Back in 1783 Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes jumped into a wicker basket below a bag of silk filled with hot air created by the Montgolfier brothers and flew off into air over Paris, France.
Ever since that faithful day, the non-Acrophobia among us have view the world from a vantage point known only to kites, birds, low-flying aircraft, parachutes in their final moments and drones.
Strapped to huge fabric bags of hot air, sitting on tanks of potentially explosive propane, inches away from two foot long open flames, the brave souls who travel silently up up and away in their beautiful hot air balloons seem above us all and perhaps tend to put on airs a bit.
At least every June at the Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival which is now in its 37th year. Photographer Edward M. Fielding (www.edwardfielding.com) captured all of the fun of the big, colorful and very quiet aircraft at the recent event.
More info: edwardfielding.com