FAA Tests Great Park Balloon

MAY 15, 2008 – IRVINE, California – The Orange County Great Park Corporation announced today that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials participated in a series of Balloon flights in order to observe operations and make certain that all the safety conditions are being met. The Balloon ride is currently closed to the public due to construction on the surrounding Preview Park. It will be re-opened at the Great Park’s third anniversary event on July 12, 2008.

The July 12th celebration will be the opening of the 27.5 acre Preview Park and the Great Park Summer 2008, a series of performance arts and cultural activities lasting through the fall. The Preview Park will feature a wide variety of visitor experiences including balloon night flights, the Hangar 224 Cafe’, a display of vintage aircraft, picnic areas, and performance programs. It will be the first full-use public facility within the Great Park and will be developed over the next 18 to 24 months.

“We invite everyone to come ride the Great Park Balloon when it takes flight again July 12th when the grand opening festivities of the Preview Park take place,” said Larry Agran, Chair, Orange County Great Park Board Corporation. “The Great Park Preview Park will be the place for all people to be this summer to experience a new kind of park that will offer something for everyone.”

The Orange County Great Park, which is almost twice the size of New York City’s Central Park, will be a major metropolitan park and the focal point of the redevelopment of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro. The Great Park will include extensive natural areas and open space in addition to recreational and cultural uses. For more information, please go to www.ocgp.org.

Press Contacts:
Ian Gregor
Public Information Officer
Federal Aviation Administration
(310) 725-7200 - Office
(424) 731- 0215 - Mobile