A forecast of gusting winds threatened to ground the big balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade but they flew as planned on Thursday morning — in a manner of speaking.

Instead of soaring balloons, handlers kept them just feet from the ground, battling with buffeting winds at each intersection.

At points, the gusts tipped the balloons toward the packed bleachers on Central Park West, sending up shrieks from the crowd as Ronald McDonald or a Power Ranger lurched above, then cheers as soon as they were upright again.

“This is stressful!” a police officer stationed in front of Trump International Hotel at 61st Street said as Jett, an airplane character from the “Super Wings” cartoon, nose-dived into the pavement before being rescued by handlers hauling on its strings.