Despite being a fair-weather sport, hot air ballooning is a social, family oriented hobby.

"It's the peace and tranquility when you're in the air," that Augusta pilot Thomas David Fields, Jr., who goes by David, likes about flying.

"You know exactly where you're going to land; you just don't know where, until you get there," Mr. Fields said. "But that's the challenge - you're challenging the wind."

Pilots fly the first two hours after sunrise and the last two hours before sunset, because that is when wind conditions are the calmest. They do not fly in the rain because it is hard for the nylon or polyester balloon to dry out. A balloonist has full control of up and down but does not have control of which way the wind blows.

Mr. Fields has been flying since 1991 and has a commercial license, so he can take two to three passengers for a fee. He owns two balloons.

There are eight pilots in the Augusta- Aiken area; six have a commercial license and two have a private license. Two pilots just received their licenses, one a commercial - which takes 35 flight hours - and one private, which requires 10 flight hours.

New commercial pilot Manning Bowie, of Augusta, likes the idea of meeting new people.

"When people see a balloon they go wild," Mr. Bowie said. "We love to get people interested (in the hobby) and have them (spectators) help us pack up."

Richard Ret is considered the first person in Augusta to fly a hot air balloon; he started in 1989. He taught Mr. Fields to fly in 1991.

"It's been a rewarding career, flying for 17 years now," Mr. Ret said. "What I like about flying, the adventure of the fact that, you're flying a seven-story building without a steering wheel, and you're never too sure about where you're going to land."

Five hot air balloons launched from Regency Mall on a recent Saturday a little after 3 p.m. for a flight of at least an hour. The trips average three miles to 15 miles in a typical flight around Augusta.