Hot air balloons

[DieselFan]

Have you ever tried landing your aerrie (under controlled circumstances) on its side or backwards??? I reckon its nice to always be on the same position of your baloon every time you land it to assist with judging height and speed.

The difference is in a aerie you can't just turn your body around to face the new direction, but in a basket yes, and surely viz is good from front or back?

All I'm saying is that if I were used to landing with me standing in front, then I would just walk to the front, whichever direction that might be at the time?

On another note landing sideways with an aerie works perfectly fine in FlightSim - with crash detection off

[Cali]

On another note landing sideways with an aerie works perfectly fine in FlightSim - with crash detection off

If only you could have crash detection on a real trike :D :D

[Microwave]

Well, I guess that sometimes the balloon is full of people and you are not always able to just change your position without pissing somebody off. So it would be easier to just turn the balloon around.....just guessing

[Henry6iix]

Here`s a site for Hot Air Ballooning in South Africa

http://www.airborneadventuresafrica.com ... y_high.htm

I am standing outside the basket with the glasses

[DieselFan]

Well, I guess that sometimes the balloon is full of people and you are not always able to just change your position without pissing somebody off. So it would be easier to just turn the balloon around.....just guessing

Just push the annoyed pax overboard , seriously though makes sense.

How do these things handle in bad weather - irrespective of not being able to control direction, do they get flipped upside down etc?

[RV4ker (RIP)]

How do these things handle in bad weather - irrespective of not being able to control direction, do they get flipped upside down etc?

DON't GO or LAND in a hurry.... Think that why they mainly fly very early.

[garymortimer]

Hi all,

Just picked up the link to this thread. BTW I am an imposter for I don't fly microlights but balloons!

The last post hit the nail on the head really, don't go when its windy is the best practice with balloons.

If you get caught out and it gets windy find a big place to stop.

These days bigger baskets are rectangular so you use a turning vent to line up a long edge for landing.

Especially important in the really big baskets.

Obviously the longer edge presents more braking and also before you take off you have given the talking ballast landing instructions including the instruction to face away from the direction of travel.

The punters then practice it before we go so its a good idea to put the same side facing the direction of travel for landing because they have seen it before.

I have made it sound much more complicated than it is.

The reason for backs to direction of travel for punters is that they cannot pitch forward and out that way.

Never land in a balloon facing the direction of travel unless you are driving it. That brings a whole load of interesting survival tactics for the pilot but thats another story!

The other thing is that you don't want to put a corner in first as the basket rotates arouns it. If your in a big balloon with a basket that can be 10m wide you can end up rotating around with quite a force.

On the subject of steering you get airborne stay low for a while check the track, then climb in steps checking track on GPS all the time and then see what you have to play with.

You then decide where to try and go.

Happy to answer any questions, will try not to waffle so.

Cheers

Gary

[garymortimer]

Should also have mentioned..

Small baskets are square so no turning vents.

Some Americans, bless them use triangular baskets for smaller baskets and no turning vents so there in a fast landing its invariably a corner that hits and the things rotate around so the passengers really have no idea which way to face.

The basket can roll over, its called doghousing.

Used to happen a lot before we put plastic rods in covers holding the burner frames up.

The burners in flight will stay there using the tension of the cables that attach them to the envelope.

But when you land they tend to follow the downward movement of the balloon and hit you on the head. Hence all the pictures of balloon pilots with crash helmets on in the 70's. The reason poles to help hold the burner up took a while to be perfected is the amount of load they can undergo during an inflation. Snapping them.

Thats also why they have a cover, keep bits out of passengers if they do go.

Anyhow if your landing at speed downhill there always was a change of tipping over, the poles now form a sort of roll bar with the burner frame and resist that so it happens infrequently. In fact its changed from an every other flight thing to a reportable accident.

When it does happen these days the pilot is normally trying very hard and somebody is injured

Oh yes hi Henry

G

[garymortimer]

Last rant, promise

The larger balloons are divided, these days normally pilot in the middle with two compartments either side of him or her with passengers, five sections in all if that makes sense.

THIS BIT VERY IMPORTANT SHOULD YOU BECOME A BALLOON DRIVER

In smaller square balloons when flying pretty girls on a windy day the pilot should always move to the front of the basket for landing to gallantly buffer the young lady from mother earth.

I guess you guys just squeeze harder in these situations in trikes.

[Wart]

It lives and breathes; welcome Gary. Great to have some-one of your experience able to pass on your knowledge.

It doesn't matter what you fly or if you fly at all, everyone is welcome here.

When is your next record attempt?????

[garymortimer]

Balloons are not really dangerous honest.

The bigger balloons are 415,000 cu ft in volume and carry at sea level 18 passengers tend to take 16 at higher take off altitudes.

Some guys in Sweden are flying 530,000 cu ft balloons, they can take 32 pax. Oh lordy

The reason is that landing spaces are small in Stockholm so rather than try and get 2 16 person balloons into a spot get one big one!!!

I would love to have a crack at flying one. By law you have to have two pilots on board. Thats why there are not many of those balloons flying in the world.

I guess the average size for passengers would be about 210/250,000 cu ft or 8-10 passengers.

Sport balloons are normally 77,000 cu ft but on the highveld its better to go for a 105,000 cu ft so you can take along at least a couple of friends and a packet or two of sandwiches

Funnily enough I cancelled my flight due to wind this AM and it did cross my mind how stupid I would look having said don't go if the weathers not right and I went and flew this AM and had an accident.

Cheers all

G

BTW if you are ever in Natal and spot a big red balloon please come and fly around its always great for the passengers.

[velocity]

BTW if you are ever in Natal and spot a big red balloon please come and fly around its always great for the passengers.

Hi Gary

Are you keen to give something like this a try
http://www.bpa.org.uk/skydive/pages/art ... gstunt.htm

This is http://www.theonion.com/content/node/44894

Blue Skies
Graham

[kb]

You then decide where to try and go.

TRY being the operative word here...

[kb]

Red baloon in KZN, well, in which part of KZN should we start looking for you...

[DieselFan]

Hi Gary and welcome.

Your posts are VERY interesting. You mention the smaller one are meant for sports, are they easier to control and much faster? Or is it so that more can fit within the confined area.

Have you ever run out of gas and had an "engine out" like with aeries? If so what did you do?

How long does it take to do a preflight?