An international festival of hot air balloons will be held for the first time in Moldova during May 8-10, Info-Prim Neo learned from a press release of the organizer, the sport club Aerobis. “Hot air ballooning is probably one of the most spectacular and entertaining aircraft navigation activities. Ballooning (…) is a hobby and a sport for many and, of course, for everyone who ever had a ride in a balloon it has become a lifestyle, a means to express one of the oldest dreams of mankind: to rise into the air and fly”, the release says. The event will be attended by such famous names in European ballooning as Hans van Hoesel, who is the president of the Royal Netherlands Aeronautical Association's Ballooning Department, and Michael Suchy, six-time champion of the Czech Republic, and also champion of Austria and Slovakia. A hot air balloon is 25 to 35 meters high and 12 to 18 meters in diameter. The balloons that will be featured in the festival have volumes ranging from 2,000 and 4,500 cubic meters, being as tall as 6-8 floor buildings. The balloons will be launched from one of the nine sites on Chisinau's outskirts, depending on wind direction. All the flights will take place around 6:00-7:00AM and 6:00-7:00PM on each day of the festival, provided that the weather conditions are favorable.