The history of the Great Line
This is the most anticipated event in the world of ballooning. Every pilot on the planet dreams of participating. It is a unique flight in the world. A flight that gives you chills and “puts you in awe”. The #GEMAB pilots will tell you. It is truly a unique moment. This is the Great Line!
And yet this event might never have seen the light of day. The Great Line was born during a morning flight in 2005. It had rained the day before. The pilots did not want to wet their envelope. They were proposed to inflate on the runway. The balloons were lined up next to each other. And that’s how the Great Line is born. Since then, no pilot would want to leave the event without being able to take part in this flight.
The Chambley aerodrome is ideal for this purpose. With a 2,940 meters main runway, a 750 meters additional paved runway and finally a 2,500 meters taxiway, there is no better place for a line takeoff! There is enough space for pilots from all over the world considering other taxiways and the grass strip. The balloons are spaced out enough to take off safely and fly in ideal flying conditions.
For balloon pilots, the Great Line has become a compulsory passage. On the ground the fans blow, the burners roar in harmony and the envelopes lift up. Hundreds of hot-air balloons line up carefully and take off one after the other. In less than an hour.
A magical, exciting moment, a dream come true. Indescribable. Everyone depicts the Great Line in his or her own words. But what is certain is that it marks the life of a pilot forever.
Relive the takeoff of the Great Line
Pilots know it, being part of the Great Line is being part of the History of ballooning. Year after year, the Great Lines succeeded one another and records have been broken. The latest took place on July 28, 2017, with 456 hot-air balloons taking off
Here is an overview of the number of hot-air balloons per edition since the creation of the Great Line:
- Edition 2005 : 261 hot-air balloons
- Edition 2007 : 219
- Edition 2009 : 329
- Edition 2011 : 343
- Edition 2013 : 391
- Edition 2015 : 433
- Edition 2017 : 456
- Edition 2019 : The record is not upgraded, but it is preserved.
The story continues in 2021. See you on Sunday, July 25, 2021 to set (why not) a new record, we are counting on you!
Edition after edition, record after record, it brings us together and unites us. It is unique in the world. It is the Great Line.
