MY MOST MEMORABLE flight never got above 20 feet in altitude. What made it memorable was the kindness of the pilot, and the impression that he made on four strangers. Dennis Floden, former World Hot Air Balloon Champion, designed "The Great Tony," a hot air balloon shaped like Tony the Tiger. Kellogg's hired Denny to take Tony around the world as an ambassador for Frosted Flakes cereal. I met Denny in 1990 in Palm Springs, Florida. One evening, Denny was taking Kellogg's employees on tethered rides in the parking lot of our resort. As I was about to climb into the basket, Denny asked me to wait, and he addressed someone beyond the crowd. "Would you like a ride?" Everyone turned toward a couple with two children, watching from the bed of a dilapidated truck. A sign in the truck's window said, "Need Work." They nodded, and cautiously approached. Denny helped them into the basket, and asked the older child to "pull the tiger's tail," igniting the burner, and the balloon rose. Denny pointed out the sights, talked to them about the balloon, and slowly allowed the envelope to cool, settling them back to Earth, and back to their journey.
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机译：我最难忘的飞行从未超过20英尺的高度。让它令人难忘的是飞行员的善意，以及他在四个陌生人上制作的印象。 Dennis Floden，前世界热气球冠军，设计了“伟大的托尼”，一个类似于Tony The Tony Tone Tony Tone的热气球。 Kellogg的聘请丹尼作为磨砂薄片谷物的大使将世界各地托在世界各地。我在1990年在佛罗里达州棕榈泉遇到了丹尼。一天晚上，丹尼在我们度假村的停车场乘坐Kellogg的员工。当我即将爬进篮子里，丹尼让我等待，他向人群超越了一个人。 “你想要骑吗？”每个人都转向一个与两个孩子的一对夫妇，从破旧的卡车的床上看。卡车窗口的一个标志说，“需要工作。”他们点点头，谨慎接近。丹尼帮助他们进入了篮子里，并要求年龄较大的孩子“拉扯老虎的尾巴”点燃燃烧器，气球升起。丹尼指出了景点，对他们谈论了气球，慢慢允许信封凉爽，将它们恢复到地球上，回到他们的旅程。
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