SaskTel Hot Air Balloon

After over a decade of flying, the SaskTel Hot Air Balloon has retired for the 2009 season.

You may remember the first incarnation of the SaskTel balloon, the SaskTel Calling Card, which traveled the Land of Living Skies from 1996 through 1999. It was replaced by a balloon decorated as the planet Earth until 2004. A Celebrate Saskatchewan model took flight the summer of 2005 and continued through the summer of 2008. SaskTel’s balloon has covered more than 150,000 kilometers since it first took to the skies.

Each year, from June to September, the balloon made its way around the province visiting hundreds of community events, festivals, and exhibitions. Over the past several years, the balloon has visited countless locations and attended over a thousand events.

As part of our history, the SaskTel Hot Air Balloon School Program gave elementary school students all over the province the chance to learn about the science and history of ballooning as well as the innovations in technology that has made flying hot air balloons one of today’s most exciting sports. For four seasons between 1999 and 2003, a SaskTel Balloon Pilot toured schools throughout Saskatchewan to educate students about ballooning and the history of the modern balloon. In that time, over 24,000 students and staff saw the presentation.