All things ballooning

September 2008 Blog Posts (19)

Where is your mail?

Just a quick note to say Ning (the platform this site is built on) have updated the way email works on their sites. So if you are wondering where your inbox has gone to (i.e. used to be in the top black bar) it is now in the right hand box.

Added by Andrew Robertson on September 28, 2008 at 7:22pm — 3 Comments

RC Balloon

Dude, I want an RC balloon too much, but they are too much $$$$!!!!!!!!

Added by Aud on September 27, 2008 at 1:00pm — 8 Comments

Buy Sean Kavanagh on ebay PLEASE!

Over 12 months now and we still have no takers for the Sean Kavanagh autographed balloon cover from 1997! I thought it would be sold after all the publicity from my blog post last year! Well come on guys....

Find Sean Here!

Added by Steve campbell on September 25, 2008 at 3:30pm — 16 Comments

BlackSheep Festival 2008

Blacksheep festival was great and thanks to everyone that came up and flew with us. That is what it is all about. You can't have enough friends that will drive hundreds of miles to fly with you. You can't find that anywhere! Great thanks to all those pilots who made the trip up to the northeast and helped us make this festival something nobody will forget!

I heard from pilots in the festival and they all saw us and were happy to see us get up and fly with them. It is something that… Continue

Added by SunKiss Chief on September 24, 2008 at 6:13am — 10 Comments

Saga Balloons

I've been entried the Saga as a volunteer crew.

I don't know who will be my boss (pilot) !!

eeny meeny miny mo,,,.

well, the pilot is a lucky guy anyway!! hehehe.

Added by Mizuho Oku on September 21, 2008 at 10:56pm — 5 Comments

Yay me

First official lesson today. 25th Birthday too!

Thanks Scott :)

By today, I mean yesterday, because its 12:30 now... but I haven't gone to bed yet, so it doesn't count.

It was awesome, by the way. I even did a practice landing... mine was so much better than Scott's real landing :)

Added by Carrie Lekich on September 21, 2008 at 4:30pm — 4 Comments

Austria - Day 4 (Wednesday) - Flight 1

As the weather team promised, we finally got a flight in this morning. The winds above 500 feet were up around the 15 knot mark, but there was a small inversion that was expected to stick around until about 9am. David Levin set 2 HWZ tasks with a planned launch period at sunrise (6.30am).

Most teams took off quite quickly after the green flag went up. It was pretty fast flight, with both markers being dropped within 20 minutes of each… Continue

Added by Andrew Robertson on September 17, 2008 at 8:00pm — 9 Comments

Worlds – Day 3 (Tuesday)

There is still nothing happening over here in Austria. They canceled this morning's flight last night at 9.30pm. The rain is definitely easing, but the wind has come in and there are some nasty, unstable looking clouds in the area. This afternoon is looking doubtful at this stage.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. We just now need to find ways to entertain ourselves and stay focused on the competition.

Added by Andrew Robertson on September 16, 2008 at 9:57pm — 1 Comment

Worlds – Day 2

Not much to report from rainy Austria. There is a lot of drinking going on and no ballooning. We are still stuck in the middle of low pressure system that is producing a lot of drizzly rain and low cloud.

Yesterday (Sunday) we had a number of supplementary briefings in an attempt to find a window in the weather to get a flight in, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

This morning, championship director David Levin, sent… Continue

Added by Andrew Robertson on September 15, 2008 at 9:00pm — 7 Comments

Go Team Gibbs

Well, the Worlds has finally started - or wait, they haven't yet, the weather is not cooperating. Anyhow, it gives everyone a chance to get into the swing of things. Team Gibbs is taking the time to calm down after celebrating hard when Paul won the lead-up event (the Primagaz week) the week before the Worlds. During which, as luck of course would have it, the weather was beautiful and balmy.

To follow Team Gibbs and get regular updates with a solid dose of sense of humour from the crew,… Continue

Added by Maaike Bierma on September 15, 2008 at 1:05pm — 4 Comments

glow

balloon glows are awesome.

Added by Dustin cantu on September 15, 2008 at 10:00am — 5 Comments

Worlds - Day 1 Flight 1 Canceled

Not much to report yet. We rocked up to the briefing this morning and there were 2 markers and 2 HWZ tasks on the task sheet. However with light showers in the area and more on the radar the flight was canceled.

The weather is not looking great for this afternoon either, but you never… Continue

Added by Andrew Robertson on September 14, 2008 at 7:17pm — 3 Comments

Austria – Here comes the weather

I had been hoping to post more about what is happening over here up until now, but the weather has been too good and we have been too busy running around doing all those little things that always need doing in the days leading up to a championships.

So the weather in the week leading up to the Worlds has been fantastic. The teams have been able to practice as much as they have wanted or their wallets have allowed (gas is pretty pricey over here). The Master Briefing and the official… Continue

Added by Andrew Robertson on September 13, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Chatfield Balloon Rally

So I know the Chatfield Rally was a couple weeks ago, but I'm pretty slow at this adding pictures to the computer thing.

Chatfield was a good time....my only complaint? I couldn't do anything!!! Not because I'm incapable, but because no on would let me! LOL! It was really good to see Anna and Micah...Chris was there too. The weather was exactly what I wanted it to be. Nice and cool, beautiful mornings and rainy afternoons. We spent the afternoons at Tom and Stephanie's hanging out in the… Continue

Added by Michelle Rayburn on September 12, 2008 at 4:47am — No Comments

Chuck L. Walz Fund

All- Please forward this on to ALL your contacts and/or groups:

Thanks to our friends at Bank of America, Cameron Balloons (Andy Baird), the BFA (Sam Parks), Anderson County (Michelle Strange) and of course Cindy Walz and I; finally completed all documents necessary and certified the account today for the Chuck L. Walz Miracle Fund. Bank of America has also sent out a mass email to all of their branches throughout the country so that they are aware of the deposits we hope people… Continue

Added by Derrick on September 9, 2008 at 8:54am — No Comments

Airchair

So I went up to our regular flying spot on the weekend with the aim of taking my firsdt flight in the homebuilt airchair of AM member Nigel Flynn. Nigel has just finished his own homebuilt 42k balloon and we were also going to do a couple of inflations to see if we could get it all sorted so he could finish it up and hopefully get a test flight in next week sometime.

Sat morning dawned to a spectacular day, 2 degrees C and a light fog as I rolled into the launch field at devenish.… Continue

Added by Adam on September 8, 2008 at 10:30am — 5 Comments

Chuck Walz

Hello Everyone,

Chuck Walz wanted me to let everyone know that he is doing OK and should be coming back to Michigan soon. His wife Cindy and son Brian are doing OK as well. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers and wish him a speedy recovery.

Thank you,

John M. Gibbons

Added by John M. Gibbons on September 4, 2008 at 2:43pm — 8 Comments

Politics Take Presidence Over Local Balloon Event!!!

The following news articles from The Post Star online newspaper in Glens Falls, NY shows how bad the organizers of the Adirondack Balloon Festival wishes to keep a small group of balloonists from working with The City of Glens Falls to do a special flight from downtown Glens Falls during their annual Downtown Festival.

The first article will state that the balloons are coming and then the 2nd article followed 24 hours later showing the City needing to speak with the ADK Festival organizers… Continue

Added by Mike Hernandez on September 4, 2008 at 1:43pm — 69 Comments

AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought the day would never come. After weeks of bad weather and postponed attempts, high pressure finally returned to the northeast this morning, allowing me to get off the ground and pass the check flight for private pilot! Once the required manuvers were successfully completed in the beginning, the flight became a 1 hour joy ride. Very steerable and very pleasant! It was also an honor to be able to fly along side of my instructor, Russ Barber, who was flying passengers in his own balloon… Continue

Added by Mark Pluta on September 2, 2008 at 5:37am — 5 Comments