The team from the School of Aeronautics at Samara University took part in the legendary "Sky Fair of the Urals" festival in the city of Kungur, Perm region. For the students, this event was a true baptism of fire in the world of aeronautics, offering a chance to put theory into practice and experience the true romance of the skies.
Over the course of a week, four active members of the school—Tatyana Bulkina, Ivan Abramov, Artem Akulenko, and Dmitry Kozin—gained hands-on experience alongside professional pilots competing in the Russian Aeronautics Championship and Cup. Our students participated in all three competitive flights.
The trip proved to be a serious challenge for the students. The festival schedule was extreme even for the most resilient: wake-up calls at 3:00 AM, briefings, and heading out to the launch field to prepare the balloons for dawn flights. The students admit they only managed a couple of hours of sleep a day, but the spectacle was well worth it.
"Of course, waking up early isn't easy, but those are truly magical moments when the fog is rolling in, the grass is wet with dew, the sun is just starting to rise, and the crickets and grasshoppers are chirping, while you stand there inflating a huge, colorful hot air balloon," shared Tatyana Bulkina, for whom this experience was a natural continuation of her training at the university's School of Aeronautics.
During the day, after the morning launches, the volunteers had a little time to rest, stroll through the historic merchant town of Kungur, or go paddleboarding. However, by 6:00 PM, the team would regroup for the evening flights, returning to the hotel well past midnight.
The first hot air balloon flight was a true gift for everyone. The students admitted they felt no fear of heights whatsoever—it was completely overshadowed by the incredible views of the Ural Mountains and the misty valleys, which are so strikingly different from the familiar plains of the Samara region. Absolute harmony and tranquility reigned in the sky, disturbed only by the rhythmic roar of the burner. The students assisted the pilots as navigators: tracking the trajectory, dropping markers, and soaking in the atmosphere of the competition, as the "Sky Fair" is an official stage of the Russian Cup for professionals.
The highlight of the program and the most vivid memory was the grand finale show, known as the "Dance of the Elephants." It is a spectacular sight where giant balloons light up and sway in sync to live music in the night sky, while motorcycles roar on the ground below. The students participated in the show using training balloon models, performing in front of a crowd of thousands and bringing joy to the spectators.
"It's very inspiring... Once you've been up in the sky, you want to return to it again and again," Tatyana noted.
Artem Akulenko confessed that for him, the main discovery was the amazing nature of the Perm Krai, the clean air, and the unparalleled bird's-eye view of the surroundings.
Pilot-instructor Sergey Shabanov, who accompanied the group, highly praised the results of the trip. According to him, working with real hot air balloons in the mountainous terrain of the Northern Urals gave the students invaluable experience that cannot be gained in standard training sessions. "The spark in their eyes burned even brighter!" he shared, expressing hope that the university will continue to pay close attention to this field, introducing the younger generation to the skies.
The students returned home with a wealth of new acquaintances—including aeronauts from Tyumen, Nizhny Novgorod, and other cities—and a firm desire to take to the skies once more. After all, once you have conquered such an element, it is impossible to forget that feeling of freedom.
Text by Darya Pyatnitsa
