Passenger describes hot air balloon landing
To the Editor:

Having been a passenger in the hot air balloon that landed at the Mill Pond School recently, I read with great interest your article entitled "Incidents of hot air balloon landings worry police chief." [The article appeared in the Nov. 7 issue of the Community Advocate.]

Westborough Police Chief Gordon was reported to have eyewitness accounts of the landing that indicated that the balloon almost hit the school and cars in the parking lot before landing. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The pilot had clearly targeted the school for landing and had announced it to us. We cruised over the school - waving to excited children in the classrooms along the way - as the pilot professionally and skillfully landed the balloon in the GATED basketball court adjacent to the school. The nearest cars were in the parking lot, probably a hundred yards or more away. The craft was never in danger of striking the school, cars or children by any stretch of the imagination.

In retrospect, it might have been better if the hot air balloon had landed elsewhere. Nevertheless, I can assure your readers that there was never any danger to the school, its occupants or to the community in general.
James J. Hoogasian
Shrewsbury