http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2007/08/28/4451493-sun.html
Tue, August 28, 2007
Barry McGonigle of Belmont-based Sundance Balloons says safety is always a top priority.
By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA
When a hot-air balloon went down in flames in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey last Friday, Barry McGonigle got the news first and it hit hard.
One of his own Sundance balloons was in the air nearby at the time.
The horrified Sundance pilot saw the fatal accident and called McGonigle immediately on a cellphone.
McGonigle and his wife, Judy, then watched the television coverage back in London.
"It unfolded before my eyes just like 9/11 when the jets went into the towers. It was just a horrendous night for us," said McGonigle, president of Belmont-based Sundance Balloons, the largest hot-air balloon business in North America.
A fire broke out in the balloon's gondola before it plummeted into a trailer park, destroying several mobile homes. Shannon Knacksted and her daughter, Gemma, of Langley, B.C., were killed.
And although the tragedy involved a rival company, McGonigle said it has tarnished the reputation of the entire industry and comes just two weeks after the worst accident in Sundance's 25-year history.
A Sundance balloon flying near Winnipeg made a hard landing, injuring 11 passengers. The pilot and a passenger suffered the most serious injuries from the balloon's propane burner.
McGonigle believes the passenger involved in the Winnipeg accident has been released from hospital, but the pilot is still facing weeks of treatment for his burns.
Both the Vancouver and the Winnipeg accidents are being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
Earlier this year, a London woman was killed when she fell from a hot air balloon in California.
Sundance Balloons operates 2,500 to 3,000 recreational flights in 14 Canadian centres and carries about 12,000 passengers a year.
The company also manufactures balloons, but did not make the balloons involved in either the Vancouver or Winnipeg accidents.
Sundance has suspended its own flights in Vancouver since the accident as a sign of respect for the victims.
Footage of the plunging, fiery balloon in Vancouver was shown repeatedly on cable networks. McGonigle was interviewed by NBC news following the Vancouver accident and explained the strict safety rules governing the industry.
"All we can tell people is we live our lives by safety. But we are concerned this will scare some people away," said McGonigle, noting the design and manufacture of hot-air balloons is tightly regulated and accidents are rare.
McGonigle said he has not noticed any significant decline in bookings since the accidents but said the situation has been complicated by poor weather, which normally puts a damper on business.
"It's too early to tell."
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Good example of why not to comment...
Well, I have not added a comment about the accident because, I was not there, don't know the systems involved or the weather.
However Mark Roberson was probably rung by his local station and asked for comment, you have to be very careful when asked such things, rather say nothing at all then let journos add extra to your comments.
http://www.wesh.com/news/13982944/detail.html
A hot air balloon caught fire Friday near the U.S. border in British Columbia.
A hot air balloon burst into flames before taking off on Friday, but the fire caused the basket to break loose and start floating, which forced the passengers to jump for their lives.
Both passengers, a mother and daughter, died in the accident.
Mark Roberson is the operator of Orlando Balloon Rides, the largest ballooning operation on the eastern seaboard.
As a long-time hot air balloon pilot, Roberson said one of the keys to the safety of hot air ballooning is its simplicity.
"The systems are so simple, you have the fuel tank, the burner and a hose leading up to the burner. Those are all the moving parts," Roberson said.
He said the most important moving part is the hot air balloon pilot.
After reviewing tape of the Canada accident, Roberson, who also serves as a pilot trainer for the FAA, said an improperly disconnected propane hose may have started the fire.
"The equipment doesn't malfunction. It has to have the human error," Roberson said.
Canadian authorities have not yet concluded what caused the tragedy.
Roberson said that he and other pilots will study results of the investigation to make sure it doesn't happen elsewhere.
He calls this type of tragedy extremely rare.
"In all reality, the reason they're such news items is they rarely ever happen," Roberson said.
Experts said there hasn’t been a fatal balloon accident in the Orlando area in more than 20 years
However Mark Roberson was probably rung by his local station and asked for comment, you have to be very careful when asked such things, rather say nothing at all then let journos add extra to your comments.
http://www.wesh.com/news/13982944/detail.html
A hot air balloon caught fire Friday near the U.S. border in British Columbia.
A hot air balloon burst into flames before taking off on Friday, but the fire caused the basket to break loose and start floating, which forced the passengers to jump for their lives.
Both passengers, a mother and daughter, died in the accident.
Mark Roberson is the operator of Orlando Balloon Rides, the largest ballooning operation on the eastern seaboard.
As a long-time hot air balloon pilot, Roberson said one of the keys to the safety of hot air ballooning is its simplicity.
"The systems are so simple, you have the fuel tank, the burner and a hose leading up to the burner. Those are all the moving parts," Roberson said.
He said the most important moving part is the hot air balloon pilot.
After reviewing tape of the Canada accident, Roberson, who also serves as a pilot trainer for the FAA, said an improperly disconnected propane hose may have started the fire.
"The equipment doesn't malfunction. It has to have the human error," Roberson said.
Canadian authorities have not yet concluded what caused the tragedy.
Roberson said that he and other pilots will study results of the investigation to make sure it doesn't happen elsewhere.
He calls this type of tragedy extremely rare.
"In all reality, the reason they're such news items is they rarely ever happen," Roberson said.
Experts said there hasn’t been a fatal balloon accident in the Orlando area in more than 20 years
Crash Videos
They speak for themselves.
Be careful out there, and I don't mean that in a flippant way.
G
Be careful out there, and I don't mean that in a flippant way.
G
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Canadian accident
Another sad accident in Canada, I will not add any more to the newspaper reports that are below, follow the links to see pictures. It started hitting the news late last night here in the UK.
The BBC were showing footage of the aftermath.
As ever it goes without saying, be careful out there.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/08/25/4446276.html
Flames consume motor homes at the Hazelmere RV trailer park after a hot air balloon whose basket was engulfed in flames crashed into it shortly after takeoff in Surrey British Colombia Canada Friday evening. (AP photo/Don Randall SURREY, B.C. — As a hot-air balloon burst into flames and plummeted into an RV park, killing two people, a horrific scene of chaos and a raging inferno ensued, witnesses said. “I saw the balloon coming down on the front of the trailer and when it hit, it exploded,” said Karen Ashby.
“There were flames and fire, people running. Everybody was in a panic. It was a shock. It was like a war zone here.”
Family members of the two victims were among those who stood powerless on the ground Friday evening, watching as the flaming balloon crashed directly into a trailer.
Sgt. Roger Morrow of Surrey RCMP said the victims will not be identified until at least early next week to give the family a chance to recover from the shock of what they witnessed.
Eleven people were taken by ground and air ambulances to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Three trailers were destroyed, but luckily about seven people in the trailers got out safely, said Ralph Zandergen, the owner of Hazelmere Trailer Park.
There is little left of the three trailers now, said Zandergen, and the one in the middle that was directly hit is just a pile of ashes and a few propane tanks.
Mike Braden, 48, a resident of the RV park, said he looked out his window to see the balloon and its basket in flames.
“The basket broke and it dropped on the trailer and beside the truck,” he said.
“It was totally engulfed in flames. (After it crashed), tires were blowing and a few propane tanks went off and it was just an inferno.”
One day later the smell of burnt plastic and smoke still permeates the area and puddles of plastic dot the ground.
Ashby, 50, held back tears while she explained how she watched the coroner sift through the blackened wreckage.
“They found the bodies in here,” she said. “I watched them take them out.”
Though the scene of destruction has Ashby shaken up, she defended the actions of the balloon pilot.
She said both her children and her husband have been up in a balloon with the same pilot.
She said he was very responsible and that “you couldn’t ask for a better person that flies that balloon.”
“That was a pure accident. Something malfunctioned. Something went wrong. That man would have never done anything if he would have thought there would be any harm to anybody.”
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Police say it’s premature to speculate on a cause.
http://www.pr-inside.com/hot-air-balloon-catches-fire-in-r208746.htm
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - A hot air balloon burst into flames over western Canada, burning two passengers to death while their families looked on, police said Saturday. Other passengers leaped to the ground, some with their clothes in flames, witnesses said.Eleven people were seriously injured when the balloon crashed Friday evening in a recreational vehicle park in Surrey, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. There were 12 passengers and a pilot on board, police and witnesses said.Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Roger Morrow said relatives of the two passengers killed witnessed the fire. He declined to comment on reports that the dead were a mother and her grown daughter.«It's just tragic. They watched it unfold before their eyes,» Morrow said of the families. «The fatalities suffered from burns.The balloon caught fire as it prepared to launch, said Bill Yearwood, an investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.«The crew loaded 12 passengers and was preparing to launch when a fire erupted. The pilot asked the passengers to get out of the basket,» he said. «The balloon was tethered at the time, but then broke and came loose,» he added.«They were all trying to get out.After most of the passengers escaped, the balloon exploded in a fireball and shot up into the air. Shortly after, the burning balloon plunged to ground in the RV park, leaving a tail of thick black smoke in its wake.«I can't tell you what exactly happened when the balloon was loosened from the tether,» Yearwood said. «We will be talking to attending crew members and the pilot to find out.He said the pilot was in stable condition.«The thing went up about 400 feet (122 meters) in the air at which point it melted enough of the balloon _ it collapsed,» said Don Randall, a resident of the trailer park who took pictures of the scene. «The basket was basically a fireball. It just dropped like a stone,» he added.«I'm just thinking, 'Oh geez, I hope there's nobody in that thing. It's basically a burning death up there,»' he said.Smoke could be seen billowing from the crash site from miles (kilometers) away.Another resident, Karen Ashby, held back tears while she explained how she watched the coroner sift through the blackened wreckage.«They found the bodies in here,» Ashby said. «I watched them take them out.The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Weather conditions were clear at the time of the sunset flight.«People were screaming and trying to get out,» Frank Hersey said Friday night near a grassy field where several of the injured were being attended to by ambulance crews.
Perry Kendall said he saw what looked like something out of a movie.«It was horrifying,» said a shaken Kendall. «Just looking at people screaming and jumping out of there. Some of them, I think, had fire on their clothes. It was just awful.Witnesses also said propane tanks from the balloon shot off and landed on the Hazelmere RV park below, setting fire to three trailers and several vehicles. No one was reported hurt in those blazes.«We're exceptionally lucky that nobody in any of these three trailers or in the vehicles that were destroyed were caught in them,» Morrow said.The hot-air balloon, which CTV reported was operated by Fantasy Balloons Charters based in Langley, British Columbia, was one of several balloons in flight at the time.«The company deeply regrets this evening's incident and all injuries associated with it (and) inconvenience to those people being displaced,» said John K. George, a company spokesman.There was a similar accident earlier this month in the central Canadian province of Manitoba, Manitoba, where 12 people were injured.Associated Press writers Rob Gillies and Charmaine Noronha in Toronto contributed to this report.
The BBC were showing footage of the aftermath.
As ever it goes without saying, be careful out there.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/08/25/4446276.html
Flames consume motor homes at the Hazelmere RV trailer park after a hot air balloon whose basket was engulfed in flames crashed into it shortly after takeoff in Surrey British Colombia Canada Friday evening. (AP photo/Don Randall SURREY, B.C. — As a hot-air balloon burst into flames and plummeted into an RV park, killing two people, a horrific scene of chaos and a raging inferno ensued, witnesses said. “I saw the balloon coming down on the front of the trailer and when it hit, it exploded,” said Karen Ashby.
“There were flames and fire, people running. Everybody was in a panic. It was a shock. It was like a war zone here.”
Family members of the two victims were among those who stood powerless on the ground Friday evening, watching as the flaming balloon crashed directly into a trailer.
Sgt. Roger Morrow of Surrey RCMP said the victims will not be identified until at least early next week to give the family a chance to recover from the shock of what they witnessed.
Eleven people were taken by ground and air ambulances to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Three trailers were destroyed, but luckily about seven people in the trailers got out safely, said Ralph Zandergen, the owner of Hazelmere Trailer Park.
There is little left of the three trailers now, said Zandergen, and the one in the middle that was directly hit is just a pile of ashes and a few propane tanks.
Mike Braden, 48, a resident of the RV park, said he looked out his window to see the balloon and its basket in flames.
“The basket broke and it dropped on the trailer and beside the truck,” he said.
“It was totally engulfed in flames. (After it crashed), tires were blowing and a few propane tanks went off and it was just an inferno.”
One day later the smell of burnt plastic and smoke still permeates the area and puddles of plastic dot the ground.
Ashby, 50, held back tears while she explained how she watched the coroner sift through the blackened wreckage.
“They found the bodies in here,” she said. “I watched them take them out.”
Though the scene of destruction has Ashby shaken up, she defended the actions of the balloon pilot.
She said both her children and her husband have been up in a balloon with the same pilot.
She said he was very responsible and that “you couldn’t ask for a better person that flies that balloon.”
“That was a pure accident. Something malfunctioned. Something went wrong. That man would have never done anything if he would have thought there would be any harm to anybody.”
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Police say it’s premature to speculate on a cause.
http://www.pr-inside.com/hot-air-balloon-catches-fire-in-r208746.htm
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) - A hot air balloon burst into flames over western Canada, burning two passengers to death while their families looked on, police said Saturday. Other passengers leaped to the ground, some with their clothes in flames, witnesses said.Eleven people were seriously injured when the balloon crashed Friday evening in a recreational vehicle park in Surrey, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. There were 12 passengers and a pilot on board, police and witnesses said.Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Roger Morrow said relatives of the two passengers killed witnessed the fire. He declined to comment on reports that the dead were a mother and her grown daughter.«It's just tragic. They watched it unfold before their eyes,» Morrow said of the families. «The fatalities suffered from burns.The balloon caught fire as it prepared to launch, said Bill Yearwood, an investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.«The crew loaded 12 passengers and was preparing to launch when a fire erupted. The pilot asked the passengers to get out of the basket,» he said. «The balloon was tethered at the time, but then broke and came loose,» he added.«They were all trying to get out.After most of the passengers escaped, the balloon exploded in a fireball and shot up into the air. Shortly after, the burning balloon plunged to ground in the RV park, leaving a tail of thick black smoke in its wake.«I can't tell you what exactly happened when the balloon was loosened from the tether,» Yearwood said. «We will be talking to attending crew members and the pilot to find out.He said the pilot was in stable condition.«The thing went up about 400 feet (122 meters) in the air at which point it melted enough of the balloon _ it collapsed,» said Don Randall, a resident of the trailer park who took pictures of the scene. «The basket was basically a fireball. It just dropped like a stone,» he added.«I'm just thinking, 'Oh geez, I hope there's nobody in that thing. It's basically a burning death up there,»' he said.Smoke could be seen billowing from the crash site from miles (kilometers) away.Another resident, Karen Ashby, held back tears while she explained how she watched the coroner sift through the blackened wreckage.«They found the bodies in here,» Ashby said. «I watched them take them out.The cause of the accident was not immediately known. Weather conditions were clear at the time of the sunset flight.«People were screaming and trying to get out,» Frank Hersey said Friday night near a grassy field where several of the injured were being attended to by ambulance crews.
Perry Kendall said he saw what looked like something out of a movie.«It was horrifying,» said a shaken Kendall. «Just looking at people screaming and jumping out of there. Some of them, I think, had fire on their clothes. It was just awful.Witnesses also said propane tanks from the balloon shot off and landed on the Hazelmere RV park below, setting fire to three trailers and several vehicles. No one was reported hurt in those blazes.«We're exceptionally lucky that nobody in any of these three trailers or in the vehicles that were destroyed were caught in them,» Morrow said.The hot-air balloon, which CTV reported was operated by Fantasy Balloons Charters based in Langley, British Columbia, was one of several balloons in flight at the time.«The company deeply regrets this evening's incident and all injuries associated with it (and) inconvenience to those people being displaced,» said John K. George, a company spokesman.There was a similar accident earlier this month in the central Canadian province of Manitoba, Manitoba, where 12 people were injured.Associated Press writers Rob Gillies and Charmaine Noronha in Toronto contributed to this report.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Hyenas
A little off topic, but not if your a balloon pilot in Africa. The third time I have heard of this happening and a reminder to parents who when on safari let there children run everywhere. Believe me I have been amazed at how dumb tourists are around wild animals. Sometimes I think that because animals are in camp they must be tame.
Although in this case it looks like the reserve has some problem Hyenas that are very habituated, I bet they have been fed from theh camp fire.
There was a court case when the boy was killed (see further down) no doubt there will be another
Although in this case it looks like the reserve has some problem Hyenas that are very habituated, I bet they have been fed from theh camp fire.
There was a court case when the boy was killed (see further down) no doubt there will be another
South Africa
Hyena drags girl, 8, from campfire
2007-8-23 07:29
Johannesburg - An eight-year-old girl of Clynton in Johannesburg will have to have reconstructive surgery after being attacked by a spotted hyena in a Botswana nature reserve.
Christin Chalwin-Milton was sleeping on a chair next to her tour group's campfire at Third Bridge camp, Moremi Naature Reserve, at about 21:00 last Thursday when the scavenger attacked her from behind, grabbing the left side of her head.
Ralph Chalwin-Milton, Christin's father, said on Wednesday at the Sandton Medi-Clinic where she's recuperating that at first he thought her chair was falling over and ran towards her.
When he saw she was being dragged off , he realised that a hyena had his child in its jaws.
Chalwin-Milton stormed at the animal shouting, and scared it off.
"I could see immediately that she was seriously injured," he said.
The hyena tore Christin's head open from her eye to behind her ear, and ripped her left ear off.
Chalwin Milton picked the ear up off the ground and put it on ice.
They tried to get hold of a helicopter to fly Christin to Maun, but didn't succeed.
Chalwin Milton then rushed her to hospital in his own 4x4 vehicle.
"She was on the front seat and a tour guide, Tshonolo Moje of Karibu Safari, sat behind me and showed me the way," he explained.
"About 40 km from Maun we met up with the ambulance and an emergency service worker also climbed into my vehicle and started treatment. The ambulance followed us all the way to Maun."
Christin was first treated at the state hospital in Maun against rabies and tetanus, and then transferred to the private hospital.
Chalwin-Milton says the family realises how lucky Christin really is.
"One doesn't easily survive being bitten by a hyena."
Christin's ear can be reconstructed but all her facial muscles and nerves, as well as her hearing and sight have been impaired.
Chalwin-Milton said in spite of the attack they were "still crazy about the Botswana bush".
"We know about the dangers of the bush. It was just a freak accident," Chalwin-Milton emphasised.
"People just have to realise that they must be very alert (in the bush).
"We're paranoid, alert parents and it still happened to us."
Safari operators in Botswana said they were very concerned that tourists were feeding wild animals in nature reserves. The camps at Moremi are not fenced.
"We feel it's a tragedy that people feed the wild animals, because the result is that the animals get too used to humans and have to be put down," Chalwin-Milton said.
A 12-year-old American boy was bitten to death in his tent by hyenas in the same nature reserve in 2000.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
From totally awsume Aunty Monkey, fully.
Well I can't blame Andrew for this but he found it, top job.....
You should probably send this to any potential customer.
You should probably send this to any potential customer.
Northampton Press Exposure
I think if I was flying a sponsored balloon at Northampton I would be a little disapointed with the media coverage it received, from what I look at it seems Bristol beat them hands down.
I guess the weather is the great decider in these situations.
G
I guess the weather is the great decider in these situations.
G
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Balloon Video
I keep adding all the accidents and incidents to remind me that I have to be careful.
Anything can happen to any pilot, however many hours we might have.
I find the way these are described as, "funny movies", rather interesting.
We all know ballooning is the safest form of flying but be careful out there.
You have to ask what the dude is doing riding up with the inflating basket but anyway I still love the way the Google ads relate to mayhem and disaster if you fill your blog with woe.
Might even experiment with seeing what it takes to change the ads, so beware.
Hot Air Balloon Accident - A funny movie is a click away
Anything can happen to any pilot, however many hours we might have.
I find the way these are described as, "funny movies", rather interesting.
We all know ballooning is the safest form of flying but be careful out there.
You have to ask what the dude is doing riding up with the inflating basket but anyway I still love the way the Google ads relate to mayhem and disaster if you fill your blog with woe.
Might even experiment with seeing what it takes to change the ads, so beware.
Hot Air Balloon Accident - A funny movie is a click away
And again
Oh simplified version...
Can You Help Me?
A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts:
‘Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?’
The man below says: ‘Yes. You’re in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet above this field.’
‘You must work in Information Technology’ says the balloonist.
‘I do’ replies the man. ‘How did you know?’
‘Well’ says the balloonist, ‘Everything you have told me is technically correct, but it’s no use to anyone.’
The man below says, ‘You must work in business.’
‘I do’ replies the balloonist, ‘but how did you know?’
‘Well, ‘ says the man, ‘You don’t know where you are, or where you’re going, but you expect me to be able to help. You’re in the same position you were before we met, but now it’s my fault.’
That Joke
This Joke seems to come out of hiding every three months or so, can there be such a thing as a good IT joke though??
A Great IT Joke
I heard this joke today listening to the Boag World Podcast. (A great resource that you should really check out if you are involved in the web.
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and
spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me,
can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I
don’t know where I am.”
The woman below replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon hovering
approximately 30 feet above the ground. You’re between 40 and 41 degrees
north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.”
“You must be in IT,” said the balloonist. “I am,” replied the woman,
“How did you know?”
“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is, technically
correct, but I’ve no idea what to make of your information, and the fact
is I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help at all. If anything,
you’ve delayed my trip.”
The woman below responded, “You must be in Management.” “I am,” replied
the balloonist, “but how did you know?”
“Well,” said the woman, “you don’t know where you are or where you’re
going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You made a promise which you’ve no idea how to keep, and you expect people
beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same
position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it’s my fault.”
Basket fall out entanglement.
Hot-air balloon accident investigated
16 August 2007
A hot air balloon pilot fell 30 feet to the ground after his leg got tangled in a rope as he tried to land on a windy evening, an air accident report revealed.
The 43-year-old - who spent six weeks in hospital being treated for serious injuries - was flying with two passengers at Wood Dalling, near Dereham, last September, when the accident happened.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau report said the pilot - who has not been named - was thrown from the basket and run over by the balloon as he landed it in “relatively strong” winds after an hour-long flight.
His leg became entangled in the balloon parachute ripline and as the balloon became airborne again, he was carried into the air, hanging below the basket.
The report said that at about 30 feet up the line unravelled itself and he fell to the ground.
The balloon descended with the two passengers pulling on the ripline and then landed.
One of the passengers needed treatment for a hand injury.
The pilot had 54 hours flying experience, 46 of which were in that type of balloon - a Cameron N-90 with four twin burners. (Er I don't think so)
The report said the flight was taken after the weather conditions had been checked and he was familiar with launching from the site.
In the light of the accident, safety guidance has been issued urging all pilots to wear safety harnesses in balloons.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Its the Joke!!!
Log time since I've seen it.
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”
The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “You must be a Conservative.”
“I am,” replied the man. “How did you know?”
“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me.”
The man smiled and responded, “You must be a Liberal.”
“I am,” replied the balloonist. “How did you know?”
“Well,” said the man, “you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. You’ve risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it’s my fault.”
Northampton Balloon Meet 1#
Here it is first one I've seen...
Not content with building quality new homes, Redrow is taking a dip into aviation and offering new home buyers the chance to join the fun. To celebrate the fact that Redrow’s very own hot air balloon will be appearing at this year’s Northampton Balloon Festival on August 17-19.
Buyers who reserve a home at one of three Redrow developments between the start of the festival and the end of August will be able to enjoy a complimentary hot air balloon ride for two people when they legally complete.
Heather Jackson, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (South Midlands) says: “This great offer is available at Oakley Vale in Corby, The Grange in Desborough and Bletchley Park in Bletchley. We have a wide variety of fantastic homes at these developments and with this added incentive I think home buyers will find it hard to turn us down.”
The three developments showcase some of the very best homes that Redrow has to offer in the South Midlands.
Bletchley Park is the house builder’s brand new scheme, offering 136 new homes, featuring primarily one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments plus some three-bedroom townhouses, situated in a convenient position on Sherwood Drive, opposite Bletchley train station - perfect for commuters, locals and those with an eye for investment.
First to be available will be the apartments, which are designed in two rectangular buildings, each around a central landscaped courtyard.
In Desborough, Redrow at The Grange is riding high in the popularity ratings, as a desirable yet affordable alternative to Market Harborough. A flurry of buyers have recently crossed the threshold into a new home at The Grange, which offers a variety of one- to five-bedroom homes within walking distance of the town centre.
There are many shops and places to eat in the local area, and The Grange is not far from local cinemas and museums. Desborough’s facilities are also just a short walk away from beautiful Northamptonshire countryside.
Meanwhile over in Corby, Redrow at Oakley Vale is a 141-home venture featuring a collection of one-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom homes that hold appeal for people from all walks of life.
Redrow is one of several developers on this large scale regeneration development, which is set to comprise almost 3,000 new homes, and already features its own shopping precinct and primary schools as well as large areas of open spaces.
Redrow’s south midlands business has a variety of other current developments, including in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, St Neots and Ailsworth, near Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, plus Rugby in Warwickshire.
For more information about Redrow’s bursting portfolio across the region and for your chance to earn a dream hot air balloon trip by reserving one of Redrow’s homes at Corby, Desborough or Bletchley, log onto Redrow.co.uk.
Humm maybe this is all about house sales not ballooning!!!
I wonder if its a CPL flying these people??
Not content with building quality new homes, Redrow is taking a dip into aviation and offering new home buyers the chance to join the fun. To celebrate the fact that Redrow’s very own hot air balloon will be appearing at this year’s Northampton Balloon Festival on August 17-19.
Buyers who reserve a home at one of three Redrow developments between the start of the festival and the end of August will be able to enjoy a complimentary hot air balloon ride for two people when they legally complete.
Heather Jackson, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (South Midlands) says: “This great offer is available at Oakley Vale in Corby, The Grange in Desborough and Bletchley Park in Bletchley. We have a wide variety of fantastic homes at these developments and with this added incentive I think home buyers will find it hard to turn us down.”
The three developments showcase some of the very best homes that Redrow has to offer in the South Midlands.
Bletchley Park is the house builder’s brand new scheme, offering 136 new homes, featuring primarily one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments plus some three-bedroom townhouses, situated in a convenient position on Sherwood Drive, opposite Bletchley train station - perfect for commuters, locals and those with an eye for investment.
First to be available will be the apartments, which are designed in two rectangular buildings, each around a central landscaped courtyard.
In Desborough, Redrow at The Grange is riding high in the popularity ratings, as a desirable yet affordable alternative to Market Harborough. A flurry of buyers have recently crossed the threshold into a new home at The Grange, which offers a variety of one- to five-bedroom homes within walking distance of the town centre.
There are many shops and places to eat in the local area, and The Grange is not far from local cinemas and museums. Desborough’s facilities are also just a short walk away from beautiful Northamptonshire countryside.
Meanwhile over in Corby, Redrow at Oakley Vale is a 141-home venture featuring a collection of one-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom homes that hold appeal for people from all walks of life.
Redrow is one of several developers on this large scale regeneration development, which is set to comprise almost 3,000 new homes, and already features its own shopping precinct and primary schools as well as large areas of open spaces.
Redrow’s south midlands business has a variety of other current developments, including in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, St Neots and Ailsworth, near Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, plus Rugby in Warwickshire.
For more information about Redrow’s bursting portfolio across the region and for your chance to earn a dream hot air balloon trip by reserving one of Redrow’s homes at Corby, Desborough or Bletchley, log onto Redrow.co.uk.
Humm maybe this is all about house sales not ballooning!!!
I wonder if its a CPL flying these people??
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Not first incident of its type
This ones is attracting lots of press and to be honest nothings being added to the story so unless something new happens I might not mention it again!
G
Balloon accident not first: city man
G
Balloon accident not first: city man
WINNIPEG (CNS) — A Saskatoon man is challenging a hot-air balloon company’s claims that it has never been in a crash similar to the one near Winnipeg on Saturday.
Doug Bates said his own experience with Sundance Balloons sounds familiar.
Bates and his wife, Shelley, were on a balloon ride near Saskatoon with six other passengers in June 2006 when their balloon crash-landed, tipped upside down and burst into flames. Bates said the fire engulfed the group and the pilot as they tumbled out of the basket.
More on Canadian Incident
Operator defends safety of hot-air balloon rides
Tue, August 14, 2007
A serious accident in Winnipeg should not taint the public's perception, he insists. deck
By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA
The head of a London hot air balloon company says a serious accident in Winnipeg on the weekend shouldn't taint the public's perception about the safety of the rides.
"We have worked hard to build our business and do it safely. When this happens it shakes you up hard," said Barry McGonigle, president of Sundance Balloons.
A Sundance balloon on a recreational flight made a hard landing in a farm field north of Winnipeg near the town of Selkirk Saturday morning.
Eleven of 12 people onboard were injured. Two men, ages 43 and 50, were taken to hospital in serious condition with burns but have been upgraded to stable.
Initial reports indicated the balloon's pilot put the craft down hard in a strong wind. Its basket overturned and burst into flames after dragging on the ground.
McGonigle said one of the critically injured men was the pilot. He had been with Sundance about 10 years.
The accident is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).
McGonigle said he flew to Winnipeg hours after the accident and met with the safety board investigators. He said the incident occurred toward the end of the regular recreational flight but he couldn't comment on the circumstances while the investigation continues.
"We want to find out what went wrong and if we can do something about it in the future, we will," he said.
Sundance suspended all balloon rides after the accident. The flights resumed elesewhere Sunday night, but not in Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg accident comes five months after a London Life executive was killed in a hot-air balloon crash in southern California.
Linda Dickson, 56, fell from the balloon's basket after it hit two power lines 16 to 25 metres above ground while trying to land in high winds.
McGonigle said hot-air balloon accidents are rare.
Sundance operates between 2,500 and 3,000 recreational flights from 14 centres across Canada.
McGonigle said the Winnipeg accident was by far the worst in the company's 25 year history. "We have never experienced anything like this. We have had hard landings, but nothing like this."
McGonigle said he was hopeful most people would not be scared off balloon rides.
"Thousands of people have flown in balloons with us and they know how wonderful it is. Some people will be put off but most people know how safe balloons are and will share that information."
Tue, August 14, 2007
A serious accident in Winnipeg should not taint the public's perception, he insists. deck
By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA
The head of a London hot air balloon company says a serious accident in Winnipeg on the weekend shouldn't taint the public's perception about the safety of the rides.
"We have worked hard to build our business and do it safely. When this happens it shakes you up hard," said Barry McGonigle, president of Sundance Balloons.
A Sundance balloon on a recreational flight made a hard landing in a farm field north of Winnipeg near the town of Selkirk Saturday morning.
Eleven of 12 people onboard were injured. Two men, ages 43 and 50, were taken to hospital in serious condition with burns but have been upgraded to stable.
Initial reports indicated the balloon's pilot put the craft down hard in a strong wind. Its basket overturned and burst into flames after dragging on the ground.
McGonigle said one of the critically injured men was the pilot. He had been with Sundance about 10 years.
The accident is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).
McGonigle said he flew to Winnipeg hours after the accident and met with the safety board investigators. He said the incident occurred toward the end of the regular recreational flight but he couldn't comment on the circumstances while the investigation continues.
"We want to find out what went wrong and if we can do something about it in the future, we will," he said.
Sundance suspended all balloon rides after the accident. The flights resumed elesewhere Sunday night, but not in Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg accident comes five months after a London Life executive was killed in a hot-air balloon crash in southern California.
Linda Dickson, 56, fell from the balloon's basket after it hit two power lines 16 to 25 metres above ground while trying to land in high winds.
McGonigle said hot-air balloon accidents are rare.
Sundance operates between 2,500 and 3,000 recreational flights from 14 centres across Canada.
McGonigle said the Winnipeg accident was by far the worst in the company's 25 year history. "We have never experienced anything like this. We have had hard landings, but nothing like this."
McGonigle said he was hopeful most people would not be scared off balloon rides.
"Thousands of people have flown in balloons with us and they know how wonderful it is. Some people will be put off but most people know how safe balloons are and will share that information."
Monday, August 13, 2007
More on the Canadian incident
Taken from
Balloon company grounds flights following crash
Updated Sun. Aug. 12 2007 8:46 PM ET
Canadian Press
WINNIPEG -- A hot air balloon company based in London, Ont., temporarily grounded its balloon flights across Canada on the weekend after one of its balloons, carrying a dozen passengers, crash-landed in a farmer's field north of Winnipeg Saturday.
Witnesses said the balloon bounced six times before the basket flipped upside down and burst into flames.
Two people were seriously injured in the incident and are now listed in stable condition in hospital.
Barry McGonigle, president of Sundance Balloons, which owns the balloon, said Sunday that he was shocked when he heard of the accident and thought someone was playing a prank on him.
"Balloon accidents don't happen often,'' he said in an interview Sunday.
"We've never experienced something like this, or the severity of this that we experienced Saturday,'' he said.
While refusing to comment on details of the accident, McGonigle said there have been some "inaccuracies'' in media reports about the incident.
He added it's up to federal transport officials to determine exactly what happened and provide details of the accident.
McGonigle said the pilot involved in the incident had been flying for the company for at least eight years and "is an exceptional pilot.''
"It's really hit us hard,'' McGonigle said.
The company, which offers hot air balloon flights in 14 locations across Canada, made the decision Saturday to temporarily ground all balloon flights.
"When we found out about it, we said `let's give it a day or two. Let's wait to see what happens, let's make sure that none of our people are flying with stress that they don't need, to effect their decision-making.''
Most flights were expected to resume Sunday evening, though McGonigle said flights over Winnipeg weren't expected to resume until Wednesday.
The company operates two balloons in Winnipeg and makes about four flights per day, McGonigle said.
After a day spent talking with passengers and investigators, McGonigle said he was able to go to the Winnipeg hospital early Sunday morning to check on the two injured passengers.
But he said because they suffered burns in the accident, the pair are in isolation rooms, so he couldn't speak directly to them.
McGonigle said he was "comforted'' that their conditions were quickly upgraded from critical to stable condition.
Passenger Bruce Kemp, a Grade 9 teacher from Winnipeg who was not seriously hurt in the crash, said the balloon's blow torch somehow got pointed inside the basket, causing it to ignite.
"It just didn't feel like it was really happening,'' Kemp said Saturday. "It was like it was out of a movie.''
He said the pilot tried unsuccessfully to land several times and 90 minutes into the flight told passengers to prepare for a difficult landing.
Kemp said he crawled out of the basket to see a man on fire and screaming for help while the man's young son looked on.
Hot air balloon crashes have been relatively rare in Canada, although in 2005, five people were injured in Caledon, Ont. after the hot air balloon they were in crash landed. Three years earlier, 10 passengers escaped injury when a hot air balloon drifted into a high-rise apartment building in Ottawa. In 2001, a 15-year-old girl was killed when the balloon she was riding in drifted into power lines and burst into flames near Ottawa.
Balloon company grounds flights following crash
Updated Sun. Aug. 12 2007 8:46 PM ET
Canadian Press
WINNIPEG -- A hot air balloon company based in London, Ont., temporarily grounded its balloon flights across Canada on the weekend after one of its balloons, carrying a dozen passengers, crash-landed in a farmer's field north of Winnipeg Saturday.
Witnesses said the balloon bounced six times before the basket flipped upside down and burst into flames.
Two people were seriously injured in the incident and are now listed in stable condition in hospital.
Barry McGonigle, president of Sundance Balloons, which owns the balloon, said Sunday that he was shocked when he heard of the accident and thought someone was playing a prank on him.
"Balloon accidents don't happen often,'' he said in an interview Sunday.
"We've never experienced something like this, or the severity of this that we experienced Saturday,'' he said.
While refusing to comment on details of the accident, McGonigle said there have been some "inaccuracies'' in media reports about the incident.
He added it's up to federal transport officials to determine exactly what happened and provide details of the accident.
McGonigle said the pilot involved in the incident had been flying for the company for at least eight years and "is an exceptional pilot.''
"It's really hit us hard,'' McGonigle said.
The company, which offers hot air balloon flights in 14 locations across Canada, made the decision Saturday to temporarily ground all balloon flights.
"When we found out about it, we said `let's give it a day or two. Let's wait to see what happens, let's make sure that none of our people are flying with stress that they don't need, to effect their decision-making.''
Most flights were expected to resume Sunday evening, though McGonigle said flights over Winnipeg weren't expected to resume until Wednesday.
The company operates two balloons in Winnipeg and makes about four flights per day, McGonigle said.
After a day spent talking with passengers and investigators, McGonigle said he was able to go to the Winnipeg hospital early Sunday morning to check on the two injured passengers.
But he said because they suffered burns in the accident, the pair are in isolation rooms, so he couldn't speak directly to them.
McGonigle said he was "comforted'' that their conditions were quickly upgraded from critical to stable condition.
Passenger Bruce Kemp, a Grade 9 teacher from Winnipeg who was not seriously hurt in the crash, said the balloon's blow torch somehow got pointed inside the basket, causing it to ignite.
"It just didn't feel like it was really happening,'' Kemp said Saturday. "It was like it was out of a movie.''
He said the pilot tried unsuccessfully to land several times and 90 minutes into the flight told passengers to prepare for a difficult landing.
Kemp said he crawled out of the basket to see a man on fire and screaming for help while the man's young son looked on.
Hot air balloon crashes have been relatively rare in Canada, although in 2005, five people were injured in Caledon, Ont. after the hot air balloon they were in crash landed. Three years earlier, 10 passengers escaped injury when a hot air balloon drifted into a high-rise apartment building in Ottawa. In 2001, a 15-year-old girl was killed when the balloon she was riding in drifted into power lines and burst into flames near Ottawa.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Transport Canada investigates hot air balloon crash
From http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070811.wballoon0811/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20070811.wballoon0811
Canadian Press
August 11, 2007 at 10:43 PM EDT
WINNIPEG — Transport Canada investigators say they believe high winds may have played a role in a hot air balloon crash near Winnipeg that sent three people to hospital.
Just after 9 a.m. Saturday, the balloon landed in a farmer's field about 30 minutes northeast of the city with 12 people on board. Witnesses said the balloon's basket flipped, a rope caught fire, then the entire balloon burst in flames.
“There was black smoke everywhere,” said Derek Heidinger, who ran to help victims after flames died down.
Another witness, Wes Lesard, said there was a ball of flames as high as a fully inflated hot air balloon.
“The pilot was trying to run back into the fire,” Mr. Lesard said. “He was so much in shock that I had to tackle him to get him back down.”
Mr. Lesard and his partner, Jackie Arbez, who are both nurses, said they treated one badly-burned man for shock while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
The man and another passenger were sent to a Winnipeg hospital with serious burns. Their conditions were upgraded from critical to stable within hours of the crash. Another person was also taken to hospital, while the nine other passengers were treated for minor injuries.
Transport Canada, which is now investigating the cause of the crash, said the balloon left a park on the south side of Winnipeg at 7:30 a.m. Peter Hildebrand with Transport Canada told Global TV Winnipeg that high winds likely caused the pilot to make an emergency landing about an hour-and-a-half later.
Mr. Hildebrand said investigators are looking at the registration documents of the balloon's owner, Sundance Balloons, to see if too many passengers were being carried.
Hot air balloon crashes have been relatively rare in Canada. In 2005, five people were injured in Caledon, Ont. after the hot air balloon they were in crash landed. In 1989, a pilot was killed when his balloon struck a power line and fell to the ground in flames near downtown Calgary. There was no one else on board.
Ontario-based Sundance Balloons operates 14 offices in Ontario and the western provinces.
Canadian Press
August 11, 2007 at 10:43 PM EDT
WINNIPEG — Transport Canada investigators say they believe high winds may have played a role in a hot air balloon crash near Winnipeg that sent three people to hospital.
Just after 9 a.m. Saturday, the balloon landed in a farmer's field about 30 minutes northeast of the city with 12 people on board. Witnesses said the balloon's basket flipped, a rope caught fire, then the entire balloon burst in flames.
“There was black smoke everywhere,” said Derek Heidinger, who ran to help victims after flames died down.
Another witness, Wes Lesard, said there was a ball of flames as high as a fully inflated hot air balloon.
“The pilot was trying to run back into the fire,” Mr. Lesard said. “He was so much in shock that I had to tackle him to get him back down.”
Mr. Lesard and his partner, Jackie Arbez, who are both nurses, said they treated one badly-burned man for shock while waiting for paramedics to arrive.
The man and another passenger were sent to a Winnipeg hospital with serious burns. Their conditions were upgraded from critical to stable within hours of the crash. Another person was also taken to hospital, while the nine other passengers were treated for minor injuries.
Transport Canada, which is now investigating the cause of the crash, said the balloon left a park on the south side of Winnipeg at 7:30 a.m. Peter Hildebrand with Transport Canada told Global TV Winnipeg that high winds likely caused the pilot to make an emergency landing about an hour-and-a-half later.
Mr. Hildebrand said investigators are looking at the registration documents of the balloon's owner, Sundance Balloons, to see if too many passengers were being carried.
Hot air balloon crashes have been relatively rare in Canada. In 2005, five people were injured in Caledon, Ont. after the hot air balloon they were in crash landed. In 1989, a pilot was killed when his balloon struck a power line and fell to the ground in flames near downtown Calgary. There was no one else on board.
Ontario-based Sundance Balloons operates 14 offices in Ontario and the western provinces.
Hot-air balloon crash injures 12
CanWest News Service
Published: Sunday, August 12, 2007
WINNIPEG -- A hot-air balloon carrying 12 people, including at least one child, crashed and burned this morning in a field north of Winnipeg.
Three people were taken to hospital after the balloon smashed into a farmer's field, about 30 kilometres north of the Manitoba capital.
Two are reported in critical condition and one is described as stable. Nine others were treated at the scene or at a nearby hospital and released.
Published: Sunday, August 12, 2007
WINNIPEG -- A hot-air balloon carrying 12 people, including at least one child, crashed and burned this morning in a field north of Winnipeg.
Three people were taken to hospital after the balloon smashed into a farmer's field, about 30 kilometres north of the Manitoba capital.
Two are reported in critical condition and one is described as stable. Nine others were treated at the scene or at a nearby hospital and released.
Balloon pilot training
Just found an interesting link for people learning to fly hot air balloons.
http://www.start-flying.com/new%20site/balloon_flying.htm
Spot the two problems in the first two pictures.
Gary Mortimer
http://www.start-flying.com/new%20site/balloon_flying.htm
Spot the two problems in the first two pictures.
Gary Mortimer
Remax balloon accident
It's believed at least three people were rushed to hospital this morning after a hot air balloon crashed in a farmer's field just north of Birds Hill Provincial Park.
Rescue crews responded to the scene near the corner of Provincial Road 206 and Highway 44 at around 9 a.m., shortly after the crash.
Witnesses reported as many as 10 people on board the balloon, including a child. At least two people appeared to be seriously injured.
Witness Wes Lesard, who was one of the first on the scene, said he saw the balloon hit the ground and bounce a few times, and then saw an explosion.
The balloon bore the RE/MAX logo, according to witnesses, and a RE/MAX vehicle was also on the scene this morning.
Another witness said hot air balloons frequently land in the area. However, he said he sensed something was wrong with this landing, as the balloon appeared to be coming in
Rescue crews responded to the scene near the corner of Provincial Road 206 and Highway 44 at around 9 a.m., shortly after the crash.
Witnesses reported as many as 10 people on board the balloon, including a child. At least two people appeared to be seriously injured.
Witness Wes Lesard, who was one of the first on the scene, said he saw the balloon hit the ground and bounce a few times, and then saw an explosion.
The balloon bore the RE/MAX logo, according to witnesses, and a RE/MAX vehicle was also on the scene this morning.
Another witness said hot air balloons frequently land in the area. However, he said he sensed something was wrong with this landing, as the balloon appeared to be coming in
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Ed Yost
Sad News Ed Yost has passed away.
This one of the many reports of his passing http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/nation/story/3629437p-12949154c.html
Condolences to his family.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Slow news night yet again, unscheduled landing.
Not really a story this one....
http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=6560026&nav=5ka4
It was the perfect gift; a balloon ride in Wyoming County to mark a 90th
birthday. The take-off and ride were just fine. It was the landing that
turned out to be a little tricky.
One thing a hot air balloon needs is wind. Tuesday night there was very
little wind and that help lead to an unscheduled landing in someone's yard.
Maxine Stephens of Nicholson has always wanted to go for a ride in a hot air
balloon. She said her daughter set up a ride to celebrate her birthday. Her
ride ended a little unexpectedly on the lawn of a house at Lake Sheridan.
"I remember them going in and out of the building you know until they found
a spot. It was pretty big and all the people were out down below," recalled
Maxine.
Denise Rich said she was shocked to see a hot air balloon land by her house.
She could hear the crew on the balloon talking to her neighbors.
"A couple times it looked hairy. His voice started to get real excited.
This one girl who was just sitting in her front yard, he threw a rope at her
and yelled 'Pull it!' and she got up and starting pulling it," Rich said.
About a dozen people who saw the hot air balloon went to see if they could
help.
Witnesses said the hot air balloon landed in one of the bigger yards at Lake
Sheridan.
The owner of the balloon said it is very common to make unscheduled
landings. Wind plays a big part in when and where they can land.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Far be it from me to burst their umm balloon.
There must be a few more meets with 105 or more balloons around the world??
Still it all looks like good clean fun ;-)
Still it all looks like good clean fun ;-)
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070523/NEWS01/70
5231221
Adam Matthews balloon fest adds 2 sponsors
By Sheldon S. Shafer
sshafer@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
It's already the world's fifth-largest gathering of hot-air balloons, but
the Adam Matthews Festival at Bowman Field has picked up a pair of
three-year corporate sponsorships destined to make it bigger, the chief
organizer says.
With 105 balloons expected for September's event, it has a ways to go to be
No. 1. That honor is held by the Albuquerque, N.M., Balloon Fiesta, with
about 700 balloons.
"Our goal is to be No. 2," said Adam Burckle, head of the Adam Matthews
Foundation, which started and organizes the event.
The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning was No. 2 in 2006 with as
many as 125 balloons, Burckle said.
The ninth annual Adam Matthews Festival, previously called a Balloon
Festival, is scheduled Sept. 28-30 at the airport off Dutchmans Lane and
Taylorsville Road. Except for parking, all activities are free.
Last year the festival drew about 120,000 people over three days and nearly
100 hot-air balloons. That's nearly twice the number that the Kentucky Derby
Festival's Great Balloon Race attracts.
Burckle said he expects this year's event to include balloons from Brazil,
Canada and about 25 states.
Burckle, who owns the Adam Matthews Cheesecake company, is heading the
effort to restore the Louisville Clock designed by the late Barney Bright.
The cheesecake company helps support the foundation, which Adam and Mary Lee
Burckle founded in 1999 to give back to the Louisville community.
He said Meijer's and Dean's Milk have each signed three-year commitments to
help underwrite the festival.
He declined to say how much money they are putting up, but it's the first
time the festival has had multiyear sponsorship deals with more than one
corporation, Burckle said.
The new financial backing has allowed several enhancements to this year's
balloon gala, Burckle said, including:
On Friday, Sept. 28, children from 100 or more area schools will be invited
to Bowman Field for "balloon education day" that will include lessons and
demonstrations on flight and aeronautics.
A "two-legged race" Saturday morning in which the expected 100 or more
balloons will inflate at least two miles from Bowman Field, try to find the
right air current to float over the airport and then drop a beanbag at a
target.
The balloons will stay aloft and then follow a "hare" balloon to a remote
location and drop a second beanbag in a traditional "hare-and-hound" race.
"There is no other event in the eastern United States like it," Burckle
said.
A Sunday "wings and wheel" show at the airport at which more than 500
antique cars and several dozen vintage aircraft will be on displayed. A
Sunday morning "hare-and-hound" balloon race also is set.
Balloon glows are planned Friday and Saturday evenings, and fireworks are
scheduled for about 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Live music and other
entertainment will be offered throughout the weekend.
Festival hours will be 5 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday
and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Parking will cost $5 on Friday and $7 on Saturday and Sunday, with proceeds
going to programs funded by the Adam Matthews Foundation, including the
clock's restoration, Burckle said.
The two new corporate sponsors, Burckle said, "will allow us to have the
resources to grow to a worldwide event in terms of our number of balloons."
The Octopus and Balloon
Will the 'octopus' change panorama of Prague?
Prague architect Radek Martisek is a big opponent of Kaplicky's design of
the new building of the National Library in Prague. Recently he made a
report, where he criticized the design as too expensive, dangerous and
ecologically insensitive.
Now he decided to prove that the visualization of the building made by
Kaplicky's team is not correct and doesn't show the real proportions of the
future building. He hired an agency who blew a hot-air balloon up on the
place where the library should stand in Letna. The highest point of the
balloon was 48 meters above the ground, where the 'eye' of the library is
supposed to be. Then he asked his friends and other people to take pictures
of the balloon from different places in Prague.
To his surprise, the balloon was hardly seen from the Charles Bridge what he
was afraid of the most. On the other hand, the balloon seemed to be much
closer to Prague Castle that on Kaplicky's visualization. Martisek paid this
action with his own money.
#ebd
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.7.6/814 - Release Date: 2007/05/21
02:01 PM
Bristol Belle Re Union Fly Out
With thanks to Julien Henesy for passing this on.
Don Cameron's first balloon "The Bristol Belle" flew on the 9th July 1967.
Don has been approached by the members of the original team asking for a get
together to celebrate the anniversary.
More here http://www.wrbbac.co.uk/bristolbelle
Don Cameron's first balloon "The Bristol Belle" flew on the 9th July 1967.
Don has been approached by the members of the original team asking for a get
together to celebrate the anniversary.
More here http://www.wrbbac.co.uk/bristolbelle
By some strange quirk of fate I ended up living two doors down from the
fellow that took photos here...
http://www.airborneadventuresafrica.com/history.htm of Terry Adams flying
Bristol Belle from HMS Ark Royal.
I suspect Terry will be at the reunion so I might make the effort and pop
along myself as I'll be in Blighty then.
Gary Mortimer
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Watch out if you attend a NZ balloon meet.
Looks like you'll get the blame if you fly at a NZ meet and theres a
problem!!
problem!!
Pull up the ladder I'm alright.
Ohaupo deer farmers Keith and Kylie West blame hot-air balloons for stock
losses.
The Wests farm 400 deer on a 35ha property west of Hamilton, which they said
often experienced balloon fly-overs.
They said noise from the balloons' gas burners frightened stock.
The couple are angry two of their deer were shot this month after they were
spooked by a group of low-flying balloons and escaped.
Two three-month-old weaner deer jumped through a fence and on to a road.
They were not missed until almost a day later. One was found the next day
and the other two days later. Both were shot after it was decided they could
not be recovered safely.
Mrs West estimated the loss at about $3000 including the stock value, fence
damage and search time.
Mrs West said the farm was in the flightpath of nearby Hamilton
International Airport, but aircraft noise overhead did not concern the deer,
which had been born on the property and were used to it.
"Basically the balloons come over and when they get low they light the
burners and they go up," said Mrs West.
Mrs West said she had received no notice of balloon flights and complained
verbally to Hamilton balloon festival organisers but had heard nothing
since. She wanted pilots to avoid the area or pass over at an altitude at
which the burners would not frighten stock.
Kiwi Balloon Company owner Andrew Parker flies the black Hamilton-branded
balloon and believed he may have been flying in the area on the day of the
incident but said visiting overseas pilots were possibly to blame.
Mr Parker said that despite warnings from Balloons over Waikato festival
organisers, overseas balloonists often did not heed advice about flying low
over stock.
"If we see a paddock full of stock we try to fly over them as high as we
can."
Balloonists were well aware of stock issues and tried hard to avoid problems
with farmers, he said. In 10 years' flying he had received only "a handful"
of complaints. If he was aware of any problems from a flight he would
contact farmers afterward.
"We realise that we are landing on their livelihood and we try to maintain a
good relationship with them."
Mr Parker said balloonists were often restricted in their altitude near
Ohaupo because of flights from the nearby airport.
Balloons Over Waikato organisers did not repond to requests for comment.
Albert Turkey
Albuquerque real estate agent Jeff Gilles gazes down at a festering problem
every time he flies his hot-air balloon.
every time he flies his hot-air balloon.
Where to land?
With development exploding on the north side of town, the wide-open spaces
necessary to land aircraft that don't have steering are rapidly giving way
to houses, businesses and big-box stores.
Unless something is done to preserve balloon landing sites, "it's going to
become a crisis," Gilles said, for private balloonists and those who
participate in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
That's if nothing is done.
The good news, says Paul Smith, the fiesta's executive director, is that
with the right mix of land purchases, deals with parking lot owners and a
few other tweaks, Albuquerque can keep balloonists happy for years to come
by maintaining good landing sites.
His strategy:
Keep buying land to preserve open space. A proposal to buy the Vista del
Norte property (where Wal-Mart also has proposed a store) is a quantum leap
in the right direction, Smith said.
Monitor the number of balloons flying at one time during the fiesta, perhaps
staggering launches. That would mean fewer balloons competing for the
dwindling number of landing sites.
Work with businesses with large parking lots. Arrange deals where people
park only in certain spaces at certain times during balloon fiesta mornings.
Come up with ways to light those parking lots without having so many poles
that make life difficult for balloonists.
Do all that, Smith said, and Albuquerque should be able to preserve a
healthy balloon fiesta for the next generation.
In building that strategy, however, there's a critical question: Just where
can balloons land?
"I don't know if there is an answer to that question," Smith said, because
so many variables come into play.
Winds often blow out of the north, but not always, so just where the balloon
flights will end up depends on the day's weather. To make things even more
confusing, the wind at ground level is sometimes blowing in a different
direction than a few hundred feet higher.
The stronger the wind, the more limited the landing spots because it takes a
bigger landing zone.
Pilot skill is another factor, Smith said. Some balloonists can land on the
equivalent of a dime. Some can't. All kinds come to the fiesta.
"There are no absolutes," Smith said.
Other balloons can also create competition for prime landing sites. Unlike
helicopters or airplanes, balloons can't just hover or circle and wait for a
landing zone to clear, Smith said.
While balloonists would always prefer to land in wide open areas, landing on
developed parts of town is possible, especially if winds are under about 8
mph.
The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, for example, lays
out the welcome mat.
"I think we'll always be happy to work with the balloonists," said John
Stomp, the water resources manager for the authority, which controls a large
chunk of land in one of the most common flight paths.
But where the land used to be vacant, it's now a sprawling complex of
buildings and facilities that will treat river water as part of the new San
Juan-Chama project, and that presents obstacles for balloonists. The
authority also leases part of its property to Vulcan Materials, a
construction supplier.
Stomp conceded that the authority's smattering of landing zones is "pretty
tight," and will get tighter as more buildings sprout on its property.
School playgrounds are also an option, though balloonists are discouraged
from landing during school hours, said Albuquerque Public Schools spokesman
Rigo Chavez.
City parks are open as well, officials say.
If winds push balloons north toward Sandia Pueblo, the landing situation
looks better.
"The balloonists are allowed to land on 98 percent of the reservation," said
Amber Flores Jordan, the pueblo's spokeswoman.
Last year, Sandia established several no-land areas, promising a $500 fine
to balloonists who didn't respect them. But in the end, the fine wasn't
enforced on the two balloons that landed there, Flores Jordan said.
The big landowners' words of welcome don't surprise Ed Adams, the city's
chief operations officer and the man who would supervise any land buys.
"Generally speaking, this is a very balloon-friendly community," he said.
Though their landing zones are tightening up, balloons aren't going away
anytime soon, the fiesta's Smith said.
"We will work with whatever there is," he said, but added, "the more open
space there is, the better."
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
New Hot Air Balloon Group
The email news group seems to be dwindling so using Google groups I thought I might start my own.
Hopefully you can click through to it from the RSS feed that should now be on the right of this page.
You will also notice I have added a Flickr picture bar rather than waiting for anyone to send me an image to update.
G
Hopefully you can click through to it from the RSS feed that should now be on the right of this page.
You will also notice I have added a Flickr picture bar rather than waiting for anyone to send me an image to update.
G
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Balloon close encounters...
From the Age, a paper I respected when I worked in Melbourne.
It's a hell of a place to fly with only the most skilled dudes working
there. No I don't own a company there or want to fly there real soon again.
It has to twice as hard as flying over London, where I have made more than a
couple of trips. Very cool and impressive pilots, that's the dudes I met
there.
I have flown over exactly the spot mentioned more than once so its not the
first time these dudes will have seen a balloon.
Must have been yet another slow news day balloon story.
G
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/balloon-skims-rooftops/2007/05/09/117
8390359404.html?s_cid=rss_age
Have you had a close encounter with a low-flying hot-air balloon? Send your
images and video to 0406 THE AGE or email scoop@theage.com.au
A hot-air balloon narrowly missed hitting buildings in Melbourne's inner
east during a scenic flight this morning.
Abbotsford resident Bruce Sims was alerted to the balloon when he heard
shouting from the balloon's basket as it flew over Abbotsford Street about
15 metres above the ground shortly after 7am.
"It was flying in very low along the street, just above the tops of the
trees," he told theage.com.au.
"They were obviously trying to keep altitude by pumping more gas into the
balloon but...they were gradually coming down lower."
Mr Sims lost sight of the balloon as it floated over the nearby Abbotsford
Convent.
Kiff Saunders, the pilot of the balloon in question, told theage.com.au that
he had "excellent control" of the balloon's altitude.
Mr Saunders, the owner and chief pilot of Melbourne-based ballooning company
Global Ballooning, said his pilots used low altitudes and low winds to help
land hot-air balloons.
"The fact is balloons will fly low to steer, there are different winds at
different altitudes and - particularly in Melbourne - part of the steerage
of balloons to be able to target landing areas is to be able to utilise the
winds between 1500 feet and the ground," he said.
A balloon pilot of over 16 years' experience, Mr Saunders said ballooning is
very safe.
"If a car is travelling down the freeway a metre from a car next to it,
everyone doesn't get into a panic even though that can be happening at 100
kilometres an hour.
"A balloon can fly over an obstacle by a couple of metres in perfect control
- it's not a near miss situation, it is a misconception to the person on the
ground.
"The fact is just across the river from Abbotsford is one of our primary
landing areas at the Yarra Bend Studley Park Golf Course, so I'm surprised
to hear a resident (complain) given that our flight path over Abbotsford is
quite realistic."
Abbotsford Convent foundation chief executive Maggie Maguire said a staff
member saw the balloon clear the roof of the building by about five metres.
It was last seen drifting east over Collingwood Children's Farm.
None of the farm's four-legged residents had been injured by the balloon,
she said.
The incident is Ms Maguire's second close encounter with a hot-air balloon
in two weeks.
A fortnight ago she was woken by the noise of a balloon's gas jets and
looked out the window of her Carlton bedroom to see the passengers in its
basket.
"I'm wondering whether they've got some new drivers or something," she said.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said hot-air balloons
occasionally had to make unplanned landings when wind conditions differed
from those forecast.
"There is nothing inherently unsafe about that as long as it's done
properly, it's just unexpected," he said.
theage.com.au
Monday, May 07, 2007
Bumpy landing in Lancaster
But first... I was reported as a UFO last Thursday morning whilst flying on
the edge of the Drakensberg.
It was a stunning clear morning so I guess whoever reported us as such were
miles away and not realising what they saw.
Anyhow to the main story for this weekend.
the edge of the Drakensberg.
It was a stunning clear morning so I guess whoever reported us as such were
miles away and not realising what they saw.
Anyhow to the main story for this weekend.
http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/203852
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa - Cheryl Ramsey wanted to give her husband, Guy, a gift
to remember for their 18th anniversary.
Neither expected it would be this memorable.
The Ramseys, of Upper Marlboro, Md., were among a dozen people who were
riding in a hot-air balloon that crashed at about 7:15 p.m. Saturday into a
tree and then into a field off Sensenig Road between Frysville and Grist
Mill roads, in Earl Township.
"This was different, very different," said Mrs. Ramsey, 43, who was relaying
her story to a group of spectators, who appeared to be mostly Mennonite
farmers and their families from the area. "It was really nice, except for
the ending."
The Ramseys and the pilot said they didn't need medical treatment, but seven
people were taken to Lancaster General Hospital and two others were taken to
Ephrata Community Hospital, said Martindale Fire Company Chief Anthony
Groff.
According to witnesses, the most serious injuries appeared to be someone
with a broken collarbone and a woman possibly with two broken ankles. From
what he could determine, Groff said there was no one with life-threatening
injuries. He had no names available at press time.
The hot-air balloon, operated by U.S. Hot Air Balloon Team, St. Peters,
ascended from a field next to the Netherlands Inn in Strasburg at about 6
p.m. While attempting to land in a grassy area in the Earl Township field,
the wind suddenly shifted, forcing the aircraft into a tree. The balloon
then lifted and before crashing into the ground with the basket landing
sideways, causing some passengers to fall on top of one another, according
to Mrs. Ramsey, a schoolteacher.
She and her husband, 48, a Maryland state police trooper, were in good
spirits and planned to eat out upon their return to their Lancaster hotel.
They said the pilot did everything he could, and that the crash was simply
an accident.
"Unfortunately, you can't control the wind," said Mrs. Ramsey, who still
wants certificates from the company showing that she and her husband
completed their first hot-air balloon ride. She also took a twig from the
tree they collided with for a souvenir.
She said she purchased the ride as a surprise for the Ramseys' wedding
anniversary, which was two months ago. They were waiting for a nice spring
day.
Said her husband: "Anything you can walk away from is a good landing."
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Problems with farmers, this could be of use.
How many balloon pilots will be interested in this German ruling, someone
needs get hold of the case and translate it. Could be useful all over the
world.
needs get hold of the case and translate it. Could be useful all over the
world.
Can the hissing of a hot air balloon startle a brood of hens into
near-infertility? A German farmer grappling with dwindling egg production on
his farm certainly seemed to think so. But he failed to convince a court.
Stranger things are known to happen in the animal world. But the theory that
a loud hot air balloon could have impaired the fertility of a brood of hens
proved too much for a court in Germany on Friday. It threw out the complaint
by a German farmer against a Dutch balloon pilot.
The farmer was seeking 26,000 euros ($35,000) in damages from the pilot's
insurance company.
The incident occurred in September 2004, when the balloon pilot swooped low
and passed over the farmer's land in the village of Nordhorn in the German
state of Lower Saxony.
In an attempt to regain altitude, the pilot fired up his propane gas burner
with a loud hiss causing panic among the farm's 20,000 free-range hens.
According to the farmer, some of the startled, squawking birds sprang over a
two-meter fence while others tried to flee into coops. The hens, the farmer
said, had been scared badly. Their post-traumatic stress syndrome meant that
a week and a half later, they were laying fewer eggs. Egg production dropped
by almost 60 percent, the farmer said.
The unusual theory was, however, refuted by a professor at a nearby
veterinary college. Asked to testify by the court, the expert said that
decreased egg production among hens was possible for up to two days after a
major shock -- but not ten days after as the farmer had claimed.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Hot air balloonists trapped in Syria
I don't think they are the first to fly there.
Wheres Phil Dunnington when you need him he would know, it was probably him.
G
From here
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=47486&in_page_id=34
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Balloon in the sunset
A group of hot air balloonists are trapped in the Syrian desert after police
confiscated their equipment as they were about to take to the air.
Almost a hundred people, from across the United Kingdom and parts of Europe,
were due to fly across ancient ruins near Palmyra, in what was widely
expected to be a world's first.
But shortly after arriving in Syria, they discovered their 34 balloons,
including baskets and gas canisters, had been seized by local police.
Journalist Rupert Evelyn, who is part of the group explained: "We wanted to
try to become the world's people to ever fly a hot air balloon in Syria.
"There's very strict laws about air space here, and we don't believe
anyone's ever done it before.
"The equipment was shipped out before the group got here. We went to go and
get it and it wasn't there.
"The police have impounded the balloons."
He added: "We've been told the police need to check them out. We don't know
where they are or why, the details are sketchy."
Mr Evelyn said the group have been sitting in the Syrian desert for three
days waiting to see whether they will be reunited with their balloons.
He said: "Everything's up in the air at the moment."
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
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01:39 PM
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Atlantic Crossing
Beginning to catch up with websites and sleep after our little adventure
filming from the balloon all across South Africa.
filming from the balloon all across South Africa.
So heres the first thing I have added in a while from.
http://tablemountains.blogspot.com/2007/04/hot-air-balloon-crossing-planned-
april.html
Hempelman Adams
Hot Air Balloon Crossing Planned
April 30, 2007
Another Atlantic crossing could begin from St.John's this summer, this one,
a hot air balloon. British adventurer David Hempleman-Adams has a hot-air
balloon team assembled, ready to cross the Atlantic. They want to do it from
St.John's this summer. Last year, they used Calgary as a base to set an
altitude record in a hot air balloon. One of his crew, Nigel Mitchell, says
Adams is one of the world's greatest living adventurers and was the first
person to achieve the Explorers Grand Slam, having climbed the highest
mountains on each of the world's seven continents, including Mount Everest.
The team has written St.John's City Council asking for information on the
city.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Low Flying
Must be a real low news weekend.
Low flying balloon
By Dick Bellringer
RESIDENTS in the Batchelors Barn Road area of Andover were stunned to see a
low flying, hot air balloon skimming over their back gardens on Bank Holiday
Monday.
The balloon, coming from the direction of Newbury, was losing altitude and
at one point brushed the trees around the playing fields and seemed as if it
was going to land on the cricket pitch.
But onlookers say it managed to gain enough height to pass over London Road
and Sheep Fair, landing in the field near Ladies Walk.
One resident said: "I was alerted by the cat.
"He was cowering down and looking quite frightened. At first I thought that
a fox had come into the garden, then I saw the balloon."
Several local people rushed to witness the spectacle. One person was so
eager they took their dinner with them!
--
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Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.26/751 - Release Date: 2007/04/07
10:57 PM
Friday, March 23, 2007
UFO mystery has an earthly explanation
Notice anything about the childrens names??
THE mystery surrounding the UFO which terrified a Hertford family appears to
have been solved.
THE mystery surrounding the UFO which terrified a Hertford family appears to
have been solved.
Maxine Abbess, 44, feared her family would be "wiped out" when a strange
dark cylindrical object plummeted towards her home in Pages Lane on the Sele
Farm estate last week.
The bizarre phenomenon baffled several witnesses in the county town, as the
Mercury reported.
But it looks like there was nothing to fear - apart from being hit by a very
large, wobbly, black balloon.
We were contacted by Jani Melender, a spokeswoman for Above Top Secret
Aliens and UFOs forum, the biggest UFO watch on the internet.
She said: "We took notice of your story and from the description of the UFO
we immediately came to a conclusion that this was nothing else than the
latest gadget fad - a large, black balloon named Solar Airship, which is on
sale in the UK right now.
"The balloon is filled with hot air, not helium as one might think, and that
makes it susceptible to rapid rises and drops in altitude.
"It's also very large, which would explain the fear of the family."
She added: "Above Top Secret is a cluster of experts and we've more or less
come to the conclusion that this was nothing else than a balloon."
When Maxine saw the shape, she was with husband, Paul, 41, the head chef of
Braughing's Axe and Compasses pub, their eldest son Sam, 18, and other sons,
Aston, 11, Ayrton, 10, and Jenson, 8 - pupils at Wheatcroft School in
Hertford who are named after fast cars and Formula 1 drivers.
But Maxine was not convinced.
She said: "If it had just floated in the air I would agree that it was a
balloon, but it plummeted at an incredible speed and stopped dead. Then it
slowly floated up again.
"I wish it was a balloon - but I don't think so."
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Balloons on Mars, well almost.
Beth Dickey/J.D. Harrington
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/5241
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/5241
Jonas Dino
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
650-604-5612
March 20, 2007
RELEASE: 07-70
NASA Scientists and Teachers to Study Mars in the Mojave Desert
Moffett Field, Calif. - A passionate teacher can make any subject come alive
for students, and NASA is helping fuel that passion.
On March 25-30, 2007, NASA's Spaceward Bound project at the agency's Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., will take a team of NASA scientists
and 40 teachers from throughout the country to study the unique geologic
formations of California's Mojave Desert and the supremely adapted microbes
that call it home. The Mojave's inhospitable, sun-scorched environment
presents scientists with opportunities to study environments similar to what
explorers will find on the moon and Mars. Leading the team is Chris McKay,
an Ames planetary scientist with extensive experience in field work in
extreme environments.
"We have been doing field expeditions to Mars-like environments for years,"
said McKay. "Now we're bringing along the teachers, so they can see and
participate in the exploration of these extreme environments. The teachers
become part of the research team."
Based out of the California State University Desert Research Station at
Zzyzx, Calif., 60 miles east of Barstow, Calif., teachers and scientists
will perform scientific fieldwork. The team will study the similarities of
the desert's geologic formations to those of the moon and Mars, how microbes
and chemical oxidants affect desert soil formation, and the desert's
hypolithic algae, cyanobacteria and stromatolites. Teams also will use a hot
air balloon to test new remote-sensing equipment to detect subterranean
formations such as lava tubes, caves and paleolakes.
As part of the training for the expedition, teachers participated in four
webcast training sessions that included presentations by the scientists
explaining the research they will conduct during the expedition, training
for field work in an extreme environment and discussions about how to bring
their experiences into their classrooms.
During the expedition, teachers and students around the world can follow the
action on the Spaceward Bound Web site via daily mission logs and image
captures. On March 28, the team will hold two one-hour webcasts. The first
webcast, in English, will begin at 9 a.m. PDT, followed by a Spanish webcast
at 10 a.m. PDT.
"Beginning with the training webcasts and continuing through the expedition,
'Spaceward Bound: Mojave,' enables teachers to immerse themselves in
authentic moon and Mars analog field research," said Liza Coe, co-principal
investigator for the Spaceward Bound project. "Teachers will very naturally
inject these experiences into their teaching, which is critical because
their students are the ones who will actually go to the moon and prepare for
the first human missions to Mars."
The Education Division at Ames developed the Spaceward Bound: Mojave
educational program in partnership with the Desert Research Institute, Las
Vegas, Nev., and San Jose State University, Calif., to train the next
generation of space explorers. Previous Spaceward Bound expeditions include
the exploration of the Mars-like soils in the Atacama desert in northern
Chile and two week-long, immersive, full-scale simulations of living and
working on the moon and Mars at the Mars Desert Research Station in the Utah
desert.
The Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters,
Washington, funds the Spaceward Bound project, which continues the agency's
tradition of investing in the nation's education programs. The project is
tied directly to the agency's major education goal of engaging Americans in
NASA's mission. NASA is committed to building strategic partnerships and
linkages between formal and informal education providers of science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (also known as STEM). Through
hands-on, interactive educational activities, NASA is engaging students,
educators, families, the general public, and all agency stakeholders to
increase Americans' science and technology literacy.
For more information about the NASA Spaceward Bound Project, visit:
http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound
<http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound>
It’s a bird! It’s a Plane! No! It’s a Solar-Powered Plane!
I know these solar glider references are a little off topic but it is
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones as the tech director, so thats fine!! Brian
any job for me there??
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones as the tech director, so thats fine!! Brian
any job for me there??
They seem to be getting there PR machine rolling now.
G
Going non-stop around the world in a hot-air balloon may seem like the
pinnacle of air travel, but circling the globe in a solar-powered plane
might be even better. The only person who will really know is Bertrand
Piccard, a Swiss psychiatrist who could be the first person to make the trip
around the planet in both contraptions.
Yesterday the appropriately named Piccard, who made the first trip around
the world in a hot-air balloon with his co-pilot, was awarded funding from
Deutsche Bank to build the first solar aircraft. Bloomberg news
<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=akxXn50NekWg> reports
that:
The record-breaking flight is planned for May 2011 along the Tropic of
Cancer. Construction of a smaller prototype with a 61- meter wingspan will
begin next month. The first test flights are scheduled for next year. The
biggest challenge will be to develop an aircraft with batteries capable of
storing enough solar energy to fly through the night, said Piccard.
Deutsche Bank covered 15 percent of the total cost of the project, which is
called Solar Impulse <http://www.solarimpulse.com/> . The donation reflects
the company's belief in supporting alternative energy technologies, said
Joseph Ackermann, the chief executive officer of Deutsch Bank AG.
Air travel currently requires fossil fuels and in the United States,
accounts for 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S.
Department of Transportation's Center for Climate Change and Environmental
Forecasting <http://climate.volpe.dot.gov/> . Some day, solar-powered planes
could help decrease our dependence on non-renewable resources and emissions.
Right now, the only thing standing in the way of everyone using
solar-powered planes is the technology. According to the Solar Impulse
website, the current wingspan of 80 feet will only allow one man to fly for
24 hours. But the team members seem hopeful:
But if we go back into history, when the great Wright brothers got their
first plane to fly a distance of 200 meters in 1903, could they have
imagined that 66 years later, two men would walk on the moon?
We'll certainly be looking to the sunny skies in 2011 for a plane that's
soaring to new heights. And that's not just a bunch of hot air.
God Bless the American Balloon Police
Actually these people have a point, mass toy balloon launches do leave lots
of rubbish downwind somewhere.
CONCORD – People will want to hold onto their balloons if the Senate agrees
with a House vote yesterday to ban balloon releases.
of rubbish downwind somewhere.
CONCORD – People will want to hold onto their balloons if the Senate agrees
with a House vote yesterday to ban balloon releases.
By a vote of 215 to 111, the House approved a bill that treats balloon
releases as a form of littering.
HB 62 originally barred the release of two dozen or more lighter-than-air
balloons.
The version that passed yesterday could bring a $250 fine for even a single
balloon let loose. A second offense could bring a $500 fine. The bill
specifically exempts hot air balloons, weather balloons and others released
as part of scientific research.
The bill does not penalize accidental releases.
Those who favored the bill said the balloon materials, including the
attached strings and ribbons, pose a serious threat to wildlife. Whales,
turtles and seabirds that live along New Hampshire's coastline mistakenly
eat floating balloons thinking they are food, and then are unable to eat
real food.
"Do we now get balloon police?" Rep. Randolph Holden, R-Goffstown, asked.
Rep. Kevin Waterhouse, R-Windham, said police officers would be given
enforcement responsibility.
A move to give the job to Fish and Game officers was rejected, since the
department is under budget pressure already.
He said people need to be aware that balloon releases cause real harm to
wildlife.
"It doesn't just go to heaven and disappear. It comes back down again,"
Waterhouse said.
Waterhouse said he was inspired to sponsor the bill by a group of
homeschoolers studying ecology.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The Joke... Software engineer
We all know you are a software engineer
<joke begins>
A man in a hot air balloon realised he was lost. He reduced altitude and
spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can
you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't
know where I am." The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon
hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41
degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be a software engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically
correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is
I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything,
you've delayed my trip."
</joke ends>
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Swiss Balloonist Piccard Gains German Support for Solar Flight
Well not quite ballooning, but someone we all know.. Pity Brian did'nt get a
mention.
From
mention.
From
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=akxXn50NekWg&refer=europ
e
By Jacob Greber
March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Bertrand Piccard, who along with his co-pilot became
the first to fly around the world in a hot-air balloon, won financial
support from Germany's biggest bank to build a solar-powered aircraft that
can fly around the globe.
The aircraft, with a wing span of 80 meters (264 feet), will be able to take
off and fly using energy from the sun. Deutsche Bank AG Chief Executive
Officer Joseph Ackermann said his bank will contribute 15 million Swiss
francs ($12 million) of the project's estimated 100 million-franc cost.
``Energy demand has become a massive challenge,'' Ackermann, who like
Piccard is from Switzerland, said today at a news conference in Zurich.
``Every effort to address that must be supported.''
The record-breaking flight is planned for May 2011 along the Tropic of
Cancer. Construction of a smaller prototype with a 61- meter wingspan will
begin next month. The first test flights are scheduled for next year. The
biggest challenge will be to develop an aircraft with batteries capable of
storing enough solar energy to fly through the night, said Piccard.
``We're going to show that all the beautiful exploration of the last century
will go on,'' the 49-year-old Piccard said.
Plans for the project, named Solar Impulse, were first announced at the end
of 2003. The wingspan of the aircraft will be about the same as an Airbus
A-380 but a fraction of the weight at two tons.
The pressurized cockpit will have room for one pilot who can fly the
solar-powered plane at up to 12,000 meters. The wings will be encased in a
``skin'' made of ultra-thin solar cells.
In 1999, Piccard and co-pilot Brian Jones became the first to fly around
Earth in a hot-air balloon. Starting in Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland, they
flew west for 45,755 kilometers over 19 days and 21 hours before landing in
Egypt.
Solar Impulse has already attracted some 65 million francs in financing,
said Andre Borschberg, the project's chief executive. The other main
partners include Swatch Group AG's Omega brand and Brussels-based Solvay SA.
To contact the reporter of this story: Jacob Greber in Zurich at
jgreber@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: March 19, 2007 11:27 EDT
Sunday, March 18, 2007
The Joke
I think we have had this version before but I can't be asked to look
back....
back....
Democrats and Republicans…
<http://miswingstater.wordpress.com/2007/03/18/democrats-and-republicans/>
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude
and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you
help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know
where I am." The sailor consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a
hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet
above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100
degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.
She rolled her eyes and yelled down, "You must be a Republican." "I
am,"replied the man. "How did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist,
"everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to
do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've been no help
to me."
The man smiled and responded, "Then you must be a Democrat." "I am,"
replied the balloonist. "How did you know?" "Well," said the man, "you don't
know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due
to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea
how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the
same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."
Aunty Monkey
Yes thats right, have I gone mad click through and find out... Its
Australian, and I think that's explanation enough ;-)
1997 World Hot Air Balloon Championship, Saga Japan
<http://auntymonkey.blogspot.com/2007/03/1997-world-hot-air-balloon-champion
ship.html>
By Aunty Monkey(Aunty Monkey)
I'm on a roll of uploading videos to YouTube. Here is a short video I edited
from some of Kath's videos.
Aunty Monkey - http://auntymonkey.blogspot.com/index.html
Australian, and I think that's explanation enough ;-)
1997 World Hot Air Balloon Championship, Saga Japan
<http://auntymonkey.blogspot.com/2007/03/1997-world-hot-air-balloon-champion
ship.html>
By Aunty Monkey(Aunty Monkey)
I'm on a roll of uploading videos to YouTube. Here is a short video I edited
from some of Kath's videos.
Aunty Monkey - http://auntymonkey.blogspot.com/index.html
G
Balloon camera seeks out hotspots
Humm spying from above!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/6457123.stm
A hot air balloon carrying a council planning officer with a heat camera has
ascended over Gloucester.
Meyrick Brentnall is using the torch-like device to check how well the
city's buildings are insulated.
The airborne exercise marks the launch this week of the council's climate
change strategy.
Its aims include improving the energy performance of new buildings,
promoting greater use of public transport and expanding recycling services.
Mr Brentnall took flight over the city with the heat camera on Friday
morning.
"We're looking down on houses, offices and factories and will take the
information back to the office," he said.
"It's a way of raising awareness on how important insulation is and
encouraging people to insulate their buildings."
Luxor Balloon Incident
Four French, three Americans and two Egyptians were injured on Friday when
their hot balloon crashed in Luxor, some 680 km south of the Egyptian
capital Cairo, MENA news agency reported.
their hot balloon crashed in Luxor, some 680 km south of the Egyptian
capital Cairo, MENA news agency reported.
High winds was to blame for the accident, local police said. Eight of the
injured left Luxor hospital after treatment, while one is still receiving
treatment, said MENA.
Luxor, located on the eastern bank of the Nile River, is famous for its many
ancient Egyptian historical sites, including the Valley of the Kings and the
temple of Karnak.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
I was banned
Well blocked,
Probably rightly the Blogger Bots picked this blog up as a spam one so I have not been able to access it for ages. I can see there point as all I really do is cut and paste anything I find!
G
Probably rightly the Blogger Bots picked this blog up as a spam one so I have not been able to access it for ages. I can see there point as all I really do is cut and paste anything I find!
G
The Joke
Back from the ban, I had to have seen that joke in another format somewhere
in the last two weeks.
With a helicopter!!
After a couple hours flying back and forth across the Puget Sound area the
navigational instruments on the helicopter go out and the pilot makes a
couple passes back and forth trying to get his bearings but appears to be
totally lost. Then he spots a man on top of a building smoking and flies
over close enough to shout out the window:
in the last two weeks.
With a helicopter!!
After a couple hours flying back and forth across the Puget Sound area the
navigational instruments on the helicopter go out and the pilot makes a
couple passes back and forth trying to get his bearings but appears to be
totally lost. Then he spots a man on top of a building smoking and flies
over close enough to shout out the window:
"Excuse me! Could you tell me where I am?"
The man looks up and then shouts back "You're in a helicopter."
The pilot looks puzzled for a second then stops and shouts back to the
smoker "Okay! Thanks!"
Then proceeds to fly straight back to the airport.
Once on the ground the photographer stops the pilot to ask how he found his
way back.
"Well," the pilot replies, "I asked that man where I was and he said I was
in a helicopter. Which was technically correct, but completely irrelevant
information for me. That's when it occurred to me that I must be over
Microsoft, and once I knew that I knew which direction to go."
And thankgoodness with a balloon again.
A man flying in a hot air balloon suddenly realizes he's lost. He reduces
height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and shouts
to get directions, "Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?"
The man below says: "Yes, you're in a hot air balloon, hovering 30 feet
above this field."
"You must work in Technical Support," says the balloonist.
"I do" replies the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically
correct, but It's of no use to me. If you had given me some useful
information, I would no longer be lost."
The man below replies, "You must work in management."
"I do" replies the balloonist, "But how'd you know?"
"Well", says the man, "you don't know where you are, or where you're going,
yet you expect me to be able to help. You're in the same position you were
before we met, but now it's my fault."
G
More lights in the sky
Intrigue persists over lights in sky
For first time, military pilot tells of dropping flares; others say 'Phoenix
Lights' were UFOs
Scott Craven
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 25, 2007 12:00 AM
On a mild springlike evening the string of amber orbs appeared as if by
magic, a celestial sleight of hand that would in the coming weeks make
headlines and video highlights across the nation.
Although little more than an atmospheric curiosity at the time, the hovering
and evenly spaced balls of light would soon become known as the Phoenix
Lights, an event that 10 years later continues to spark debate over just
what was seen that night.
Those who accepted the explanation that it was military flares dismissed the
controversy with logical precision, while people who saw it as an
otherworldly encounter claim the truth has been shrouded in lies and
disinformation.
In the ensuing decade, the Phoenix Lights would change outlooks, minds and
even a few lives. What hasn't changed is this: The mystery that still hovers
above March 13, 1997.
The key witness
What she was seeing had barely registered when Lynne Kitei raced inside to
fetch her video camera. Lights, six of them, evenly spaced in a direct line.
They were - floating? - over Phoenix. Certainly not a plane. Or balloons.
She had seen something like this before, but could these be like the amber
orbs she saw in 1995 hovering in formation just 100 yards from the backyard
of her Paradise Valley home? And she had seen orbs like that just two months
ago. In each case she had snapped photos. This time she wanted video.
By the time she was back on her patio, only three lights continued to shine.
She pressed "Record," and those several seconds of tape would become one of
the seminal recordings of the Phoenix Lights to be shown on the news, TV
specials and, several years later, her own documentary.
In the decade since that night Kitei, a respected physician, has resigned
from her position at the Arizona Heart Institute to devote herself full time
to talk about, and further investigate, the Phoenix Lights.
"If you had told me this is what I'd be doing," she says, "I would never
have believed it, not in a million years."
For seven years she spent nearly all her spare time trying to answer the
question that plagued her: What were those orbs, and what did they want? She
finished with 750 pages of notes detailing her interviews with witnesses,
experts and UFO investigators. Her notes included extensive research of
similar sightings around the world.
Kitei remained anonymous for seven years, fearful of the ridicule that
accompanies those seen to be tilting at extraterrestrial windmills.
But her chase for the truth eventually overcame her fears of going public.
She condensed her notes into a 222-page book, The Phoenix Lights, where she
revealed her findings as well as her name.
What she has not found is a definitive answer, only educated speculation as
to the meaning of the lights.
"It's never been about me; it's about the data," Kitei says. "To present it
I had to come forward, to tell people what I know."
Kitei also has discovered something nearly as surprising as interplanetary
visitors - a wider acceptance of things that can't quite be explained. She
said she still receives e-mails from fans of her book and her documentary,
The Phoenix Lights . . . We Are Not Alone.
She takes no offense at those who call her efforts a waste of time.
"Some people deny it even exists, that it all feeds into a logical
explanation," she says. "That's OK if it gives them comfort. Everyone in
their own time."
The lights appear
It is generally agreed that at about 10 p.m. on March 13, 1997, under a
clear sky with no breeze, a string of lights appeared to the southwest. The
orbs seemed to form a flattened V shape, like a boomerang. They appeared to
be motionless, or traveling so slowly that movement was imperceptible.
They shimmered for five to 10 minutes and were seen by hundreds, and likely
thousands, of people.
In the days to come, air traffic controllers at Sky Harbor International
Airport would tell reporters and UFO investigators that they spotted nothing
on radar. Officials at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson would report
that no military maneuvers were taking place that night at the Barry M.
Goldwater Range to the west of Gila Bend (and would change their story two
months later, saying the person on duty that night failed to look at the
proper logbook).
Photos and video of the Phoenix Lights were popping up on local and national
TV news. The images made their way around the world.
Then things got crazy.
Stories trickled in of isolated sightings from northwestern Arizona about
three hours before the mass sighting in Phoenix. Some people said the lights
seemed to float before accelerating and disappearing into the night. From
those sightings, experts in the UFO community assembled a timeline that had
a mysterious craft drifting north to south across Arizona.
Video of the Phoenix Lights appeared on TV tabloid shows with breathless
commentators wondering if this was the proof UFO believers had been waiting
for. And when Gov. Fife Symington called a press conference, few expected to
see the extraterrestrial who emerged from backstage (a Symington aide in
alien drag).
At least one person wasn't laughing.
Frances Emma Barwood never saw the lights as she drove home March 13 north
along Highway 51. Her eyes were on the road, not the sky, though in a week's
time she'd be eye-deep in controversy.
As the Phoenix city councilwoman fielded calls from curious constituents,
she decided she needed to know more.
She called for an investigation.
What she got, Barwood says from her home in Dewey, was ridicule.
"Oh, the media had a heyday with me," says Barwood, who would never hold
another political office when her City Council stint was up.
Barwood did not assume the lights were UFOs as the media inferred, she says.
She only wanted a government agency to look into the odd occurrences of
March 13. She received calls from eyewitnesses in Prescott Valley, Phoenix
and points south.
A decade ago, Barwood would have leaned toward a logical explanation. Today,
she's open to the not-so-logical.
"I don't know what it was, but I'm a lot more open to that thing coming from
elsewhere," Barwood says. "What makes us think we're the only intelligent
being in the whole entire universe?"
The flares exposed
Those who believed in logical explanations would have to wait four months
for the proof they knew was out there when the military, spurred by a June
1997 story in USA Today that brought national attention to the Phoenix
Lights, decided to take a second look.
They were flares, said the Air National Guard, dropped during nighttime
exercises at the Barry M. Goldwater Range.
That simple explanation didn't fly with those who had four months of mystery
on their side.
They were flares, insists Lt. Col. Ed Jones, who piloted one of the four
A-10s in the squadron that launched the flares.
Jones, in his first interview with the media about the night 10 years ago,
can't believe a decision to eject a few leftover flares turned into a UFO
furor that continues to this day.
Jones now is assistant director of operations for the 104th Fighter Squadron
of the Maryland National Guard. His title has changed, but his story remains
the same.
He and the rest of his colleagues were cruising the night skies of
southwestern Arizona on the last night of Operation Snowbird, so named
because they were winter visitors. Pilots dropped flares to light the night
but had no idea they were about to ignite controversy as well.
On the way back to Tucson, not far from Gila Bend, Jones says, he reminded
pilots to eject their leftover flares. Since this was their last night on
maneuvers, it was more cost-effective to eject the flares than to offload
and store the munitions upon returning.
"One of our guys had about 10 or so left, so he started to puke them out,
one after another," Jones says. "So every few seconds or so, when the next
flare was ready to go, he hit the button and launched it."
Jones looked behind him and saw an evenly spaced string of lights over the
desert, floating ever so slowly to earth. Each was extremely bright, a
"couple million" candle power, Jones knew. They seemed to hover because heat
from the flare rose into the parachute, as if each were a tiny hot-air
balloon. The planes headed for the base.
Jones and the rest of the crew returned to Maryland. Several weeks later,
Jones says, "All this stuff just blew up."
News of the unexplainable Phoenix Lights reached Maryland, where the logical
explanation sat waiting to be discovered. It would not be until the end of
July when it was announced that the Maryland Air National Guard had launched
flares that night and were the lights everyone had seen.
"With flares that bright, they can be a lot closer than they seem," Jones
said. "Yes, they could have looked like they were right over Phoenix."
There are those who believe the flare story is a lie, the military's attempt
to cover up the truth. Others think flares were indeed dropped but only as a
diversion so officials could explain what people saw that night.
Jim Dilletoso belongs in the first camp. The Phoenix computer specialist who
has analyzed film and video of dozens of alleged UFO sightings says Lynne
Kitei's video, the best taken that night, is not of military flares.
Dilletoso compared the lights to the thousands of images on his database,
which he likens to testing fingerprints or blood samples. He tests for size,
brightness, movement characteristics and more.
"I have thousands of knowns," Dilletoso says. "I didn't get a match to
flares, airplane lights, Venus, swamp gas, flashlights, whatever. That means
it's unknown. Not a spacecraft necessarily, but unknown."
The questions remain
A decade has passed, and while the Phoenix Lights have dimmed, they refuse
to disappear.
Steve Kates is not surprised. Dr. Sky, as he is known on radio and on his
Web site, follows aviation and astronomy and often is called upon to explain
unusual occurrences above us. Kates is hardly surprised the mystery of the
Phoenix Lights endures today.
"Mystery is a great thing," Kates says. "We don't want to think we're alone.
I imagine even ancient people looked to the sky and wondered."
The night had a profound effect on Bobby Brewer, who was with a friend
driving southbound on Highway 51when the lights appeared.
Brewer would write UFOs: 7 Things You Should Know, which many may consider
unusual coming from a pastor.
The experience led Brewer to respect those who have reported sightings,
encounters or even abductions.
The lights were so compelling that night, he pulled off the highway to
stare.
"It was like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time," says the pastor
for young adults and singles at Citichurch in Scottsdale. "It took my breath
away."
Brewer did his own research, yet to this day he is still unsure of what he
saw. Flares certainly seem plausible. A high-tech craft pushing the edge of
physics is in the realm of possibility. And he won't discount a visit from
another world.
For Brewer, the Phoenix Lights remain a tantalizing mystery. He can live
with that
Balloon crash safety changes call
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6429029.stm
A hot air ballooning company has been urged to review its procedures
following an accident in south Wales last May.
Fourteen passengers were injured and the balloon pilot broke his ankle when
it crash landed during violent storms.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) issued safety recommendations
to the company Ballooning Network Ltd.
Reports into a fatal crash in Snowdonia and a crash landing on an industrial
estate have also been published.
The AAIB report found the balloon had set off from the Monmouth area last
May when it got into difficulties during the stormy weather and tried to
land at a planned position unsuccessfully.
As the weather deteriorated, the balloon continued its flight until the
pilot reached Pontypool and there he made an emergency landing, said the
report.
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