Feb. 2017 Winter 2017 Issue No. 5
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www.ltaflightmagazine.com Issue No. 5 Winter 2017 Dec. 2016 – Feb. 2017 # Content Page 1 Gas Balloon Races Test Skills, Endurance, and Luck 2 2 NASA Launches Giant Scientific Balloons in Antarctica 10 Solar Ship Challenges Lockheed Martin to a Race Across Northern Canada and 3 11 Africa Pilot of Deadliest Balloon Crash in US History Knew About Bad Weather; Eight 4 12 Prescription Drugs Found in System 5 Balloon Museum Celebrates High-Flying Pioneers 14 Arctic Air: Andrée’s Balloon Flight to North Pole | New Exhibition at Balloon 6 20 Museum 7 Experts See Red Flags in Amazon’s Patent for Floating Warehouses 21 8 Voliris Plans to Bring Airships to the Desert 23 9 A Recreational Flight to Space in a Modern Balloon? 25 Office Location: Maryland, USA Contact Information: Ms. Sitara Maruf Phone: (240) 426-2040 Emails: [email protected] [email protected] Website: www.ltaflightmagazine.com Issue No. 5 Winter 2017 Dec 2016 - Feb 2017 1) Gas Balloon Races Test Skills, Endurance, and Luck by Sitara Maruf, 1st Dec. 2016 The Basket and the Balloon Each team has two pilots who occupy a Balloon pilots Noah Forden and Bert Padelt’s crew escort their balloon to the launch small open basket about 5 feet by 3.5 feet. platform. Photo courtesy: Kim Vesely, America’s Challenge Baskets are usually made of wicker or other Noah Forden, an aerospace engineer by world’s most skilled and adventurous lighter-weight materials, such as profession, built his two-seater airplane in pilots. Another race of its kind is the lightweight aluminum or a metal alloy with his garage and also built his third hot air prestigious Gordon Bennett Cup (or Coupe fabric or composite panels. Overhead is balloon. He has been flying planes for 17 Aéronautique Gordon Bennett), founded in their aircraft — a 1000 cubic meters years and hot-air balloons for 26 years. Last 1906 and considered the world (37,000 cubic feet) conductive fabric sphere October, Forden, flew to the Albuquerque championships for distance gas ballooning. filled with hydrogen gas, capable of lifting International Balloon Fiesta (AIBF) in his The Gordon Bennett Cup is usually held in the basket, its two passengers, instruments, two-seater airplane and carried his cloud Europe. and other paraphernalia, and staying aloft hopper balloon to fly in Albuquerque. A for days. cloud hopper is different from a In these races, one of the challenges for the conventional hot-air balloon in that it does balloonists and their meteorologists (who Even though ballooning technology has not have a basket. Instead, Forden sits in a work from the ground) is to find the best improved considerably and communication harness, dangling his legs, with the propane wind trajectory that would help them fly is advanced, the race remains a real flying tank on his back. safely and achieve the farthest non-stop adventure. It tests the pilots’ endurance distance. Kim Vesely, spokesperson for and skills as they fly nonstop at high At the Fiesta, preparations were also on for America’s Challenge, says that in addition altitudes for days and nights, often over America’s Challenge—a cross country gas to each team’s meteorologist, the event also remote areas and large water transits, balloon race scheduled to launch on has a meteorologist. “Sophisticated weather harnessing the wind. “I would not call October 5, 2016. The race was introduced data is used in the decision-making process them daredevils, but calculated risk takers, by the Fiesta in 1995 to provide a consistent about when to launch and the data is also who enjoy the challenge, the adventure, the venue for gas ballooning and draws the supplied to pilots in advance,” says Vesely. poetry, and aesthetics of the oldest form of 2/29 Issue No. 5 Winter 2017 Dec 2016 - Feb 2017 manned flight,” says Vesely. At the October 2016 Fiesta, six teams were scheduled for launch, but one team and a pilot dropped out for medical reasons. Bert Padelt, a gas balloon manufacturer, instructor, and pilot asked Forden to join him as his copilot. Forden had received his gas rating last February and had few hours of gas ballooning experience. “I could not understand why Bert chose me, especially when there were so many experienced gas balloonists present in Albuquerque. Maybe, he considered my experience with Air Traffic Control. I am very comfortable navigating in different types of air spaces and negotiating for passages,” said Forden. Nevertheless, he was thrilled and immediately agreed. “I spent two days running around to get some things that I needed, like helmet, warm clothing, water, Gas balloons prior to launch in the 2016 America’s Challenge Race; Photo courtesy: Kim food, and some emergency supplies.” Vesely, America’s Challenge Barbara Fricke and her husband Peter in 1963 flying airplanes and was also a Cuneo were taking part in their 18th flight instructor. In 1991, he took his first America’s Challenge, having won three. In hot-air balloon ride and was so attracted to their previous races, their flight paths have ballooning that he gave up flying airplanes. taken them over Lake Superior and Lake “While flying an airplane, you start with a Michigan, and in the Gordon Bennett Cup, key, and you fly; you don’t need anybody. they have flown over the North Sea, the But in ballooning you are working with so Adriatic Sea, the English Channel,some many people that you develop wonderful distance over the Mediterranean, and twice friendships across all economy strata,” says over the Swiss Alps. Except for two races, Bryant. He enjoys the camaraderie in the couple have always flown together. “In America’s Challenge and the gathering of my first competition, I flew with someone like-minded pilots. “It’s the flight, the else but then I decided to fly only with challenge, the wonder, and excitement that Barbara, and in 2002 when I was not brings about a feeling of accomplishment. available due to a family crisis, Barbara The joy in winning a trophy is only flew with someone else,” recalled Cuneo. momentary,” he says. Bryant has also Theirs was the only non-wicker basket competed in the Gordon Bennett Cup, and made from aluminum, fabric, and won fifth place after an adventurous flight composite materials, which they built it over the Mediterranean Sea and the The oldest form of flight–balloon and the themselves. mountains and an even more adventurous basket–fascinates many people. Philip landing at night. Bryant and Mike Emich drop confetti as Philip Bryant and copilot Mike Emich were The Polish entry included Kryzsztof Zapart they take off. Photo courtesy: Kim Vesely, one team. Bryant, started his aviation career America’s Challenge 3/29 Issue No. 5 Winter 2017 Dec 2016 - Feb 2017 and Bazyli Dawidziuk and France was is generally to the east and northeast.” And they flight paths into the Midwest, the Great represented by Benoit Pelard and Laurent cannot ditch in water for many reasons. “They Lakes region, and Canada and the launch Lajoye. have to land on land, or they may get scheduled for Wednesday, October 5th, was disqualified,” she adds. canceled as they would have encountered Weather Briefing rain and strong thunderstorms during journeys over Kansas and Nebraska. Not During the launch week, America’s only do meteorologists look for calm Challenge meteorologist, Randy LeFevre weather at the time of the launch, but also briefed the pilots. The trajectories pointed over the anticipated long balloon journeys. Phil Bryant (l), Mike Emich (R), and Peter Cuneo in the background, at the weather briefing Rules, Equipment, and Legitimate Airspaces Races have rules for safety and other reasons, and this one is no exception. Balloon pilots cannot fly above 18,000 feet. “Air Traffic Control (ATC) provides a separation between you and the other aircraft,” says Bryant. In these Weather briefing for balloon pilots during launch week. Photo Courtesy: Kim Vesely, America’s races, the flying altitude is typically between Challenge 10,000 and 14,000 feet. Some mandatory instruments for the flight include the altimeter, variometer, altitude recording device, VHF radio, aircraft strobe light, beam light for night landing, GPS, transponders, emergency locator transmitter, and a tracker that transmits position, speed, and direction every five minutes, so that race organizers and the public can keep tabs on all the balloons via a website. Since countries can choose to grant or deny permission for aviators (including balloonists) to cross into their airspace, it’s better to let go of wind tracks (however faster) that would take them in the prohibited territory. For example, Mexico has been closed for competition for many years. “But it is rarely a factor in the America’s Challenge,” says Vesely, “the teams almost never go to Mexico. The prevailing track Pilots and officials at the weather briefing. 4/29 Issue No. 5 Winter 2017 Dec 2016 - Feb 2017 Inflation and Launch see Sandia Peak clearly. They dropped 11 hours 45 minutes and we are still over Balloon bags of sand ballast and were relieved to Fiesta Park. What fun.” On October 6th, the teams inflated their know that they had sufficient height to pass Early on, there seemed to be two strategies balloons with hydrogen in the designated safely over Sandia Peak. area of the field, prepared specifically for but later the aeronauts picked trajectories in the purpose. “We have an area in the field various directions. that has ground rods in it to ground the Like Forden and Padelt, the Polish team of trucks that dispense hydrogen to the Kryzsztof Zapart and Bazyli Dawidziuk balloons,” says Vesely.