From Czechoslovakia in a Hot Air Balloon: A Family Escape Story

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

You can relate differently to what happened in the XX century in the countries of the socialist camp, but I am 100% sure of one thing: a free person cannot be locked up. And this is exactly what happened to the two-time champion of Czechoslovakia in cycling, Robert Gutyra. He was banned from performing in international competitions and ruined his sports career. And then the Slovak decided to flee the country with his wife and children … in a balloon.

Gutyra in 2006 gives an interview to Czech Television / www.ceskatelevize.cz.

The story is not unknown, but the more I read on the topic, the more I respected Gutyra. A man of steel will!A guy from the village on an inferior bike, thanks to perseverance and talent, made his way to the national team. He was an exceptional athlete, became a champion and in 1970 he was invited to work in Canada for six months. He went, pretending that he had not received a letter with a ban from the sports functionaries of Czechoslovakia, and when he returned, his passport was immediately taken away and suspended from participation in international competitions.

A still from the Czech TV program about Gutyr / www.ceskatelevize.cz.

The secret services offered Robert a deal, they say, we will release if you knock on other athletes. But Gutyra refused, saying that he was ending his sports career. Did not want. I had to. Well, at least by that time he had received the profession of a builder, the family was not left without funds. But he ruined his reputation. Because of this, others suffered - for example, my daughter was not taken to a good school for political reasons. And then Gutyra conceived an escape.

Once on Austrian television, which could be caught in Bratislava, Robert saw a story about two families fleeing from the GDR in a balloon. The way was remembered by the Slovak. Czechoslovakia was separated from Austria by a reliable voltage fence, the border was very well guarded. And by air - there were chances. The only problem is that Gutyra did not know anything about balloons.

Did not know. But I found out. Robert began to go to the library, read the necessary literature, disguising those books that really interested him under various reading materials. He went to the cinema ten times for a film where they showed a glimpse of how a balloon burner works. However, the necessary materials still had to be obtained. In a factory that made raincoats, Gutyra managed to buy several hundred meters of suitable elastic fabric, supposedly for the boat section.

The first ball, like the first pancake, came out lumpy. Robert spent a lot of money - think, he could buy a car, but safety was more important. The ball had to be cut open and burned. And the second was a success. According to her husband's patterns, it was sewn on a typewriter in the basement by Yana's wife. It was a titanic job. Judge for yourself: the ball is 20 meters high and about 17 meters wide - consider it like a house. And on the night of September 7-8, 1983, the family decided to flee.

Friends and neighbors were told that they were moving. The children learned about the plan only a couple of days before day X. The day before, Robert drove the balloon to a chosen place in the south of Moravia, six kilometers from the border with Austria, by car and showered it with branches and foliage. And at about 11 pm, the whole family plunged into a makeshift basket, reinforced with a metal plate at the bottom - in case the border guards noticed and started shooting. Robert is 39 years old, Yana - 36, daughter - 14 and son - 11. We took with them two bags of belongings and a racing bike (let's say, it served as an "anchor").

Reconstruction of the flight of Robert Gutyra with his family.

The flight lasted only 55 minutes. At some point, the burner went out and the ball began to rapidly lose height, but Gutyra managed to replace the gas cylinder. When we rose above the clouds - almost three kilometers above the ground, it was very beautiful. The border guards noticed a strange glow from a burner in the sky late. They began to fire signal flares, but it seems that they did not fully understand what they were dealing with.

It is very dangerous to sit down at night, but Robert was worried that they would be carried back to Czechoslovakia. They were very lucky that they did not run into, for example, a power line. From the collision with the ground, everyone flew out of the basket, but no one was injured. They were in Austria, in the small village of Falkenstein, where thousands of people did not live.

And then a new life began. The family emigrated to America, Gutyra worked as a builder, did not abandon the bike, but did not participate in the competition anymore. Several years ago, he and his wife returned to the Czech Republic and now lives in the resort town of Luhacovice. He is already 76. At home, Robert is a famous person, often tells his story in the press and says that the decision to escape was the best in his life.