Las Vegas Weekly

October 8, 2009 · 9:27 AM

Maiden voyage for Cloud Nine Balloon 500 feet above the Strip

By Robin Leach

The Cloud Nine balloon above the Strip.

Photo: Glenn Pinkerton/Las Vegas News Bureau

At 10 a.m. today, the skyline of Las Vegas will be forever changed. That’s when the world’s largest helium balloon, to be known as Cloud Nine, will be launched on its inaugural flight traveling 500 feet above the Strip.

Blast-off -- or, more accurately, lift-off -- will take place opposite Mandalay Bay. The first flight will feature a champagne toast to celebrate the new tourist attraction and its breathtaking aerial views. Each flight will last 10 minutes, but arrangements can be made for longer trips, including weddings and other group events.

We’ll have photos here tomorrow of the festivities. Click HERE for our earlier post about the balloon’s amazing statistics in Strip Scribbles (it’s the second item).

Updated at 1:56 p.m.: In this photo provided by Glenn Pinkerton of Las Vegas News Bureau, Cloud Nine, the world's largest land-tethered, helium-filled balloon, which rises to a height of 500 feet above the Las Vegas Strip, takes off on its maiden voyage.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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