🇧🇪 Céroux-Mousty Balloon Field

Céroux-Mousty Balloon Field (BE-0012) is a hot-air balloon launch site located in Céroux-Mousty, Belgium, at latitude 50°39'36"N and longitude 4°30'47"E. The main launch area, Place Communale de Céroux, is a 10,000 m² square with 56 listed elm trees, making it the largest tree-surrounded square in Belgium and an ideal, wind-protected site for balloon inflation,. It is also known as "Place des Montgolfières".

The site has a rich history in Belgian ballooning. The first hot-air balloon launch from Céroux took place in April 1970 with an English balloon,. The "Club des ballons de Céroux" (Céroux Ballooning Club) was established in 1970 and used the square as a training ground, becoming the "cradle of aerostation" in Belgium and training dozens of pilots and instructors. The club organized an annual "Ascension meeting" between 1978 and 1994, with the 1992 event seeing 54 balloons take off and attracting over 6,000 spectators,. Notable events include Belgian records for distance, duration, and altitude, and a world record for duration in a small balloon set by Claude Van Hoorebeeck in 1987.

The Place Communale de Céroux remains an official and preferred launch site for pilots due to its protective tree line and scenic views. The Notre-Dame du Bon Secours church's clock-tower, dating from 1848, is a familiar landmark and part of the Club's emblem,. The square is still used for local events and hot-air balloon take-offs.

*Sources researched: parcours.tourisme-olln.be, pilotnav.com, ballonsdeceroux.be, ourairports.com*