First Balloon Crash of the Fiesta :(

[SkyHog]

It happens at least once per Fiesta, but this time it's deadly. A balloon hit some powerlines and tumbled to the ground at a construction site, at least one confirmed dead, a 2nd is reported dead.

Only 3 days in So sad.

http://kob.com/article/stories/S218842.shtml?cat=500

 

[tonycondon]

power lines will always get you. sad

 

[ScottM]

Weren't those power line aware of the TFR?

shouldn't they have been on the ground?

 

[RotaryWingBob]

power lines will always get you. sad

Yes they will, Tony. That's why helicopter pilots are taught to never, ever, cross power lines between the towers.

 

[SkyHog]

Apparently, the whole thing went down right out the windows right next to my cubicle at work. I was off yesterday, so I didn't see it, but I'm hearing a lot of folk talking about it, and some of the comments I'm hearing are just heartless.

I decided to keep my mouth shut, as it looks like it would turn on me just as quickly as not.

 

[SkyHog]

And, of course, that's all the news is reporting now, including 3 additional crashes today

http://www.koat.com/news/14300109/detail.html

 

[tonycondon]

yea ballooning looks like fun and i think id enjoy it, but theres just a certain point where you are basically along for the ride, and that pretty much turns me off.

 

[Richard O]

And, of course, that's all the news is reporting now, including 3 additional crashes today

http://www.koat.com/news/14300109/detail.html

I'm wondering what they define as a crash. I have an LTA rating and there are hard landings all the time. Does that constitute a crash?

 

[ScottM]

yea ballooning looks like fun and i think id enjoy it, but theres just a certain point where you are basically along for the ride, and that pretty much turns me off.

That is what I always thought about gliding too. But your stories have made me rethink that. I would like to go up in a balloon and a glider.

 

[tonycondon]

glad i could open your eyes scott. now i just wish someone could change my mind that a balloon basically has a limited supply of decent altitude control and from that comes a minimal side to side control, but with no ability to travel cross or upwind. unfortunately you basically are stuck at landing along a particular line and eventually you have to come down. at least in my glider i can manuever in 2 dimensions once the thermals die, as going down is a given.

 

[Richard O]

glad i could open your eyes scott. now i just wish someone could change my mind that a balloon basically has a limited supply of decent altitude control and from that comes a minimal side to side control, but with no ability to travel cross or upwind. unfortunately you basically are stuck at landing along a particular line and eventually you have to come down. at least in my glider i can manuever in 2 dimensions once the thermals die, as going down is a given.

In a hot air balloon you have very good altitude control. But like anything else it takes practice. You have to anticipate. The balloon is slow to react to heat inputs so you have to fly way ahead of the balloon (100-200 feet is way ahead of a balloon in light winds). As far as directional control, the winds vary in direction at different altitudes. You can usually change directions a few degrees just by climbing or descending a 100 feet or so. Ballooning at low altitudes is more fun because you can see your movement with relation to the ground but that's where the power lines hang out. I had a run in with power lines in '88, it ain't pretty.

 

[tonycondon]

yea so its basically one dimensional flight

 

[Richard O]

Well, ummm, yeah. Kind of.