while they are inflating or ascending. The Great Greenwich Balloon Race is completely fictitious. That's what makes it fun! I wanted to let my color sense and concepts of design run wild with these joyful airships. If you feel as though you're up there with 'em, then I've succeeded at my job. - CK