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Off We Go!!!
How's this for control.
Landing on the water without even causing a ripple!!!!!
Since we all fly with the
wind it is not uncommon for us all to use the same launch and landing
sites.
Looking down into another
pilots basket!
Capt Thompson flying the Harley Davidson
balloon to a pole where the competitors had to grab a streamer off the pole.
Believe it or not. Click on Pic to see full version!
Capt Thompson at age 17 in Albuquerque NM in
1977 Capt Thompson
(in middle in funny
white jumpsuit) Solo flew a balloon at age 15. Licensed at
age 16 and was the youngest pilot in the united states for 3 years.
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About the Aircraft.
So, We are now ready to go
aloft!!! Wooo Huuu..
How do you actually control one of
these magnificent flying machines?
In reality we have more control than you would
first think. Would you believe that a fairly seasoned pilot can
actually fly down to the ground and knock over a cup of coffee and not
touch the ground?
Believe it or not,
Yes we can!!!
One of the things you need to keep in mind
while you're floating along in what most people describe as
"absolute peaceful
bliss", is that the balloon is cooling off. Just like your dinner on
the table in 10 minutes it will be cold. Same thing applies to your
balloon. It is cooling down and wants to fall from the sky.
SO.,,,, To keep this from happening we will have to give it a little
toot on the burners now and then to stay aloft.
If we give the balloon just the right amount of
heat it will fly perfectly level. A little more heat than it needs
and it will begin to climb. Heat the balloon a little less and it
will begin to descend. Sounds simple right? OK Lets
throw in a few little screwballs to make it more interesting.
First. There is a delay in the response
of the burners. Yepper. It is going to take a little time
before that blast of heat you just put into the balloon starts to take
effect.
Second. As you change your altitude your
balloon will go in a different direction and most likely a different
speed.
Sound like it is getting fun yet?
That is why you need a PILOTS License to fly one of these things..
Ok... Lets talk about the delay first.
It takes time for the heat to effect the balloon. Even when it does
take effect it will only begin to work it's magic. Think of it this
way. When you're driving your car and you hit the brakes are you
stopped? Nope.. Not right away. You have to keep your
foot on the brakes and slow the car down to a full stop. Same
happens in the balloon. If you are falling and you turn on the
burner it will take a few seconds before the balloon STARTS to slow down.
It may take several more seconds to stop that decent completely.
To add more excitement to the mix each balloon
responds differently each time you fly it. The balloon responds
differently depending upon the temperature outside and the weight load on
board as well as many other factors.
What the heck, let's make it even more tricky
keeping in mind that we are burning fuel while we fly so the aircraft
weight will keep changing......So at the end of the flight it responds
differently than when you started!!
Getting a little nervous? Don't worry
your pretty little head over all this. Captain Thompson is one of
the best in the United States. In his lifetime he has finished in
the top 10 over 90% of the events he has competed in. He has competed with
some of the absolute legends in the world of ballooning.
*Bruce Comstock, David
Schafer David Levin, Sid Cutter, Paul Woesner, Don Cameron and many of the
pioneers of the balloon world.
*Bruce
Comstock was a 7 time national champion with 13 top ten finishes.
David Schafer was twice a national champion with 12 top ten finishes.
David Levin is a top hot air and gas balloon competitor, Sid Cutter was
national Champion the year Captain Thompson took 3rd place. Paul Woesner was World Champion in 1978. Don Cameron is considered the
father of the modern hot air balloon and personally complemented Captain
Thompson on his flight skills at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in 1977.
Capt Thompson was the youngest competition pilot in the United
States for 5 years. During that 5 year period he was considered to
be one of the best in the country.
On to the next page
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