hotairballoonist

All,I am on many RV forums, most of them on Facebook...every once in a while you get a informative piece of information written by someone who has some experience on the subject matter...I didn't write this, I "borrowed it" from a guy who posted on a forum...it addresses mostly RV towing, but it has a general message about towing... I have seen several posts on here from people having issues towing their 5th wheel or travel trailer. This is my opinion and my opinion only. I have driven thousands of miles towing various trailers, flatbeds, rvs, livestock, enclosed, both 5th wheel and bumper pull. I have used everything from a ford ranger to a semi. I recently pull 15-25k behind a ford f350 dually. Make sure your truck and trailer are sized appropriately. Just because the sales man says it can, doesn't mean it can. Advertised Max tow capacity and payload is almost always based off of the lightest possible truck. Usually a 2wd standard cab work truck. DONT LISTEN TO THE SALESMEN, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. If you are looking to purchase a new truck to tow your rv, it does not cost much more, if any, to step up to a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck, given you go with the gas engine, adding the diesel will increase the cost 5-10k, its up to you to decide if you need or want the diesel, the gas trucks will pull fine. The larger truck may hold its resale value better depending on your region. In my opinion, the longer wheel base trucks will handle much better than a shorter wheel base while towing, they also will ride better. I would recommend a crew cab long bed, of any size and major brand with any engine. Size it to your current needs and future needs. Tires.... tires play a big role in how your truck will handle a trailer. Most half ton trucks come with 4 or 6ply tires from the factory, while they may be addiqute for most things, i would recommend upgrading to a 10ply tire to reduce side to side sway, and they will hold up better towing. You may have to change tire sizes, a trusted independent tire shop can help you choose a good size. A dually will greatly help with the side to side sway with any size trailer, they are almost a necessity with these larger and LIGHTER campers now days. For your trailer, i would recommend a good steel belted and cored commercial tire. I have had good luck out of 14ply gladiators on my livestock and flatbed trailer. They will be pricey, but with proper care, they wont blow out. Most Rv trailers, along with large enclosed get tossed around very easy in the wind, with there high profile and light weight. Next time your out driving on a really windy day, watch the semis pulling van trailers, you will notice some will get tossed all over while others pull straight. The trailers getting tossed around are gonna be empty or loaded very light, and a empty 48ft van weighs around 10k. Now, look at the size of your rv. Alot of them are near as big as a semi trailer, and weigh alot less than a empty one loaded, so it should seem as no surprise that they will be tossed around. Now to eliminate sway. Start with proper trailer balance. You want the trailer to transfer 20-30 percent of its total weight to the tow vehicle. You may have to move stuff forward, backward, empty tanks, fill tanks, ect. You will want to use a truck scale, most truck stops have one, usually costs 14 bucks for 3 weighs. If your in a farming community you may talk to the grain elevator in the off season and see if you can use their scale. this is where you will figure out how much truck you really need, a 10,000lb trailer should be putting 2-3,000 on the truck. Weigh each axle separately and make sure they are under the weight for that axle, as listed on the sticker on the drivers door. For a bumper pull, weight distribution and anti-sway bars. I don't have much experience with these, but in general they will help, if set up properly. Each hitch is different, read the directions in the owners manual and use a scale. In general, the heavier trailer will tow better, as long as it is towed by the proper size truck. 5th wheels also pull better than a bumper pull. Heavier truck (scale weight) will handle a swaying trailer better than a lighter truck. Air bags and other solutions should only be used to help return the truck to factory ride height. It is normal with any truck to sit 2-4" lower in the back when towing. Anymore than 4", check the weight on the rear axle, and if you are not overloaded you can add air bags to help level the truck. Airbags DO NOT increase capacity. Get some miles with your rig under your belt in calm weather before tackling rough weather. When in doubt PARK. If your bumpers dragging, you need more truck, and with a high profile 5th wheel i would strongly recommend a dually. A large bumper pull needs to be pulled with a dually for the added stability. Practice backing up and maneuvering in tight areas before leaving home. A empty parking lot or field works great for this. Use cheap cones or flags to mark your "spot" and obstacles. I can hit a 2.5ft wide door way with the 2.5ft doorway on the back of my cattle trailer, every time. Practice makes perfect. If your in doubt, a larger truck will almost always help. I do not recommend towing with these cross over suv's, they are not built to work for a living. A suburban, tahoe, yukon, expedition, and excursion are all fine as they are built on a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton chassis as long as they will hold the weight. A 10,000 pound rv will pull much different than a 10,000lb trailer load of bricks, solely because of the rvs larger profile. What may pull 10k worth of bricks fine, wont pull a 10k rv worth very well. As a general rule, load shouldn't exceed 80% of vehicle rated capacity, for both vehicle longevity and your sanity. Again, I didn't write this, and I agree with most information..Mike" I tow a lot" Shrum _______________________________________________

View File New HOF Files Here are the files with the new link. REMEMBER to save them someplace you can find them. Love you! Submitter hotairballoonist Submitted 01/13/18 Category BFA HOFCOMM FILES  

View File How to Create a Calendar Event This is a great tutorial on how to add a calendar event on the HAB calendar pages. Easy to use and great options. REMEMBER if you create a balloon club on HotAirBalloonist.com you will get a calendar of your own! REMEMBER THIS IS A LARGE FILE. Depending on your connection speed it may take a little time to download. Submitter hotairballoonist Submitted 01/12/2018 Category Video Tutorials  

NotableBalloonistCategories.List.pdf To modify a BIO on file or to add a new BIO, please submit information to the BFA Hall of Fame Committee at Notable Balloonists

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Well, It’s coming! Cold weather! Some of you may have already had your first snowfall! We want to take a moment to talk about the challenges of winter flying. Cold weather is hard on fuel systems. Do you know where all your rubber “O” rings are? Tank fittings? Fuel line fittings? Burner valves? Take time to look over your fuel system and identify the areas where cold weather could create a leak or problems. I have been assured by Mark West that “0” rings used today are far superior to those I remember when I was young but I still have images of “Challenger” Yes living in Florida I was watching in person when that happened. Heat or Nitrogen. We all know that in cold weather your fuel pressure goes down. We also know that fuel pressure is directly related to burner power. http://hotairballoonist.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2615-propane-temp-psi-chart/ There are many ways to warm or pressurize your tanks. We will create a separate forum for this topic alone. The methods for heating tanks are way too many to list in this article. DRESS. Yes there will be some radiant heat from the burners and yes you are flying with the wind but… On many flights in the winter you will pass into or out of fairly strong wind shears. These wind shears can cause a breeze in the basket of 5 to 10 to even 15 or more MPH. This can take away any radiant heat you may be benefiting from. Also remember that the heat will not go down below your waist. YOU MUST dress extremely well to protect your lower body and feet! Another thing to remember is that in some winter flying situations it may take the ground team a while to get to you. Often the wind speeds are such aloft that the ground crew simply cannot keep up! Using a GPS program that can report your position to a ground team with a phone or a tablet where they can watch your flight track and position may save you from a real uncomfortable situation at the landing site. The Hot Air app for the apple products works well and the Glympse application is a good one as well. There is a tutorial for the HotAir app on the site in the downloads section. Extra Crew. On winter flights you may want to have a few extra ground crew. Often after the flight the pilot and passengers will be cold. Let’s face it when you are standing for an hour you’re not building up any body heat like you would be if you were doing some sort of work or exercise. The pilot and passengers may need to get inside a warm chase vehicle for a bit right after the flight. Having extra crew means that the pilot and passengers can get out of the cold right away and the crew, who have been warm in the vehicle, can pack up the balloon. Stopping the balloon. Remember in situations. Where the ground is frozen or covered in snow there is much less friction between the basket and the surface. This means it can take a much longer space to get your balloon stopped. In many cases you will have to deflate the balloon and lay down the basket to stop it. Always consider this when choosing a landing site. Can you get the balloon stopped in the space you have chosen? Watching the surface wind. In the winter, judging the surface wind can be much more difficult than in the summer. In the summer you can see the leaves in trees and smoke and the ripples on water as well as flags and other things to determine the speed and direction of the surface winds. In the winter there are no leaves in the trees. Many flags are taken down or possibly frozen. Lakes with ice do not show wind speed and direction. Having a ground team who has been trained in using a compass and pi-bal to determine speed and direction of the surface wind can be hugely helpful. Remember in the winter there is nothing to stop the wind from coming down to the surface. Winds can pick up very rapidly and potentially with little indication. BE VIGELENT. The TRAP DOOR. When you are flying the winter you should be aware of the Trap Door Effect. It is not uncommon to have very slow conditions on the surface yet 20+ mph as little as 300 feet aloft. In these conditions in the winter time two things happen. First as you descend into the slower layer near the surface the wind in the face will hold your balloon up. The same effect as skipping a stone on water. BUT, As the balloon slows down the lifting force on the balloon will diminish. At the same time that wind is cooling off your balloon at a faster rate than normal. This will also create a “loss of lift” situation. This is what we call the Trap Door Effect. Be aware of the potential for this. A firm rate of descent and a hard blast is a good way to punch thru that sheer. Be ready to vent hard when you get below the sheer to avoid being sucked back up! Also remember, when flying in the winter you balloon is much softer that it is in the summer. When you descend thru the sheer pay extra attention to the throat of the balloon. Many times it can be pushed in to the point where you can scorch or burn a large portion. In the winter we need to go back to what we were taught when we first learned to fly. LOOK UP before you turn on the burner. Winter flying can be amazing when a little extra care is taken in preparation. Often because of the cold air the visibility is nothing short of amazing. But remember the cold weather can be a challenge and even dangerous if not prepared for. WE look forward to receiving tips and tricks about winter flying from our members. Thanks Jeff

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Hot Air Ballooning is a vigorous and potentially rough outdoor sport. It is hard work, exciting, and magical all at the same time. However there are hugely different standards among pilots as to whom they will and will not take. THIS IS 100% THEIR CHOICE. After all if someone gets hurt who will they blame? Many people do not understand that we are at the complete mercy of mother nature and NO ONE can forecast with 100% accuracy what the weather will do. Trust me in my 40+ years and nearly 7,000 flights I have been in many rough and tough landings. Here is a video that shows us flying a woman with MS. Remember the conditions this day were nearly perfect.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise Tuesday, September 5, 2017 Page 1 Hot Air Balloon Operator Isn’t a ‘Common Carrier’—C.A. Justice Slough Says a Conveyance—Including a Roller Coaster and Ski Lift—Meets the Definition If There Is An Expectation by Passengers of Safety and an Ability to Adjust the Equipment to Make It Safer By a MetNews Staff Writer A company that takes paying customers on hot-air balloon tours is not a common-carrier, owing passengers a heightened duty of care, the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held, in a case of first impression. The opinion, filed Thursday, affirms a summary judgment in favor of Escape Adventures, Inc.—which provides balloon tours over Riverside County’s Temecula Valley—and two other defendants. The action was brought by Erika Grotheer for personal injuries she suffered when a balloon in which she was a passenger made a crash landing, first hitting a fence, then the ground, skidding, and landing on its side. Justice Marsha G. Slough of Div. Two wrote the opinion, which explains why a company conducting balloon flights is not a common carrier, why the operator of a roller coaster is, and why an outfit selling rides on bumper cars isn’t. She said the “key inquiry in the common carrier analysis is whether passengers expect the transportation to be safe because the operator is reasonably capable of controlling the risk of injury.” A salient factor, she went on to say, is whether the proprietors of the conveyance have the ability to take steps to render the journey safer. Development of Rule Slough reviewed the development of the rule in California, borrowed from English common law, that a common carrier has a heightened duty of care. That rule was relied upon by the plaintiff in contending that the doctrine of assumption of the risk did not apply. The jurist said the precept was first recognized in this state in the stage coach days. An 1859 California Supreme Court opinion says: “While it is true that the proprietors of a stage-coach do not warrant the safety of passengers in the same sense that they warrant the safe carriage of goods, yet they do warrant that safety so far as to covenant for the exercise of extraordinary diligence and care to insure it; and they do this as common carriers.” Slough recited: “Over time…, the concept expanded to include a wide array of recreational transport like scenic airplane and railway tours, ski lifts, and roller coasters….This expansion reflects the policy determination that a passenger’s purpose, be it recreation, thrill-seeking, or simply conveyance from point A to B, should not control whether the operator should bear a higher duty to protect the passenger.” Under Civil Code §2100, she noted, “[a] carrier of persons for reward must use the utmost care and diligence for their safe carriage, must provide everything necessary for that purpose, and must exercise to that end a reasonable degree of skill.” Roller Coaster Injury She pointed to the California Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Gomez v. Superior Court. There, the high court affirmed an award against the Walt Disney Company and others in favor of the estate of a woman who died after sustaining brain injuries from violent shaking on the Indiana Jones roller coaster ride at Disneyland. Writing for the 4-3 majority, then-Justice Carlos Moreno (since retired) said: “Riders of roller coasters and other ‘thrill’ rides seek the illusion of danger while being assured of their actual safety. The rider expects to be surprised and perhaps even frightened, but not hurt.” Moreno quoted a Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opinion as saying that amusement rides are “held out to the public to be safe.” Bumper Cars Slough noted that “[d]espite the consistent trend toward broadening the common carrier definition to include recreational vehicles, almost a decade after Gomez the California Supreme Court refused to apply the heightened duty of care to operators of bumper cars.” That ruling came in 2012 in Nalwa v. Cedar Fair, L.P. The distinction drawn there, by then-Justice Kathryn Werdegar (who retired Thursday), was that persons in bumper cars “exercise independent control over the steering and acceleration,” while those on roller coasters have “no control over the elements of thrill of the ride; the amusement park predetermines any ascents, drops, accelerations, decelerations, turns or twists of the ride.” Werdegar said the “rationale for holding the operator of a roller coaster to the duties of a common carrier for reward—that riders, having delivered themselves into the control of the operator, are owed the highest degree of care for their safety—simply does not apply to bumper car riders’ safety from the risks inherent in bumping.” Slough declared: “[W]e find a hot air balloon differs from those recreational vehicles held to a common carrier’s heightened duty of care. Unlike operators of roller coasters, ski lifts, airplanes, and trains, balloon pilots do not maintain direct and precise control over the speed and direction of the balloon. A pilot directly controls only the balloon’s altitude, by monitoring the amount of heat added to the balloon’s envelope. A pilot has no direct control over the balloon’s latitude, which is determined by the wind’s speed and direction. A balloon’s lack of power and steering poses risks of mid-air collisions and crash landings, making ballooning a risky activity.” Rendering Equipment Safer The jurist added another factor: “Operators of roller coasters, ski lifts, airplanes, and trains can take steps to make their conveyances safer for passengers without significantly altering the transportation experience. For example, roller coaster operators can invest in state of the art construction materials and control devices or task engineers with designing a ride that provides optimal thrills without sacrificing passenger safety. With a balloon, on the other hand, safety measures and pilot training go only so far toward mitigating the risk of mid-air collisions and crash landings. The only way to truly eliminate those risks is by adding power and steering to the balloon, thereby rendering vestigial the very aspect of the aircraft that makes it unique and desirable to passengers. “Because no amount of pilot skill can completely counterbalance a hot air balloon’s limited steerability, ratcheting up the degree of care a tour company must exercise to keep its passengers safe would require significant changes to the aircraft and have a severe negative impact on the ballooning industry. For that reason, we conclude Escape is not a common carrier as a matter of law.” Existence of Duty Summary judgment was granted to the defendants by Riverside Superior Court Judge John W. Vineyard, who found no duty to the plaintiff. That went too far, Slough found. There is a duty, she said, but, under the primary assumption of risk doctrine, the duty does not extend to risks inherent in the activity. A crash landing of a balloon, she said, is an inherent risk, adding: “…Grotheer’s claim of pilot error falls under the primary assumption of risk doctrine because the claim goes to the core of what makes balloon landings inherently risky—the challenge of adjusting the balloon’s vertical movement to compensate for the unexpected changes in horizontal movement. As a result, Escape had no legal duty to protect Grotheer from crash landings caused by its pilot’s failure to safely manage the balloon’s descent.” She agreed with Grotheer that a doctrine is not protected by the doctrine where there has been gross negligence, but said the evidence fell short of establishing that the pilot was guilty of that. Slough went on to say that Vineyard “incorrectly applied the primary assumption of risk doctrine to absolve Escape of a duty to provide safe landing procedures,” but that “any failure to instruct on Escape’s part was not a proximate cause of Grotheer’s injury.” The case is Grotheer v. Escape Adventures, Inc., 17 S.O.S. 4510. Copyright 2017, Metropolitan News Company

Below is a list of the Notable Balloonists that have Biographies on file with the BFA Hall of Fame committee. This list is by no means the entire list of people who are considered notable. If you know of someone whom you believe should have a biography on file then please reply to this topic with as much information as you can provide, Please provide Photos Dates Articles contact information (for you and for candidate) Ballooning history as best as you can construct. Any other information, drawings, or items you believe to be significant. You can also send information to Orvin Olivier – Committee Chair 3208 E 31st Street Sioux Falls, SD 57103 (605)366-2343 oolivier@amfam.com Biographies currently on file. BIOGRAPHIES OF BALLOONISTS CURRENTLY ON FILE INCLUDING THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME. (Hall of Fame inductees are all caps and in bold) ABRUZZO, BEN (Inducted 2011) Abruzzo, Richard Adams, Mike ALLEN CAPT. EDDIE (Inducted 2008) ANDERSON, MAXIE (Inducted 2011) Aoki, Rocky Armstrong, William G Arras, William Bacon, Frank Bailey, David “Rocky” Baird, Andy Barker, Roger BARNES, TRACY (Inducted 2008) Barnum, Eric Bartholomew, Rob Barz, Pat Bennett Jr., James Gordon Berry William Billones, Lou Birk, Jim Blount, Alan Blucher, Steve Boland, Brian Bombard, Buddy Book, Wally BRADLEY, TROY (Inducted 2016) Britton, Gary Brown, Richard Brown, William Bryant, Phill Bushnell, Wilfred BUSSEY, WILLIAM (Inducted 2016) Cannon, Pat CAPLAN, NIKKI (Inducted 2014) Carlton, Dean Cayton, Andy Chapman, Edward Clark, Ron Cole, Timothy COMSTOCK, BRUCE (Inducted 2006) Comstock, Tucker CUTTER, SID (Inducted 2011) Davies, Tom Davis IV, John C. DAVIS, CAROL RYMER (Inducted 2011) Donner, Nick DUNN, CHAUNCEY (Inducted 2014) Eareckson, William Edwards, Don Edwards, Sam Ehrler, Mike Eidsness, Carl Elmstrom, Lois Emich, Michael C. FAIRBANKS, TONY (Inducted 2010) FLODEN, DENNIS (Inducted 2013) FORBES, MALCOM (Inducted 2011) FOSSETT, STEVE (Inducted 2011) Foster, Dr. Coy Fraenckel, Alan & Victor GRABB, WILLIAM (Inducted 2011) Graves, Harold Gray, George Grove, Ronald Hall, Gordon Hawley, Alan Head, Tarp Heartsill, Joe Heinsheimer, Tom Hersey, Henry Blanchford Hill, Edward J Jaworski, Dr. Richard Johnson, Raymond J Jones, Steve Kepner, William KERSTEN, DON (Inducted 2011) Keuser, Richard Kinsinger, Robert KITTINGER, JOE (Inducted 2011) Knapp, Kevin Kneeland, Sandy Kolba, Jon Lahm, Frank LEVIN, DAVID (Inducted 2017) Lind, Ruth LOWE, THADDEUS (Inducted 2017) Markert, Charlie McConnell, Tom McCracken, Alan McCracken, W.P. Meadows, Bill MEDDOCK, DODDS (Inducted 2015) Mix, E.W. Morton, W.W. Moyer, Glen MURTORFF, BILL (Inducted 2013) Nels, Al Newman, Larry Nott, Julian Oerman, Tom Olivier, Orvin E. Padelt, Bert Palmer, Gary Parks, Sam PELLEGRINO, PETER (Inducted 2006) Petrehn, Cindy Petrehn, John R. Petrehn, Jonny Petrehn, Paul PICCARD, DON (Inducted 2014) Piccard, Jeannette Post, Frederick Preston, Ralph Pryne, Annie Rapp, David Rechs Robert REINHARD, DEWEY (Inducted 2011) Robinson, David Ruble, Gary Schloosser, Arthur Semich, Mark Settle, Thomas Shantz, Jetta Shantz, Rob SHEPPARD, TOM (Inducted 2010) Shoecraft, John Smith, Bill SONNICHSEN, DEKE (Inducted 2011) Sokup, Jacques Spaeth, Debbra A. SPARKS, BOBBY (Inducted 2016) Sprott, King STEFAN, KARL (Inducted 2009) STEFAN, LUCY (Inducted 2009) Stockwell, Brent Stokes, George Sullivan, Mark Sullivan, Maury Temeyer, Brad THOMAS, DR. CLAYTON (Inducted 2009) Thompson, Jeff Thompson, Jim Uliassi, Kevin Upson, Ralph Vadala, Eleanor Van Orman, Ward Waligunda, Robert L. Wallace, Michael Walter Forey Weinman, Jim & Maxine Wellens, Bruce West, Mark White, Cheri WIEDERKEHR MATT (Inducted 2012) Winker, Greg WINKER, JIM (Inducted 2009) Wise, John WOLFE, CONNIE (Inducted 2009) Wright Smith, Beth Wright, Terry YOST, ED (Inducted 2009) Zanella, Robert L.

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Senate Bill 1394 BFA Response Senate Bill 1394.pdf