TEN
YEARS AGO...
Submitted by: Georgia Puttock, Historian
Officers: President, Jim Pauze; Vice President, Bob Dicks; Treasurer, Pat Malinak; Secretary, Barry Nixon.
Marie Dicks wins the Torok Spirit Award and Dave and Evelyn Tryon win Dan Decker Crew Award.
Top 3 pilots for 1991: Jim Duncan (8449 points), Bob Ward, Bob Dicks.
GEBA Social Committee is established to coordinate details and arrangements for all social functions.
Interview with Don Dillon, Rally Organizer of Fox 43 Balloon Classic, discusses the challenges of pleasing the pilots, the rally organizers, the crew, the sponsors, and the landowners…in addition to safety issues – all at the same time.
Story is told of balloon trip on the Jolly Roger on Labor Day weekend in Gatineau PQ. “The ascent was smoother than an elevator. I was so busy trying to take everything in and photograph it all, I hadn’t the slightest twinge of fear. People on the ground waved to us enthusiastically, and I responded like the Queen waving to her subjects from the Royal coach… Now I know how Columbus must have felt… I knew for a fact that I was the first woman ever to arrive by hot air balloon on Bissonnette Street in Gatineau.”
Plans are made to fly around the world by balloon. Virgin Earthwinds pilots will be Larry Newman and Don Moses of the USA and Russian Cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov. Moscow State University will conduct an experiment using NASA equipment to test high-altitude windshear, pollution, and ozone levels. The 3 aeronauts will not be covered under the special insurance of $20 million. The balloon system consisted of: ·An enclosed 24 x 10 foot climate-controlled gondola ·A 180 foot high by 100-foot diameter upper balloon fueled by tanks carrying 1500 pounds of liquid helium to be converted to gas during the flight. ·A 100 foot round anchor balloon under the gondola to help keep the balloon at desired altitude. Plan was to fly at altitudes of 32,000 to 35,000 feet in an easterly direction from and to Akron, Ohio.
The Great American Barrel Flight was held on September 28th in East Windsor NJ. The hare balloon was “Trust Me” piloted by Johann Schneider, and the trophy winner was Barry Nixon.
John Kugler writes about his December 1991 ammonia flight in Culbertson, Nebraska. “Using 5 tanks, it took 3 hours to inflate…Lifted off at 11:00 a.m. with about 220 pounds of ballast, radio, food, cokes, and coffee…Ascended to about 2,000 feet AGL at 125-250 FPM…Eventually I ballasted 15-20 pounds and reached 6,000 MSL. This took a little over an hour to reach altitude and in about another hour reached 8,000 feet… the leak was not that big of a problem… Observations after landing: It is still imperative that the pilot have a good checklist and march right through each station on it. That would have caught the loose stem bolt on the valve and increased the smell at inflation. I’m starting to think that each flight will present a different set of problems and that ‘perfect readiness’ can’t be obtained. The only peril that actually required some thinking was the fact that the balloon was heading back toward town with ballast running low! I was imagining how in the world to vent off this stuff in town…But, of course, this didn’t happen. The balloon is a dream to fly; I can’t wait for the next flight.”
TEN
YEARS AGO...FROM
THE GEBA NEWSLETTER
Submitted by: Georgia Puttock, Historian
GEBA President is Jim Pauze. Joe
Doerer takes over. The
Treasurer position from Pat Malinak. Ken
Roeschen “Pirate of the Skies” is now flying a giant
hot-pink “Boombox.” An
East Brandywine man was convicted of shooting at a hot-air
balloon floating over his home four years ago.
MacBride testified he was sick of the balloons
spooking his animals and took up a shotgun to scare one group of balloonists
off. Deputy DA Carmody said,
“There’s no right for this man to shoot at a balloon to protect his horse
and dog. Otherwise, you’d have
the postman diving into the bushes every time he makes a dog bark…This isn’t
the Wild West.” Official
Position: The BFA does not endorse
the use of balloons or airships for bungee jumping. Jim Pauze, Tom Ragland,
and Dan Pregnar run the Safety Seminar held 3/21at
Lafayette College in Easton PA. (Only
22 reservations received by 1/15.) FAVIA
jackets will be available for purchase soon. Dave Wilsey and Bert Padelt
of Best Aviation Services in Quakertown are in the final planning stages before
beginning work on the replica basket. Liberty
Bell balloon was inflated in Philadelphia to draw
attention to the commemoration coming in 1993. Joan Mount chairs and organizes
the new Social Committee.
John Kugler speaks about gas ballooning in Nebraska using anhydrous ammonia as the lifting gas in his Wilsey/
Padelt
balloon. He says, “It stinks!”
TEN
YEARS AGO... FROM THE GEBA NEWSLETTER
Submitted by: Georgia Puttock, Historian
GEBA President is Dan Pregnar.
VP Bob Dicks’ hair is starting to
get long and shaggy so he won’t have to wear a powdered wig for FAVIA
celebration.
GEBA Safety Seminar hosted 135
attendees at Lafayette College in Easton.
Randy Wright from Texas received high marks
for his landowner relations presentation.
Article reprinted from 5/1/92 The
Philadelphia Inquirer highlights the
ballooning activities of Jim Duncan. Jim
got started in ballooning in 1979, bought his
first balloon in 1984, and acquired his Cloud 9 racing balloon in 1988.
He has flown along the Grand Tetons,
the Big Sky in Montana, and along Glacier National Park.
Another article from 3/2/92 Inquirer
describes the work of inspecting and
servicing balloons. “Deflated panels can stretch 60
inches wide and as much as 30 feet long…typical balloon has about 1,000 square
yards of fabric.
Susan Brown writes about challenges of
being the Hare Balloon and quotes the BFA:
“…The hare pilot should be an experienced
pilot who is not inclined to show off flying and who will follow instructions. He should be instructed to fly for 45
to 60 minutes, and find a large landing point free of hazards. Instructions
should remind him to fly at an altitude that will move him
along and not force competitors to fly too low.
One to two thousand feet is usually a
good altitude. The Hare should not spend
too much time flying low before landing because this may force competitors to
fly low over farms to do well. On
landing he should deflate immediately and
spread out the target directly upwind from the basket and not more than five
feet away. It is best
if the Hare carries a measurer and a tape measure so that scoring
may begin immediately. It is common for the officials chasing
the Hare balloon to get stuck in traffic and not be available to assist with
measuring.” GEBA Race rules state
that a Hare must fly 15 minutes with a
maximum of 60 minutes.
In 1992 there were only 54
privately-owned public use airports in NJ.
Airport Appreciation Week is designated for May 16, and NJ
DOT sponsors a $2 bill campaign to call attention to value of local airports
with encouragement to spend them in areas where airport is under pressure:
Linden, Solberg, Princeton, and Somerset.
Members are reminded that it is important to get involved in GEBA.
Your time and talents can make a difference.
Dan Pregnar, President; Bob Dicks, VP; Joe Doerer, Treasurer; Nancy Shaefer, Secretary.
Joan Mount writes about 3rd annual GEBA picnic at Alexandria field. Flying hounds were: John Coulahan, Joe Doerer, Jim Duncan, Larry Konash, Jim Mount, and Jim Pauze. Although the picnic was greatly enjoyed by the 40 who attended, most members did not support the picnic, resulting in loss of $200. Club significant expenses included porta-potties and field insurance.
Formal approval received from IRS on 501C3 status.
Louisiana balloonist Phil Branstuder and his balloon “po dawg” sign up for FAVIA 1/9/93. Plans for FAVIA include: historical exhibit; bicentennial ball; program book; BFA convention.
Paul and Gerry Wille announce the appointment of Johann Schneider as Balloon Accident Prevention Counselor for the Teterboro FSDO. Scott Kelly receives Designated Examiner Status.
Gerry Wille writes about successful Monmouth Heritage Day balloon event, and Re/MAX participation in International Flying.
Farmers President’s Day cookout. Dan Pregnar offers advice: “Train your new crew and explain to the faithful crew what you are doing (or at least your intentions). Do this during or before inflation, when flying, and for looking for those difficult landing spots. Difficult landings are handled with less of a problem when crew and passengers know what to expect and how to act accordingly. It could be an exciting experience instead of an incident or accident when prepared.”
The GEBA Newsletter dated September/October
1992 was quite thin…perhaps because FAVIA was taking up
everyone’s time. "Excerpts
from Don Tuller’s presentation about CROPS:
1. Crew and vehicles cause most landowner discontent.
2. Crops in central CT valley are high
value crops and all pilots and crew
should be able to recognize them.
If
some-thing is planted in rows, an easy observation from ground
and air, IT IS A CROP.
3.
Little farming activity occurs from November 1-April 1, EXCEPT
nursery stock and during these times those
crops are
most vulnerable.
4.
Be aware of conditions that affect farms.
Reception might be much cooler during a drought
when the
farmer is
worried about losing his whole crop due to lack of water and
a balloon damages what little he has
left.
5. Crew
is responsible for controlling spectators and entourage if balloon lands on
private property. Block the
path into a
field and monitor who goes in.
6. Carefully
walk balloon to edge of field or use a farm road.
7.
Always remember that large inviting field is part of a farm business
from which someone derives a living.
8. Corn:
3 types: Sweet, have roads every
10-12 rows in order to drive down and pick.
Field:
used for silage, cut in August. Leaves
short, sharp, balloon-poking stubble. Ear:
used to feed
livestock.
Ears usually stay on dry stalks well into Nov/Dec and appear
dead or abandoned.
Crew
can check if ears are still present.
9.
Alfalfa: dark, lush green 18-30” tall, cut 3-4 times a year.
Driving on alfalfa kills it.
10.
Hay: several cuttings/year. The
first cut is in June and minor damage occurs if driven on
immediately after
first cut. Subsequent cuts
are more important.
11. Root
crops: even though you can’t see the crop such as potatoes, crop
is lost if foliage is damaged.
12. Winter
rye: planted for erosion control and usually gets harrowed under.
Minor damage if driven on.
13. Dairy
farms are financially unsound at this time and, therefore, not
likely to be receptive to balloons.
Note:
ironically, milking time generally coincides with ballooning time."
Congratulations sent to Troy Bradley and Richard Abruzzo on setting record across the Atlantic Ocean…2,732 miles in 146 hours.
Bert and Joan Padelt, new owners of Best Aviation in Quakertown, construct replica boat-shaped gondola for FAVIA reenactment
balloon flight and are starting construction of 46,000 cubic foot gas balloon. Article tells about Bert’s fascination with ballooning since
6th grade.
Kudos to Dan Pregnar, balloonmeister, Doug Lane, safety officer, and Ray Horan, weather briefer, at Shawnee Autumn Balloon
Festival 1992.
Jim Mount and Tom Ragland represent GEBA at 10th Hot Air Jubilee in Jackson, Michigan. Task list included: “44 points for landing on a
road; 131 points for splash-n-dash with sponsor’s feet wet; 45 points for landowner tether at end of flight; 88 points for bringing back
green pine cones, etc.”
Jim Duncan makes a 1’3” drop at Freehold Township Family Fun Day Balloon Race.
FAVIA countdown status: Bert Padelt’s basket is scheduled for FAA certification test flight on November 21st…Bicentennial ball will
have astronaut James E. Lovell as featured speaker…BFA convention will be held at same time, featuring Ed Yost, Tim Forbes, Troy Bradley,
and Richard Abruzzo as speakers…FAVIA postal cachets and program books being printed.
Up, Up, and Away balloon festival sends message to pilots, crews, families and friends for a successful event at Alexandria Field: “thanks
for their safe, courteous and professional participation.”