The paragliders well.....
D-Bag off Hot Air Balloon
Posted Mar 26, 2006Dropping into a free fall after hanging tandem under a hot air balloon.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Has Technology abandoned Steve Fossett
ASSOCIATED PRESS
But the globe-circling adventurer's comrade appears to have turned fickle during and after a three-hour Labor Day jaunt. The aircraft borrowed from hotel magnate Barron Hilton, with whom he was staying in Smith Valley, carried an emergency locator transponder, or ELT, and the noted aviator often wore a special wristwatch that allowed him to signal his location in an emergency. But rescuers have heard nothing from either.
“Technology is a two-edged sword,” Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia Ryan said. “I've heard a lot of people mentioning the fancy Breitling watch that he is probably wearing. That's great. His ELT is probably working just fine. But when you've got terrain like we have here, line-of-sight issues, bouncing off of canyon walls and not getting out, then you seriously diminish the ability of technology to do what it was designed to do.” Fossett's wife, Peggy, said she did not believe her husband was wearing the watch.
In addition, Ryan said the on-board emergency locator transmitter, or ELT, could have been disabled in a crash or if the plane ended up submerged. Or its battery might have been too low.
“It's not foolproof,” she said.
Nor, it seems, is the latest gadgetry for detecting heat or objects from the air.
In addition to scores of eyes in Civil Air Patrol planes that combed a vast swath of western Nevada for two weeks, listening in vain for the transmitter's ping, other aircraft used old-fashioned infrared and a sophisticated system new to search and rescue.
On Monday, two weeks after Fossett was last seen, the Nevada Wing of the Civil Air Patrol sent home all but two of its planes, which remain at the airport in Minden. On Wednesday, the Nevada National Guard's helicopters returned to their bases. The choppers and the two Civil Air Patrol planes remain on standby to respond to any new leads.
Searchers had held out high hopes for the technological newcomer ARCHER, which can “see” objects that don't belong in places like Nevada's other-world landscape – such as a piece of airplane.
“This is the kind of terrain that Archer was born and raised in and they want to put it through its paces and see just what it can do. These are optimal circumstances to test that system,” Ryan said during the search.
It was developed in the 1990s for scientific observation and military applications and refined for search and rescue by the military and Civil Air Patrol Col. Drew Alexa, Ryan said.
While the human eye typically detects three light bands, ARCHER – an acronym for Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance – can analyze 50. Mounted on the belly of a Civil Air Patrol plane, it transmits images to a monitor for instant analysis and captures the images for later use on the ground.
More traditional is infrared scanning, used on Nevada National Guard planes and helicopters to seek out a human being, even in the summertime furnace that is the Nevada desert.
“You look for different things in the daytime than in the nighttime. In the daytime you're looking for cooler whereas in the nighttime you're looking for hotter,” according to Col. Craig Wroblewski, director of operations for the Nevada Army and Air National Guard.
“In the daytime when the rocks are all sitting at 150 degrees, a human is going to show up cooler where at night the rocks cool down to 30-40 degrees, they're going to show a much darker signature than a human would.”
The Forward Looking Infrared, or FLIR on the Guard's C-130 airplane and its two UH-58 helicopters also has acute daytime eyesight.
“I've been in the helicopters down there in Las Vegas with their Forward Looking Infrared system and flying down the Strip. I've been able to zero in on somebody's license plate,” said Bill Burks, assistant adjutant general for the Nevada Air National Guard.
While the C-130 and the UH-58s initially flew daytime and nighttime sorties in the search for Fossett, they eventually were restricted to the daylight hours because of concerns about the number of planes flying in the area.
“Normally when we do a search and rescue with the helicopter, we're looking at a smaller area like in the Sierra or in Lyon County or some of our surrounding cow counties so we know right where our helicopters are searching,” Wroblewski said.
“We have a hard time at night when all the other aircraft are flying to make sure our pilots are safe. ... We think it's more safe to conduct the search during the daytime.”
In addition to the trained members of the Civil Air Patrol and the military, technology from Google and Amazon.com gave couch potatoes a chance to join the search.
Using a technique similar to the one that lets people find an aerial view of their house, amateur volunteers pored over high-resolution images of the rugged Nevada landscape where Fossett was thought to missing in an area twice the size of New Jersey.
The satellite images were taken within days of Fossett's disappearance, according to the Nevada National Guard, which used analysts to decipher possible sightings e-mailed by the public.
The images produced a lot of tips but no sign of the blue and white fabric-covered plane.
“Thousands of people have been sending in information,” Nevada Air National Guard Tech Sgt. Steven Snyder said. “When the Europeans get off work we get a bunch of e-mails. When the East Coasters get off work we get a bunch of e-mails.”
The Civil Air Patrol's Maj. Ryan said she doubted the technology available through Google or Amazon.com could match that of the government's satellite imagery.
And she said the discoveries of six planes that have been missing in Nevada for decades gives her hope that technological advances over the decades will help find Fossett's plane.
Still, Undersheriff Joe Sanford of Lyon County, where the airstrip Fossett used is located, is baffled that the adventurer's plane remains missing.
“We've got 2007 technology. ... that can count beer cans in the back of pickup. But we haven't found an airplane. That's what's frustrating,” Sanford said.
New Scientist extract, Steve Fossett
Internet volunteers transform search and rescue
- 26 September 2007
- Paul Marks
- Magazine issue 2623
FROM my viewpoint above the Nevada wilderness I'm scouring the landscape for signs of a missing aircraft. I'm searching for Steve Fossett, the millionaire, record-breaking aviator whose plane went missing on the Labor Day holiday.
If it were any other search I'd be in the cockpit of a search plane, but this time it's different. I'm sitting in front of my PC, 8000 kilometres away in London, sifting through satellite photos that I, like thousands of others, downloaded to take part in an internet-based search for the missing aviator.
As New Scientist went to press, Fossett's single-engine plane was still missing, and the Nevada Civil Air Patrol had scaled down the search. But the photos scoured by online volunteers helped to reveal eight other, older aircraft wrecks that surfaced and would otherwise have been lost in the 44,000-square-kilometre area, highlighting the potential of online "crowd-sourced" search. My experience ...
One last hope to find Steve Fossett
- New leads from Air Force experts have prompted Nevada authorities to restart the search this weekend for missing adventurer Steve Fossett in four counties near the Death Valley.
- The Nevada National Guard will not take part in the search.
- On the web, virtual searchers have been checking out satellite images for weeks.
New York. Did Steve Fossett’s (Photo Phil Romans) plane crash near the Death Valley on September 3? Sheriffs and volunteers will scan the ground in four Nevada counties this weekend to try to find the missing adventurer. New leads have prompted authorities to restart the search for Fossett. “Air Force experts analyzed data from military and civilian radars, said Chuck Allen, State Trooper with the Nevada Department of Public Safety. They made deductions and narrowed the search to an area of about 100 square miles”.
In Chicago, people at the stevefossett.com headquarters had no such information leading them to think that the missing businessman might be close to the Death Valley. “According to my people on the ground, these reports are false, said Brian Spaeth, a spokesman for the Fossett challenge. We will not take part in the operation this weekend”.
The search remains limited. The Nevada National Guard has stopped its own search-and-rescue mission on September 18 and will not fly again over the area highlighted by the U.S. Air Force experts. The hope to find Fossett alive is almost non-existent. “There is only so much a man on his own can do in the desert, said captain April Conway, spokeswoman for the Nevada National Guard. If he was alive, he would have signaled”.
Despite their inability to find any trace of the missing aviator, Fossett’s family and friends are not giving up their private search. On Tuesday September 25, a plane with sophisticated camera gear flew again over the desert. Thousands of Internet users have joined the online search for Fossett. Early in the rescue effort, billionaire Richard Branson, a friend of the missing aviator, got the help of Google Earth and Amazon.
Google quickly requested from its providers new satellite images of the zone, where Mr Fossett’s plane went missing. Google passed those images along to Amazon.com. And Amazon’s powerful tool divided an area of 10,000 square miles into smaller zones and assigned them to people, who signed up to help find the adventurer.
Captain Conway said the National Guard got emails all over the world and followed some leads. “At one one point, our folks were directly in contact with the people at Google Earth but the search was unsuccessful”.
In Chicago, Brain Spaeth said that 20 people keep exploring any inch of the satellite images to try to find a trace of the adventurer. “A lot of people responded to our calls for support, he said. But nothing came out of this. We did not find Steve”. The web search has limits too. “ The area where Mr Fossett went missing, is very hilly with deep valleys, Captain Conway concluded. There are canyons. If the plane crashed in one of them, it will not be visible from above”.
Jean-Cosme Delaloye
A French version of that story came out on September 27 in Tribune de Genève and 24heures in Switzerland.
New Leads in Search for Fossett
Wednesday September 26, 2007 3:46 AM
By BRENDAN RILEY
Associated Press Writer
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Relying on new leads from Air Force experts, crews looking for famed aviator Steve Fossett plan to comb a rugged area near Death Valley by air and foot, authorities said Tuesday.
Gary Derks, the state Department of Public Safety official in charge of the search, said the Air Force analyzed images picked up by radar and satellite and ``picked up what could be Mr. Fossett, his track.''
``It gives us an idea, if it's him, what direction he was going,'' Derks said of the wealthy adventurer, missing for more than three weeks.
Derks said the area stretches about 100 miles to the southeast from where Fossett took off Sept. 3, an airstrip on a million-acre ranch owned by hotel mogul Barron Hilton. Maps show the area would include Nevada's remote Silver Peak Range, close to Death Valley National Park in California.
``There's nothing definite, nothing concrete,'' Derks said. ``These are just some hits that we want to track.''
Search planes will fly over the area Saturday and Sunday, Derks said.
The area is ``very rough terrain,'' Derks said. ``If he's there, he's going to be hard to see. That's why we're sending in the ground search-and-rescue crews, too.''
A private search effort by Fossett's family and friends continued Tuesday when a plane with sophisticated camera gear took off from the ranch.
Fossett, 63, has not been seen since he left on what was supposed to be a short ride in a lightweight acrobatic plane to scout locations to break the land speed record.
The adventurer, who made millions as a commodities broker in Chicago, is the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon. He has also swum the English Channel, completed the Iditarod sled dog race and scaled some of the world's best-known peaks.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Humpty Dumpty fell on a house
This photo, taken by Debra Manuel of Plano during this weekend's Plano Balloon Festival, makes it look like the Humpty Dumpty balloon fell on a home near Alma and Legacy Drive.
Here's what Debra had to say about her experience:
Humpty Dumpty really landed in the small intersection of that neighborhood, but when I saw the photo it appears to be on the house when you look at the hat. The balloon pilot was having a rough time - the crew wasn't around as he was touching down and the balloon was very close to the Victorian-style street light so I think he was a little concerned. He was yelling for some of the crew and they came running up as we were parking the car. There were a couple of bystanders that jumped in to help bring the balloon down.
Look for more Plano Balloon Festival photos at neighborsgo.com/photos. Also check out a video of assistant editor Emily Goldstein and me going up in a hot air balloon
Monday, September 24, 2007
Steve Fossett search ends.
I picked this one up at the weekend but have held of putting it here. Very few people reported this sad fact. Of the conspiracy theorys at the bottom I like the idea of him laughing at us whilst test flying a UFO!!From the Times online.
Wife clings to hope as Fossett hunt is halted
Tim Reid in Washington
Rescuers called off the search for the aviator Steve Fossett last night, 17 days after his light aircraft disappeared over the Nevada desert.
After 474 flights covering 20,000 square miles, the Nevada Civil Air Patrol sent its aircraft back to base and the state’s National Guard helicopters were grounded, having found no trace of Fossett or his light aircraft.
Fossett’s wife Peggy continues to fund a private search involving eight light aircraft, but with hopes fading of finding him, legal experts gave warning of a potential legal battle over his multimillion-dollar estate.
Under the law in California, where Fossett lived, it could take at least five years before his family can have him declared dead. Without a death certificate his estate, estimated at over $50 million, cannot be administered.
Members of Fossett’s adventuring team in Chicago insisted last night that the private search would continue “until we find him”. They are being helped by internet users around the world who are examining live images of the Nevada terrain provided by Google. Brigadier General Amy Courter, of the Civil Air Patrol, said she had seen cases in which “people have survived much longer than this”. But her patrol is no longer actively looking for him.
Fossett, 63, the first person to circumnavigate the globe solo in a balloon and the holder of 115 aviation, speed and endurance records, disappeared on September 3 after taking off in a single-engine plane from a private airstrip to seek a site for a world land speed record attempt.
Dennis Belcher, the former head of the American Bar Association’s probate division, told The Times that if Mrs Fossett decided to have her husband declared dead, she could go to court and argue for an expedited ruling. The couple did not have any children.
But business partners or agents might have a financial interest in having him still legally alive, as income-generating agreements often terminate on death. He said court battles between parties who want a missing person declared dead and those who do not are common.
He cited a case he was recently involved in where a lawyer disappeared in his light aircraft over the sea. Neither his body nor the wreckage was ever found. A creditor wanted him declared dead as soon as possible. His family did not – his estate was declining in value because of a drop in the financial markets and they calculated that if they held off for several years, it would increase in value again. The parties spent 18 months in court. The man was eventually declared dead.
The massive search for Fossett also turned up six aircraft crash sites in the mountainous expanse of western Nevada and eastern California, with some dating back to the early 1960s.
For more than a week after the crash sites were reported, one family hoped that a 43-year mystery had been solved. Charles “Chazzie” Ogle’s single-engine plane disappeared over the Nevada desert in August 1964, and his son - who was 4 at the time – thought that the Fossett search might finally offer some answers. William Ogle, 47, said that the tragedy had “hung over me my whole life”, but last week his hopes were dashed.
Searchers said four of the wrecks were already on file with federal officials and dated from the past 30 years – although the planes’ pilots have yet to be identified.
A fifth “wreck” turned out to not be a crash site but merely debris. The sixth was dated to 1961 – three years before Mr Ogle, a multimillionaire land investor, disappeared. “We’re very sorry, but we believe now that Mr Ogle’s plane was not among the ones we’ve found,” said Major Ed Locke of the National Guard.
Conspiracy theories
Internet explanations for Fossett’s disappearance include:
—He was shot down by the US Air Force for straying too close to “Area 51” in Nevada where the Pentagon tests new aircraft
—He is not missing at all, but being used by the US Air Force as a cover story. While pretending to look for him, the military has actually been searching for a missing nuclear weapon
—He has been abducted to test-fly a UFO
Zizz zizzt
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Hot Air Bag Descends on Wires
QUARRYVILLE -- A hot air balloon came down off course Sunday in East Drumore Township. Quarryville Fire Company was dispatched for a Public Service as the hot air balloon came down over wires on Solanco Road. The basket (seen at right) landed in the field opposite the Solanco High School.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Power line incident
WESTPORT, Mass. -- A hot air balloon came down unexpectedly in Westport Friday, crashing on a power line and causing a power outage in more than 100 homes.
NSTAR spokesman Mike Durand says it was not clear what caused the early morning accident that also broke a utility pole on Sodom Road.
Police said six passengers and one pilot were aboard the hot air balloon but did not know the ballon's origin or their destination. No one was seriously injured.
No other details are known at this time, refresh your page for updates from NBC 10.
NSTAR spokesman Mike Durand says it was not clear what caused the early morning accident that also broke a utility pole on Sodom Road.
Police said six passengers and one pilot were aboard the hot air balloon but did not know the ballon's origin or their destination. No one was seriously injured.
No other details are known at this time, refresh your page for updates from NBC 10.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Hooray its the joke again.
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 Information Technology," 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."
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 Information Technology," 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."
TSB Canada
TSB has safety suggestions after last month's hot air balloon crash
Wednesday, September 19 - 06:46:56 PM
Andrea Macpherson/Bruce Claggett
SURREY (NEWS1130) - Fantasy Balloon Charters says it will work with investigators to make sure a disaster never happens again. It is the company involved in this summer's hot air balloon crash in Surrey, and it's pleased with the preliminary ideas being floated by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board.
John Kageorge is speaking for the company and said it plans to impliment every suggestion put forward by the TSB.
"A draft recommendation suggests there be an emergency shut off for propane, that is something that would involve the manufacturers of the equiptment, and certainly is something that seems quite needed."
The suggestions involved the handling of the propane gas system and the tether that burned when the balloon went up in flames. Kageorge said the business has suspended all flights until the end of the season, and it is focused on the people impacted by the crash. Two women died and 11 other's were hurt in the accident.
Wednesday, September 19 - 06:46:56 PM
Andrea Macpherson/Bruce Claggett
SURREY (NEWS1130) - Fantasy Balloon Charters says it will work with investigators to make sure a disaster never happens again. It is the company involved in this summer's hot air balloon crash in Surrey, and it's pleased with the preliminary ideas being floated by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board.
John Kageorge is speaking for the company and said it plans to impliment every suggestion put forward by the TSB.
"A draft recommendation suggests there be an emergency shut off for propane, that is something that would involve the manufacturers of the equiptment, and certainly is something that seems quite needed."
The suggestions involved the handling of the propane gas system and the tether that burned when the balloon went up in flames. Kageorge said the business has suspended all flights until the end of the season, and it is focused on the people impacted by the crash. Two women died and 11 other's were hurt in the accident.
Pilot of hot-air balloon pilot who crashed helped TSB develop proposed new rules
Pilot of hot-air balloon pilot who crashed helped TSB develop proposed new rules
12 minutes ago
VANCOUVER - The pilot of a hot-air balloon that plunged to the ground in a fiery crash, killing two people last month, conducted his own experiments to help the Transportation Safety Board come up with recommendations to make ballooning safer.
John Kageorge, a spokesman for the pilot, said the Transportation Safety Board has concluded a propane fuel leak had a role in the fire that burned through the balloon's tether, setting off a series of horrific events that ended with some passengers having to jump several storeys to get out of the balloon.
The board said Wednesday investigators have come up with four recommendations.
Kageorge said Pennock has worked very closely with the board, offering his eyewitness account of the accident as well as lending his expertise as an experienced balloon pilot.
"He had a critical role in the development of these recommendations," Kageorge said.
"So much so that after each meeting the pilot had with the Transportation Safety Board, he'd spend his evenings doing considerable experiments so that he could report back theories, concepts the next day."
Board spokesman Tony Pleasants said one of the board's recommendations has to do with the fact that there's no emergency fuel shut-off systems in hot-air balloons the way there is with other aircraft.
"(Other aircraft) normally have a master emergency fuel shut-off system and there's no such thing on balloons," said Pleasants.
Two other recommendations involve the general handling of the liquid propane gas system and the tether that burned through.
Pleasants said he doesn't want to comment on the fourth.
"The fourth one - I think I really can't say too much about it because if I said anything it could be seen as kind of finding fault and we don't do that."
The recommendations were submitted to the board's Gatineau, Que., office last week and will likely be referred back to Pleasants before they are finalized.
When complete, the recommendations will go to Transport Canada, which will then order safety changes to the balloon company or even the industry as a whole.
"They (Transport Canada) could focus on the possibility of changing the regulatory structure," Pleasants said.
He said his job is to propose something while Transport Canada is charged with taking action.
The flame-engulfed hot air balloon crashed into a B.C. trailer park on Aug. 24, injuring the pilot and 10 others and killing a woman and her grown daughter.
Shannon Knackstedt and her daughter Jemma had been celebrating Shannon's 50th birthday with the hot-air balloon ride with Fantasy Balloon Charters.
Kageorge said one or two of the injured remain in hospital.
"Some people's injuries will affect them for their entire life and for that, Steve and the company are very sorry," he said.
"Some people have been able to rejoin their regular routine in their lives, although they've certainly been impacted by the trauma. Some people escaped with less injury."
Kageorge said Pennock remains emotionally devastated.
"His heart is full of sorrow for how people have been impacted by this."
No lawsuits have yet been served on the company.
Fantasy Balloon Charters voluntarily stopped operations after the accident. The hot-air ballooning season closes at the end of September, but Kageorge said the company will resume flights in May.
The company will implement all of the board's recommendations, he added.
The accident was among three involving balloons this summer.
A gust of wind dragged a balloon into a set of power lines in Calgary earlier this month but the pilot and his eight passengers weren't injured.
In August a hot air balloon fire sent three people to hospital near Winnipeg.
The balloon landed in a field, flipping the basket before a rope caught fire and the balloon burst into flames.
12 minutes ago
VANCOUVER - The pilot of a hot-air balloon that plunged to the ground in a fiery crash, killing two people last month, conducted his own experiments to help the Transportation Safety Board come up with recommendations to make ballooning safer.
John Kageorge, a spokesman for the pilot, said the Transportation Safety Board has concluded a propane fuel leak had a role in the fire that burned through the balloon's tether, setting off a series of horrific events that ended with some passengers having to jump several storeys to get out of the balloon.
The board said Wednesday investigators have come up with four recommendations.
Kageorge said Pennock has worked very closely with the board, offering his eyewitness account of the accident as well as lending his expertise as an experienced balloon pilot.
"He had a critical role in the development of these recommendations," Kageorge said.
"So much so that after each meeting the pilot had with the Transportation Safety Board, he'd spend his evenings doing considerable experiments so that he could report back theories, concepts the next day."
Board spokesman Tony Pleasants said one of the board's recommendations has to do with the fact that there's no emergency fuel shut-off systems in hot-air balloons the way there is with other aircraft.
"(Other aircraft) normally have a master emergency fuel shut-off system and there's no such thing on balloons," said Pleasants.
Two other recommendations involve the general handling of the liquid propane gas system and the tether that burned through.
Pleasants said he doesn't want to comment on the fourth.
"The fourth one - I think I really can't say too much about it because if I said anything it could be seen as kind of finding fault and we don't do that."
The recommendations were submitted to the board's Gatineau, Que., office last week and will likely be referred back to Pleasants before they are finalized.
When complete, the recommendations will go to Transport Canada, which will then order safety changes to the balloon company or even the industry as a whole.
"They (Transport Canada) could focus on the possibility of changing the regulatory structure," Pleasants said.
He said his job is to propose something while Transport Canada is charged with taking action.
The flame-engulfed hot air balloon crashed into a B.C. trailer park on Aug. 24, injuring the pilot and 10 others and killing a woman and her grown daughter.
Shannon Knackstedt and her daughter Jemma had been celebrating Shannon's 50th birthday with the hot-air balloon ride with Fantasy Balloon Charters.
Kageorge said one or two of the injured remain in hospital.
"Some people's injuries will affect them for their entire life and for that, Steve and the company are very sorry," he said.
"Some people have been able to rejoin their regular routine in their lives, although they've certainly been impacted by the trauma. Some people escaped with less injury."
Kageorge said Pennock remains emotionally devastated.
"His heart is full of sorrow for how people have been impacted by this."
No lawsuits have yet been served on the company.
Fantasy Balloon Charters voluntarily stopped operations after the accident. The hot-air ballooning season closes at the end of September, but Kageorge said the company will resume flights in May.
The company will implement all of the board's recommendations, he added.
The accident was among three involving balloons this summer.
A gust of wind dragged a balloon into a set of power lines in Calgary earlier this month but the pilot and his eight passengers weren't injured.
In August a hot air balloon fire sent three people to hospital near Winnipeg.
The balloon landed in a field, flipping the basket before a rope caught fire and the balloon burst into flames.
Transportation Safety Board makes recommendations after hot air balloon crash
Aftermath of crash at Hazelmere CampgroundNews1130 Photo
Wednesday, September 19 - 01:06:46 PM Dean Recksiedler
SURREY (NEWS1130) - An investigator with the Transportation Safety Board has made four recommendations after last month's hot air balloon crash in South Surrey that killed two people. The recommendations deal with the handling of the liquid propane gas system and the fact there's no master "kill-switch" to shut off the fuel in an emergency.
The Fantasy Charter's balloon crashed into the Hazelmere trailer park August 24th, injuring several people and killing a woman and her daughter. The TSB is trying to figure out how a fire broke out in the balloon's gondola before it plummeted into the trailer park and incinerated three recreational vehicles.
-----------------------Perhaps manifolds should be banned and quick shut off mandatory??? Lets see if the Canadian and US press pick up on that.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fallen pilot recovering
A Texas man who fell during a weekend hot air balloon mishap in Bossier City was recovering Monday after surgery as the Federal Aviation Administration began investigating.
Rick Ashby, 54, of Longview, Texas, was listed in good condition, according to an LSU Hospital spokesman.
The 18-year pilot broke his ankles and wrists after falling between 20 and 50 feet, his family said Monday.
Ashby and an unidentified female passenger fell out of the ULTRAMAGIC SA M-56C as it crashed Sunday morning near Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City during the Centennial Hot Air Balloon Rally, an event celebrating the city's 100th birthday. The two were playing a game in which basket occupants try to drop beanbags onto targets on the ground.
After the crash, the aircraft started drifting, and Ashby grabbed a rope attached to the basket. Witnesses, including a Bossier City police officer, have given different accounts on how far he fell after the balloon pulled him into the air. It eventually landed without a pilot across Red River after hitting a light pole on Clyde Fant Parkway.
The woman had a few bruises but did not need medical attention.
The FAA is examining Ashby's credentials and background, the balloon and environmental factors, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the agency.
Ashby is listed with the FAA as the owner of the airship, manufactured in 2004.
Investigators also will look into the background of Ashby's passenger.
An investigator spoke Monday with the Bossier City officer who was a witness, city spokesman Mark Natale said. The Police and Fire departments are otherwise not involved.
Sunday's accident is the second locally in less than a week in which the FAA is investigating.
That agency with the National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine what caused the helicopter crash that killed Joseph Benjamin Grammer, 36, and Jeffery Daniel Legro, 24, on Wednesday between Hosston and Vivian.
The Fairchild-Hiller 1100 went down in the woods south of Black Lake Bayou off state Highway 2. The newly purchased, refurbished chopper was en route from Century, Fla., to Grammer's flight training school near Las Vegas.
A preliminary report is expected this week, but a final determination could take six months to a year.
Rick Ashby, 54, of Longview, Texas, was listed in good condition, according to an LSU Hospital spokesman.
| |
Ashby and an unidentified female passenger fell out of the ULTRAMAGIC SA M-56C as it crashed Sunday morning near Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City during the Centennial Hot Air Balloon Rally, an event celebrating the city's 100th birthday. The two were playing a game in which basket occupants try to drop beanbags onto targets on the ground.
After the crash, the aircraft started drifting, and Ashby grabbed a rope attached to the basket. Witnesses, including a Bossier City police officer, have given different accounts on how far he fell after the balloon pulled him into the air. It eventually landed without a pilot across Red River after hitting a light pole on Clyde Fant Parkway.
The woman had a few bruises but did not need medical attention.
The FAA is examining Ashby's credentials and background, the balloon and environmental factors, said Roland Herwig, a spokesman for the agency.
Ashby is listed with the FAA as the owner of the airship, manufactured in 2004.
Investigators also will look into the background of Ashby's passenger.
An investigator spoke Monday with the Bossier City officer who was a witness, city spokesman Mark Natale said. The Police and Fire departments are otherwise not involved.
Sunday's accident is the second locally in less than a week in which the FAA is investigating.
That agency with the National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine what caused the helicopter crash that killed Joseph Benjamin Grammer, 36, and Jeffery Daniel Legro, 24, on Wednesday between Hosston and Vivian.
The Fairchild-Hiller 1100 went down in the woods south of Black Lake Bayou off state Highway 2. The newly purchased, refurbished chopper was en route from Century, Fla., to Grammer's flight training school near Las Vegas.
A preliminary report is expected this week, but a final determination could take six months to a year.
Remax balloon in Whitesands Missile Range airspace
Balloon drifts into WSMR
Article Launched: 09/19/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT
Click photo to enlarge 
The ReMax balloon floats over White Sands Sunday, heading for... (Karl Anderson/Daily News)
Officials are still investigating the circumstances in which one of the balloons participating in the 16th Annual White Sands Balloon Invitational at White Sands National Monument flew east into the restricted air space of White Sands Missile Range.
Not only did the red, white and blue ReMax balloon fly into restricted air space, but it actually landed three and a half miles beyond gate 36.
The violation created a frenzy of involvement by an appointed balloon rescue team, the Border Patrol, range runners from WSMR and park rangers from WSNM.
"We received the call to respond at 10:30 a.m.," said Bill Butler, another balloon pilot who participated with the event Sunday. "We arrived at Gate 36, past the radar site. When we reached the balloon, the pilot and three passengers were still there with the balloon."
Butler said that all officials were very helpful and cooperative.
Shortly after the arrival of the rescue team, Balloon Meister Dave Chelgren arrived on the scene accompanied by two more Border Patrol agents, one of whom was the husband of one of the passengers, Butler added.
Butler explained from his perspective as a balloon pilot why he thought the violation may have occurred.
"I'm going to be professional about this and just answer that by saying the pilot of that balloon did not attend the safety briefing last Friday night," he said
The ReMax balloon is owned by Troy Bradley, of Albuquerque, who did not attend the event last weekend.
Butler said with the wind and weather being what it was last Sunday, he would have chosen an alternative launch spot.
"I personally chose to fly in town (Alamogordo) on Sunday because of the conditions at White Sands National Monument that would not have allowed us to safely go very far," he said.
Butler said he is very concerned about this incident, and feels many other pilots share the same sentiment.
"We need to keep a very positive relationship with the military and the Parks Service in this area so that we can continue to be allowed to have the White Sands Balloon Invitational at the monument," he said. "This certainly didn't do anything to enhance that relationship."
A call made to WSMR Tuesday confirmed the balloon was taken out of the area Monday.
"It did cross WSMR restricted air space," said Monte Marlin, director of public affairs for the missile range. "But where it came down was about five and a half miles west of Holloman Air Force Base in a remote eastern area of the monument."
Marlin said while the balloon did not actually land on WSMR property, it did make its landing in an area not conducive to ground traffic.
"It's a very sensitive area that can easily be harmed by ground vehicles," Marlin said. "It is in a very sensitive part of the monument."
Marlin said once all respective agencies had given clearance, it only took 40 minutes for WSMR air support to deploy and subsequently return the balloon to the helipad at the national monument.
"There have been very few incidents like this since the hot air balloons began to come for this event," Marlin said. "We are a part of this process, and we have always supported and assisted with this event each year."
Marlin was asked if repeated incidents of this nature could jeopardize the relationship the two military installations have with the balloon event.
"It's a bit premature to answer that," Marlin said. "All I can tell you at this point is that we have been and continue to support this event, but that this will be looked at very carefully."
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
UK Girl Guides create tether record
Well done to all involved, good job.
The toast of Namche: UK Girlguiding team breaks unofficial Tether hot air balloon record?
11:07 am EST Sep 18, 2007
(MountEverest.net) Last Sunday (Sept 9) the Girlguiding UK team succeeded at 0600 local to inflate and display Tether it's new hot air balloon above Syangboche.
"We had hoped to do so at Dingboche and EBC just get some pictures and to see if it was possible with a small balloon," the team wrote to ExWeb last week. "A combination of the appauling weather and the bridge down at Phunki Tenga aborted that, but our girls have done us proud all the same."
Just for fun and science
It was the association's first official basecamp trek and the balloon went along just for for fun and science, "no illusions of flying over the top or anything!"
The voluntary team used a lightweight Ultramagic 56,000cft envelope and duochair hopper bottom end (rather than a basket). Himalaya Expeditions porters carried all the kit up and back, the team reports.
"Certainly a first for the area"
"We think 3858m is an unofficial record for a full display tether of a hot air balloon and it's certainly a first for the area," Mark Warne from the team wrote.
"The girls have won a lot of respect from my fellow pilots worldwide for achieving something technically difficult in challenging conditions. I know very few hardened balloonists who might have tried it and even less who would have put up with the Khumbu weather over the past two weeks."
"The girls were certainly the toast of a very quiet Namche this weekend and all hope to be back to try Island Peak next year."
The toast of Namche: UK Girlguiding team breaks unofficial Tether hot air balloon record?
It was the association's first official basecamp trek and the balloon went along just for for fun and science, "no illusions of flying over the top or anything!" (Click to enlarge) ) The voluntary team used a lightweight Ultramagic 56,000cft envelope and duochair hopper bottom end (rather than a basket). Click to enlarge.) "We think 3858 m is an unofficial record for a full display tether of a hot air balloon and it's certainly a first for the area," Mark Warne from the team reported to ExplorersWeb. All images courtesy of the expedition.
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(MountEverest.net) Last Sunday (Sept 9) the Girlguiding UK team succeeded at 0600 local to inflate and display Tether it's new hot air balloon above Syangboche.
"We had hoped to do so at Dingboche and EBC just get some pictures and to see if it was possible with a small balloon," the team wrote to ExWeb last week. "A combination of the appauling weather and the bridge down at Phunki Tenga aborted that, but our girls have done us proud all the same."
Just for fun and science
It was the association's first official basecamp trek and the balloon went along just for for fun and science, "no illusions of flying over the top or anything!"
The voluntary team used a lightweight Ultramagic 56,000cft envelope and duochair hopper bottom end (rather than a basket). Himalaya Expeditions porters carried all the kit up and back, the team reports.
"Certainly a first for the area"
"We think 3858m is an unofficial record for a full display tether of a hot air balloon and it's certainly a first for the area," Mark Warne from the team wrote.
"The girls have won a lot of respect from my fellow pilots worldwide for achieving something technically difficult in challenging conditions. I know very few hardened balloonists who might have tried it and even less who would have put up with the Khumbu weather over the past two weeks."
"The girls were certainly the toast of a very quiet Namche this weekend and all hope to be back to try Island Peak next year."
Steve Fossett, new images at Amazon Mechanical Turk
If you have already taken part in Amazon Mechanical Turk search for Steve you may be interested to know that newer high definition images have been added.
More info at Steves official site http://www.stevefossett.com/
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More info at Steves official site http://www.stevefossett.com/
G
Monday, September 17, 2007
Just hanging around
Lets hope this dude is not allowed to particpate in any other events until he has received some further training.
A Longview, Texas, man was injured Sunday morning when the hot air balloon he was piloting fell to the ground near Bass Pro Shops in Bossier City, causing him and a female passenger to fall out of the balloon.
Rick Ashby, 54, and an unidentified woman were participating in a game of throwing bean bags out of the balloon to hit targets on the ground when the balloon crashed, said Bossier City spokesman Mark Natale.
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The balloon did seem to be descending pretty fast, Eddington said, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary when the balloon hit the ground.
As the balloon started to ascend back into the sky, Ashby grabbed a rope tied to the balloon in an attempt to prevent it from flying away.
"People around were telling him to 'Let it go, let it go,' because it just kept going higher and higher," Eddington said.
The balloon continued to rise and Ashby finally let go and fell to the ground.
Eddington, who took photos of the accident, said, "He fell 20—30 feet and the balloon crashed into a clump of trees."
A nearby Bossier City officer also witnessed the incident and estimated Ashby's fall to be between 30 and 50 feet, Natale said.
Ashby was transported to LSU Hospital with what appeared to be "broken lower extremities," Natale said, but nothing life-threatening.
The woman had a few bruises, he said, but didn't require any emergency medical attention.
The pilotless balloon flew over the river into Shreveport, where it finally landed on a light pole on Clyde Fant Parkway, Natale said.
No other injuries were reported.
The event was part of the weekend's larger Centennial Hot Air Balloon Rally, one of the many events celebrating Bossier City's 100th birthday this year, Natale said.
Helium balloon to move
Monday September 17, 2007
Hot-air balloon needs new home
THE search is on for a new home for the DHL balloon – and it has just three months to find one.
The lease on the Tan Quee Lan Street site, where it has been based for the past 16 months, will expire on Dec 31.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority said it cannot grant an extension as there are “other plans for the site”, which it is unable to disclose now.
James Heng, chief executive of Singapore Ducktours which owns the balloon, has suggested two alternatives to the authorities: a site in Beach Road opposite Park View Hotel or at Merchant Loop opposite Novotel Clarke Quay Hotel. He has not heard from them.
The Singapore Land Authority will help to find another site, but will open it for public tender.
If no green patch is found, the balloon might have to be deflated and packed away.
“I’m very sad, it’s my baby,” said Heng, who greets his balloon every day from his office window at Suntec Tower Two.
Or it might relocate to Kuala Lumpur or Johor Baru.
About S$2.5mil (RM5.75mil) has been pumped into the attraction, not including land rent which was over S$1mil (RM2.3mil) for two years. Calling it a day would cost the company S$1.2mil (RM2.76mil).
This includes S$800,000 (RM1.84mil) spent priming the ground for the balloon, plus S$60,000 (RM138,000) worth of helium.
The balloon operates daily, charging S$23 (RM52.90) for adults and S$13 (RM29.90) for children per ride. It rises to a height of 150m, about 40 storeys, and takes up to 29 passengers per trip. It has ferried 150,000 visitors to date.
Ticket sales – S$3.45mil (RM7.93mil) in the past 16 months – have been on track.
Heng is eyeing the Gardens by the Bay project in the Marina Bay area as another alternative and is in talks with the National Parks Board.
For now, Ducktours will offer free balloon rides to charities and deserving Singaporeans who write in till year-end. He said: “It’s our way of giving back to society.” – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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