Updated 11/08/2009 10:32 AM
Macy's Balloons Take Test Flights
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Some new balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took their final test flights in East Rutherford, N.J. Saturday.
The giant balloons were inflated at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, testing both the flying characters themselves and their handlers.
The new balloons include Ronald McDonald, The Pillsbury Doughboy, Mickey Mouse dressed as a sailor and Spider-Man.
"We are test-flying them for the very first time. We get to see them fully-inflated, which is fun," said Macy's Parade producer Amy Kule. "When they're built, they're built in little chambers and little parts. Today is really the first time we get to see them all together, outside."
The earthbound handlers. directed by a pilot and a captain of each balloon, got a workout as well, as they prepared for the parade two-and-a-half weeks from now.