Great Park Balloon to Fly in July

MAY 21, 2008 – IRVINE, California – The Orange County Great Park Corporation has received the certificate of wavier from the Federal Aviation Administration to resume flights of the Great Park Balloon. Aviation Professionals Group, the outside aviations expert hired by the Corporation to conduct the Great Park Balloon operations review, concluded that the Great Park Balloon operation “is one of the safest moored balloon operations we have observed.”

The Balloon will remain tethered until mid July to allow for construction of the Preview Park. The 27.5 acre Preview Park which surrounds the Balloon site, will be developed over the next 18 to 24 months. When completed, it will feature a wide variety of visitor experiences including Balloon night flights, a display of vintage aircraft, and picnic areas.

The first phase of the Preview Park will open on July 12th with a “Festival of Flight”, a community celebration of the Great Park’s third anniversary. Throughout the remainder of the summer and into the fall, the Preview Park will be home to “Great Park Summer 2008”, a series of evening concerts, a community dance pavilion, and a variety of special events.

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