hotairballoonist
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Posts posted by hotairballoonist
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CLASSIC MAPS
We are again providing free downloads and updates for the National Balloon Classic map files again this year. If you use the HotAir.app (or any application for flying) and would like the KML or GPX files for the maps and the targets for the National Balloon Classic they will be available on the HotAirBalloonist.com site in the Download Center. Navigate to the Download Center. Look in the right hand column and you will see a category called “Launch and Land” (MAPS & GPS files), under that category you will see a forum called Indianola. This is where you will find the map file downloads. IMPORTANT! Remember to check the Follow button in that forum. When you “Follow” an item, and a new file is uploaded, you will receive an instant email notification! Whenever the map is altered you will know about it and you will be able to download a new version instantly. Never wonder again if your map is up to date!
Here are helpful links. Follow Feature Indianola Map Downloads HotAirApp Tutorial
Digital Waivers
Would you like to have your waiver on your electronic device? We can help with that! Send us your waiver. We will digitize it and place it on our server. Then we will provide you a link you can use on your device. (phone, mini, tablet, ipad ect) Simply type in the passengers name, have them sign with their finger and send a copy (via email) to yourself and the passenger. Quick Easy and paperless. We have a tutorial presentation on how this works for one of our clients. Have a look and let us know if you would like this set up for you.
Email waivers to Jeff@HotAirBalloonist.com
Remember to log in!
ALL OF THE DOWNLOADS on HotAirBalloonist.com are FREE to members when logged in. You also must be logged in to use the “Follow” feature. So please remember to log in. If you have forgotten your user name or password, there is a password recovery system on the site or you can email us for help.
As Always,
Thank you for all you do for the Balloon World.
Jeff A Thompson
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Yes they are!
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Monthly to Yearly
Many new members start off with a monthly membership to see if they like the site. After a while they realize they would rather pay just once a year for tier membership. This video shows you how to change from a monthly membership to a yearly membership.
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Submitter
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Submitted08/09/2021
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Category
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Add some interior photos when you have time.
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2021 Classic Targets KML
Version 1.02
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Submitter
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Submitted08/01/2021
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Paper Map KMZ
This is a paper map KMZ
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Submitter
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Submitted07/31/2021
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Clasic Target TEST
This is the National Balloon Classic Targets GPX for 2020
REMEMBER: This is an additional flight aid. The Paper map is the official map for the event. We have gone to great effort to make this map as accurate to the actual property lines of the landowners. We also make a serious attempt to keep this map updated as often as the official "Paper Map" is amended. However the official event "Paper Map" is the official event map.
Don't forget to check the "FOLLOW" button for this file so you will be notified when new versions have been uploaded.
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Submitter
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Submitted07/22/2021
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Currently we have no scores to post. Hopefully as the event will supply us with scores as they are posted at the event.
Remember to click the FOLLOW button at the top of this post so you will be notified when new scores are posted.
Thank you.
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Classic File Testing
Classic PZ KML Testing.
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Submitter
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Submitted07/20/2021
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Category
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As many of you begin to take flight and events are starting to take place all over the country we want to ask everyone to please be extra cautious. Some have not flown in a very long time! Take things slow and double and triple check everything. Look over ALL of your equipment with a fresh eye. The same goes for the ground team. We want everyone to have a fantastic flying season with old friends and most of all a safe flying season!
Motion X to HotAir
Many pilots who have used the Motion X app for years are switching over to the HotAir.app. The recent update “HotAir 12.0” has included many new features. In fact our tutorial on the HotAir.app went from 39 pages to over 100 pages (to give you an idea of all the new features). We were recently asked if there was a way to get the waypoints from Motion X transferred over to the HotAir.app. The answer is YES you can. We have created a PDF tutorial (Available for download) on how to transfer your Motion X waypoints over to the HotAir.app. Here is the link. Remember you must be logged in to download tutorials for FREE! You can find the download in the Download Center under the category “Tutorials & Presentations”.
Event Scores
We have created a new category for balloon events. This new category is for Event Scores. If you look under the heading of “Current News” you will see a tab marked “Event Scores” This is a new category were you can start a topic about your event or even an event you are flying in and post the scores. You can add a PDF of the current scores or you can simply upload an image of a score sheet. Then as new scores are posted you can simply go back and “EDIT” your topic and add the new images or PDF files. This is a great way to keep your family or other balloon friends up to date on the event stats. I am happy to help anyone (pilot or event organizer) use this new category on the HotAirBalloonist.com site. Since my stroke I am no longer able to fly competition but still love it and I am sure there are many other balloonists out there who would also love to keep up to date on competition scores. There is a topic posted in the new category along with a “How To” video. Have a look at this today!
How would you like an email address of your own at HotAirBalloonist.com? You can! Use your own name or even your balloons name. If you have a name you would like to use please email me at Jeff@HotAirBalloonist.com. Yes Jeff@ has been taken.
Speaking about events.
I am sure many of you already know but as a reminder we have news scrubbers on the HotAirBalloonist.com site. In the Current Events category there is a page called “Ballooning in the NEWS”. The main content (Center area) of this page is any balloon news that is posted on the internet. In the right hand column of the page there is another feed called “Balloon Festival News” This page is a great one to have Book-marked on your browser. You can go to one page and see the headlines about ballooning in the news. Find out about ballooning events FIRST!
New Sites being developed.
As many of you know I have been grounded by a hemorrhagic stroke. While this has made flying commercially (currently) not an option for me my work on the HotAirBalloonist.com site continues with new Categories, Topics and How To videos and tutorial presentations. In addition to the HAB site I have also been working on other sites for fellow balloonists. The most recent sites are www.Balloons-andBeyond.com and www.FlipFlopFantasies.com The Flip Flop site has been developed for a special shape balloon with an online booking calendar. It includes (Paperless) online waivers, tether contracts and even balloon festival appearance contracts all online! If you would like to have your website rebuilt and/or updated let me know! I am happy to take on new clients and especially fellow balloonists sites since I have a little experience with ballooning and running a commercial ride operation.
AGAIN PLEASE BE SAFE
With the recent incident in Albuquerque I urge everyone to fly safely. Remember you represent all of us! I am thrilled every day when I receive news of pilots receiving the Ed Yost Master Pilot award. Remember flying safe takes effort and alertness and the ability to know your own personal limits.
Thank YOU for all you do for the balloon world.
Jeff A Thompson
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Downloading Map Files
Downloading Map files for use with the HotAir.App
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Submitter
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Submitted07/10/2021
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There are many pilots all over the country interested in the scores from balloon events.
Many events have websites that just do not allow you to post easily the scores form your competition event.
HotAirBalloonist.com has made posting scores a 30 second process! This video explains how simple it is to post all the scores from your event. You can post every event in seconds. Here are the requirements.
- First you must have an Event Organizers membership on HotAirBalloonist.com. This is easy to do, currently we are offering a FREE Event Organizers membership for a FULL YEAR to anyone who would like to post scores.
- Second, we would like for you to post a link to the "Event Scores" forum on your events website.
- Last, If your event is not on our Events Calendar please take a moment and post it. You can post event dates, details, contact information and MORE. Once your event is posted on the HotAirBalloonist.com calendar it will also appear on the Member Map.
All you need to do is send us an email. Let us know the name and the email of the person you would like to have permission to post scores. That is it! Email us at Info@HotAirBalloonist.com
Take a moment to download and watch this video on how easy posting your event scores can be.
Thank you for all you do for the balloon world.
Jeff A Thompson.
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Balloon Event Scores
There are many pilots all over the country interested in the scores from balloon events.
Many events have websites that just do not allow you to post easily the scores form your competition event.
HotAirBalloonist.com has made posting scores a 30 second process! This video explains how simple it is to post all the scores from your event. You can post every event in seconds. Here are the requirements.
- First you must have an Event Organizers membership on HotAirBalloonist.com. This is easy to do, currently we are offering a FREE Event Organizers membership for a FULL YEAR to anyone who would like to post scores.
- Second, we would like for you to post a link to the "Event Scores" forum on your events website.
- Last, If your event is not on our Events Calendar please take a moment and post it. You can post event dates, details, contact information and MORE. Once your event is posted on the HotAirBalloonist.com calendar it will also appear on the Member Map.
All you need to do is send us an email. Let us know the name and the email of the person you would like to have permission to post scores. That is it! Email us at Info@HotAirBalloonist.com
Take a moment to download and watch this video on how easy posting your event scores can be.
Thank you for all you do for the balloon world.
Jeff A Thompson.
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Submitter
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Submitted06/21/2021
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HI Darwin,
I would look on the Member Map and see if you can find a balloonist in your area. Then you can contact them directly. At the very least you will have someone who flies in that area and may be able to direct you to someone who can help. That is the intent of this site.
Thank you.
Jeff
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This video does a wonderful job of explaining the Pilot Achievement Award Program and the Crew Achievement Award Program.
My Father and I are PAAP DA-8's and my mother is a Master Crew Chief in the CAAP so we can (First Hand) tell you that these programs are extremely well designed and beneficial. Enjoy.
Jeff
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I just wanted to send you a quick note about a few things going on.
Emails
We just acquired a new email server. We can now send out 10,000 emails per month. There is no limit on how many can be sent at one time so feel free to follow categories, Calendars, Files, and any other topic of interest. When new information is posted you will receive an email!
Just like the Reflector and more!
We have an area for our members called the Hot Topics category. Currently we have more than 250 pilots and crews who follow the sub-category called “HAB Walkie Talkie” this category is intended to be a communication hub for all members on the site. This is a member’s only area of the site so you must be logged in just to view it. When you post a topic in the HAB Walkie Talkie the HAB email system will send out hundreds of emails to all the followers of this category in seconds. This system works very much like the Balloon Reflector. The primary difference is that you can include photos, Hyperlinks and even files for download. It is a fantastic way to share ideas, files and more. Log in and go to the Walkie Talkie and click on FOLLOW at the top right side of the category then YOU TO will be instantly informed.
Follow a member!
We have talked a bunch over the years about the “Follow Feature” on HotAirBalloonist.com. It truly is a fantastic feature on the site. The Follow Feature allows YOU to choose what you are informed about. You can follow Topics, Forums, Categories and Sub-Categories, Calendars, Files and more. WELL, now you can follow a specific member! That’s correct. Are you interested with a specific member on the site and want to know when that person posts anything new? FOLLOW them. So the best feature on the site just got better!
Balloon Ride operators
Do you take passengers? Are you on our list of operator’s? Go look. The Balloon Ride section of the HAB site is open to the public. Go see if we have YOU listed. If you are not listed please let us know so we can create a listing for you. Better yet become a member and create your own listing complete with photos, emails, links and Contact information. Listings are by state and Ride operators are also listed on the Member Map for easy searching in any part of the country.
Map Files
Do you want to make your own map files? We have a Video Tutorial on how to make them! We are also looking for flying area files from all over the country. We are adding them to our download center for pilots to use when traveling. Do you have a balloon event and need maps or have maps you want to upload so your pilots can download them with ease. Let us know. Our download center is a great way to make files available for your pilots to use. Info@HotAirBalloonist.com
My Recovery.
Just a short note for those who are interested. My recovery is going well. I am still going to doctor’s appointments nearly every week and there are a few issues that will be working on but for the most part I have made almost a FULL recovery from my stroke. I still want to say thanks to all whom have wished me well and the support and prayers have made a
tremendous difference for me and my family. Thank you is not enough. I am looking forward to my 1 year anniversary. It will mark a huge milestone for me since a very large percentage of people do not make that milestone. PLEASE if you are reading this, stay healthy and take care of yourself. My stroke came on with no warning. It has been one of the toughest things I have gone thru and a horrible experience for my wife and mother and father as well as the rest of our family.
Be safe and stay healthy.
Jeff A Thompson
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I hope you are well.
Well, here we are at the end of what has to be a year for the record books.
My 2020 started off with a Hemorrhagic stroke and spent 5 days in a coma and nearly a month in the hospital. The stroke has ended a 45 year career of flying balloons and removed my ability to earn a living for my family. Toss in the Covid-19 issue and this whole year has been a mess for nearly everyone! With my current medical issues the Covid-19 pandemic has had the Thompson Compound locked down. My Doctors have warned that if I contract the virus it could be a very bad thing. A huge Thank you goes out to my mother and father, who made the trip to the hospital nearly every day for a month!
2020 also saw our elected officials pass a 1.3 trillion stimulus package yet only a small portion of it goes to actual Americans. Do the math! 1.3 trillion, divided by 325 million American’s equals $4,000.00 per American, yet we will be lucky to get even half of that. Never mind the debit created for our kids to pay back.
I have also been banned from Facebook. I am not entirely sure why, but I do have suspicions. Each time I try to log in I get the following message.
We Received Your Information
If we still find that you're not old enough to be on Facebook, your account will remain disabled. This is because your account doesn't follow our Terms of Service.
We're always looking out for the security of people on Facebook, so until then you can't use your account.
So either my account has been hacked or I have been intentionally blocked. I am sure you have heard the rumors that Facebook, Twitter, Google and other information sources have been censoring the information you receive. I am now a believer in the censorship of these big media platforms.
2020, The balloon world lost a true pioneer in Don Piccard. I will be writing an article about my first encounter with him in 1977 at the Albuquerque event.
Yes 2020 will be a year that will be talked about long after most of us are gone.
Since I can no longer fly I have been busy writing articles for the HotAirBalloonist.com website. I have also been selling off equipment and soon will have some nice Classic Limited Stretch baskets available for purchase. I have several sets of Zone 5 double burners too. There are many items still available in the Equipment 4Sale section on the HAB site. Remember anyone can post items for sale on HAB!
I have also sent a very nice presentation to Shawn Gano the developer of the HotAir.app.
http://www.hotairballoonist.com/Video/ShawnHOTAIR.mp4
Many of you may already know that the program Motion X is no longer available. I personally used the program very heavily for pre-flight planning. Here in the Central Florida area we deal with some very large swamps. Areas where if you get out over them and cannot get to the other side you will have a very wet, uncomfortable and potentially dangerous hike out and a helicopter will be required to get your equipment back. So the measuring tool on that app was a fantastic help. You could take your PiBal readings and then move your launch and landing circles around to find the best fit for direction and speed prior to your flight. This would give you a huge advantage pre-flight, to help you be sure you could make your landing target. Shawn has agreed to build a pre-Flight planning tool into the HotAir.app when he has the time to do so. There are some other issues he is currently working on but do not be surprised if a new tool is available in the next update.
My father Jim Thompson has been hard at work creating biographies for the Hall of Fame “Notable Balloonist Biographical Information” category. There are hundreds of biographies you can read about balloonists all over the country. You may be surprised with some of the fantastic history of the people who make up our sport. This section of the Hotairballoonist.com site is open to the public and you do not need to log in to view the biographies so we encourage you to take a look around the category!
There are also many files on the Members Side of the site. Log in and look around that part of the site when you have time. There is a Password Recovery system on the site if you have forgotten your password. If all else fails send me an email at Info@HotAirBalloonist.com and I will help you reset the password to anything you like.
Finding new stuff is also easy to do on the site. We have a video tutorial on how to sort files in any of the hundreds of categories. Have a look at the “What’s New” video tutorial.
I have posted a short article in the “Tips & Tricks” category under the “Better Inflations” sub-cat. The article is called Where did your Eyelashes go? I would love to hear comments from pilots about this article. You may post replies on the site and only logged in members will see your comments. Yes you must be logged in to view this topic.
We have some banner advertising spots available so if you have products you would like to advertise to balloonists we would love to have you advertise them on the HAB site. Here is a link where you can go to select a banner advertising program for your products.
Do you need flying area maps? Do you need your website refreshed or an entirely new site? I am available. Classic Online Services is my web development site. Have a look!
Last thought for this year. I will not be flying commercially any longer. As hard as that is for me to do, I will not be out of ballooning. I will be spending more time on the HotAirBalloonist.com site trying my best to share ideas, experiences, tips & tricks and anything I can to help promote the sport. As I have said on more than one occasion, with 7,000 hours and nearly a half century of HAB adventures I have much to share. All I ask is that YOU help me by supporting the HotAirBalloonist.com site. Start your 2021 off with a paid membership and participate! Share your experiences, ask questions and help me promote our world. We have hundreds of articles and hundreds of files and dozens and dozens of video tutorials to help you get more out of the site, so dive in!
I sincerely hope that each one of you have a wonderful & safe year. I hope yours is a prosperous 2021.
Thank you for all you do for the balloon world.
Jeff A Thompson
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We just wanted to send out a quick note.
Things are hard all over with the current situation here in the US and across the world. We wanted to take a moment to say our condolences and thoughts go out to those who have lost a loved one this year. We also wish to ponder, and honestly think about all we are thankful for at this time. Even in tough times, my father always used to say there is someone out there in a worse situation. I have always remembered those words. It is this time of year when those words are especially poignant.
Please have a safe and wonderful thanksgiving with those you love and think about all the other wonderful people in your life.
Thank you for all you do for the balloon world to you!
Jeff A Thompson & the HAB family
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Need your help.
We have gone down our list of almost 200 balloon events. Sadly we have only been able to identify about 60 events for the 2021 season. When you have a moment, please visit HotAirBalloonist.com. Have a look at either the North American Balloon events calendar or look on our member map for an event in your area. Here is a link to the video tutorial on how to view “Events Only” on the member map to make it easier to view the events we have listed.
https://hotairballoonist.com/forum/index.php?/files/file/1227-events-on-the-member-map/
If you are involved in a balloon event please take a moment to watch the video then go to the member map and check to see if we have your event listed. If we are missing your event, please send us an email at Info@HotAirBalloonist.com and give us the website and any other details you believe we could use so we can have an up to date calendar for 2021.
MAP FILES
Do you have map files? We are compiling files from as many balloon events as we can. We already have many files for pilots in our Download Center. These files can be downloaded for use in several Navigation applications like HOTAIR, Hot Air Balloon Pilot (Android) Two Nav, Back Country and more. We have KML, KMZ, GPX files and more. If you have map files for your event, or flying area, we would like to have them available in our download center. Our goal is to have map files for all balloon events and eventually have maps for flying areas all around the country. This would allow out of town pilots to be able to fly in your area without creating issues for the local pilots. Keep in mind that these files can be protected by using our member permissions, so others cannot see or use them. If you have a map file for a specific flying area, we can also create an online club for your area. By creating an online club YOU can invite only your local pilots to be members in your club. This will make your files even more protected since you can choose exactly the members whom have access. There are two “Video Tutorials” about how to make a club for your area.
Start a club (Part One) Start a club (Part Two)
In addition to these fantastic features we can also incorporate the “FOLLOW FEATURE”. This means that anytime a change has been made to your map file or a new file is uploaded all the members who “Follow” that file will be sent an instant email notifying them that there is a new file available. This is a wonderful way to keep everyone in your area up to date with the Green Zones, Red Zones, Yellow and more. Here is another great “HOW TO” video tutorial about the use of map files.
https://hotairballoonist.com/forum/index.php?/files/file/1197-hotairapp-map-files/
Map Files (more)
Recently we had a request, that once we started to think about it made a bunch of sense. We were asked if we could separate the different maps for a flying area. So, we created separate files for maps. We created a PZ map with 3D Red Zones and Yellow zones on one map. We created Green Zones on another map. We created Targets in another map. We created a Marker map with colored pins that you could tap on and view information about that Red Zone and we created another overlay of pins for the Green Zones that include information like Landowner, Phone, Special instructions, Gate Codes and more. By doing this we were allowing the pilots and crews to select the specific map or overlay they wanted to view for the area. Now I will admit that when you download all these maps and turn them all on the map looks very cluttered, however, in most cases when you are flying your map is zoomed in to about a 25 square mile area. This unclutters the map greatly! We have also sent an email to Shawn Gano the developer of the HOTAIR.app and asked if we could incorporate colored pins into the KML overlay. Over the next few days we will be making either a video tutorial or a power point slide show about all of this.
Safety Seminars
We realize that with the Covid-19 issue we are all suffering from a change in our lives. We believe this is a great time to have a safety seminar. The question is HOW? I will be starting a topic in the “Walkie Talkie” forum inside the “Hot Topics” category. Feel free to log in and get involved with this important topic. Remember the “Hot Topics” category is a private Members Only category! You must be logged in to view and participate. If you are having a Safety Seminar sometime this winter, please send us the details about your seminar. Better yet use our Safety Seminar form for an easy way to send us information. Go to this link. We have created a simple form you can fill out in a very short time that will provide us with information we will use to post the event on the HAB calendar and on the Member Map.
Support the site!
As always we want to thank our paid members who keep this site alive. Members have many useful features on the site and we are adding more all the time. One of the greatest features is that YOU the member can participate. YOU can create new topics, add an item for sale, advertise your services, participate in a chat room and so much more. BUT we need both new members and current member’s to create a paid account. We currently have more than 50 video tutorials about how to use the site. One of them is about getting a membership. In less than two minutes you can purchase a membership online. Check out this Video Tutorial.
Thank you all for your support and participation. Please be safe this year for the holidays and remember we all have many things to be thankful for.
Jeff A Thompson.
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It’s been a while..
I have been busy with Dr. appointments, scans, blood tests and more. I have been getting my exercise doing projects around the house, working on vehicles and accomplishing things I have wanted to do for a long time. My rehab has been going very nicely and I wish to say thank you to so many who have been checking in with me regularly for updates. There have been a few issues with my recovery but I am still one of the very lucky ones to survive the stroke. Daily I am able to do more and more and normal is slowly slipping its way back into my life.
Emails
Our email system suffered a glitch and was down. We have a mass mailer installed on our server. With over 1000 members on the site, when we send out a newsletter our server sends out hundreds of emails in a matter of seconds. The mass mailer also stays busy with the Follow Feature on the site sending out email notifications for calendar events, club newsletters, user posts and replies and more. We are glad to say the mass mailer system has been fixed and is working well.
Video Tutorials
We have been upgrading our Video Tutorials. We originally created many tutorials using Flash. The Flash software system has been outdated by most browsers. We have been adding NEW video tutorials made with the MP4 format. The MP4 format allows them to play on almost any device. Stop in and have a look at some of the new videos. If you have features of the site or something you need more information about send us a note at Info@HotAirBalloonist.com and we will create a Video Tutorial for you. Remember we are posting new videos all the time. There is a section on the main page that shows the latest (NEW) video tutorials. Have a look!
Speaking of Video Tutorials
We have a couple of new video tutorials that are worth the few minutes to watch. “Starting a topic” This video shows you how you can start a topic on HotAirBalloonist.com. “HotAir.app map files” This video shows how easy it is to download map files for use with the HotAir.app. Lastly and most important is “The Follow Feature” This feature is one of the best on the entire site. The follow feature allows YOU the member to choose exactly what you want to know about. Taylor the amount of email interaction by the specific topic or event you want to know about. Turn OFF the items you no longer want to follow. If you take the time to watch any of these videos, please watch “The Follow Feature”
The Twitter Promote.
We have some new software on the site now. We allow members to promote their posts on our twitter account. Say for example you post an item for sale in our Equipment 4Sale
section. With one click you can post that item on the HotAirBalloonist.com twitter account. First thing we would like you to do is follow the #HABalloonist on twitter and next if you have an item for sale or you post a topic in any category hit the Twitter Promote button up near the Follow Button. Don’t forget to follow your post too!
MAPS
One of the items we have talked about in the past has been Map Files. We have an entire section of our Download Center dedicated just for flying maps. If you have map files for your flying area and you would like to submit them so that others can share them please send them to us. We will take any files you may have. GPX, KMZ, KML and more. We can also keep your file private using membership levels and even creating a private club for your area. With a private club, YOU choose who can have access to your files. YES there is a video tutorial on the Club Feature on HAB.
As always, thanks for taking the time to read and…
Thank you for all you do for the balloon world.
Be Safe, Have Fun and Stay Healthy.
Jeff A Thompson
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Normal is creeping in…
My recovery has been going extremely well. I had an MRI on my brain two weeks ago. The results were good. I am still showing residual blood on the brain but it is slowly being absorbed. Two days after the online visit with my primary we get a call from the imaging hospital asking me to come back for another MRI. Apparently they had spotted something they wanted another look at. My wife has looked at the results from the second MRI, she said there was nothing alarming in the results but we have another tele-visit appointment with my primary to get his opinion. I am still on a boat load of meds and take my vitals three times a day; however, I have been making great progress. Working out in the shop and doing all sorts of projects around the house, yard work and web work has not only kept me busy but added to the speed of my recovery. I have lost a bunch of weight. When I had my stroke in February I was in size 44 jeans. I have gone down a size nearly every six weeks since coming home. I am now wearing 38’ jeans and doing so comfortably. I have had no headaches in several weeks and the Dizzy Days are becoming fewer as well. I still miss flying each day but I am no longer waking up before dawn in a panic, wondering what balloon and how many passengers and who is today’s ground crew. (That was my normal for several weeks after getting home).
I was able to make a FLIGHT.
https://www.thompsonaire.com/video/July4thFlight.mp4
Thank you to one of our wonderful local pilots (Kenny Shuemate) who asked me if I wanted to go for a flight. He said he had a 140 with almost no hours on it and
wondered if I wanted to go out for a flight. I was nearly in tears while talking to him on the phone. He said bring anyone you want! I know, many of you taking a balloon flight is a normal thing and for some of you lucky pilots out there it is nearly a daily occurrence. For me, I fully believed it would just be a memory and I would never get to fly again. When Kenny made the invitation I had been feeling pretty good 
for a few weeks so I took him up on his offer. I invited both my mother and father to join in and one of my old ground team had heard about it on Facebook and offered to come out and be our ground crew. Kenny said you may inflate if you want. I jumped right in and poor Kenny never got to touch the burner the entire flight. For me every second was a thrill but one of the highlights I will never forget is my father looking at me and saying “You sure have not lost your touch” Thank you Kenny Shuemate!
TWITTER,
I know there are some of you out there that do the Twitter thing. We have now installed a Twitter Promotion software on the HotAirBalloonist.com website. When you start a topic on the site you will have the option to also post that same topic
to Twitter. Remember this is for logged in members of the site. But next time you start a topic on the site in ANY category, up at the top of your post where the “Follow” button is you will see the Twitter promote button. For those of you who want to follow us on Twitter just go to #HABalloonist on Twitter.
Ballooning in the NEWS
There are three locations on the HotAirBalloonist.com website where we have installed internet scrubbers. The scrubbers scour the internet looking for stories that have anything to do with ballooning. There is one on our front (Forums) page. On the right “Side Bar” section of the page. You would be embarrassed how many times the word Emergency appears on that news feed. There is also an entire page of news items. Under the Navigation heading “Current News” The
page of news is called Ballooning in the News. This is an entire page of news items and the scrubber on this page has a slightly different set of searching parameters so you may find balloon news here that you would not find on the front “Forums” page. The third and final scrubber is located on the “Articles and News” page. This scrubber is located on the right “Side Bar” and this scrubber has yet another set of parameters that looks for news primarily about balloon events. During these difficult times many events are being canceled or postponed. This scrubber is a great one for news about balloon events all over the country.
START A CLUB
Remember there are no additional fees to start a balloon club on HotAirBalloonist.com You can start a club for the pilots who fly in your area and have your own Topics area, Download Center, Calendar, Photo Gallery, Member Map and even your own Chat room if you wish. Only your members can have access to your club area. You can even create your own newsletter to send out to your club members with a single click of a mouse. Our email server is super powerful. We send out nearly 1,000 emails in less than a minute! Of course if you need any help I am happy to assist getting you set up.
WebWork
Seems now that I am not flying full time I have time for other things. If you have a website that needs work or even rebuilt let me know. If your site is a balloon ride site I know a guy J who knows quite a bit about ballooning and can make a great site for you! All kidding aside, if you need any assistance on your site I am more than happy to become your web guy. Here are a few sites you can look at that I have set up. Appliancerepairoffourcorners.com, JodisSkiSchool.com, ThompsonAire.com, Ginathompsonphotography.com, HotAirBalloonist.com, DesiredDreamsBathBombs.com, WrappedUSA.com, Avaschickenchronicles.com just to name a few. I would love to help you with your needs. As my father would say, “It keeps you out of the bars”.
Thank you all who take the time to read my newsletters. Please be safe, have fun and stay healthy.
Thank you for all you do for the world of ballooning.
OH!!! I almost forgot! We have more of our famous Balloon Masks in stock.
Our supplier has told us that this may be the last of that fabric available so if you want one get it right away!
Jeff A Thompson.
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Some of you are getting this newsletter for the first time. We hope you enjoy our email. Our newsletter is designed to help you get more out of your membership to the HotAirBalloonist.com site and keep you informed what we are working on. Each newsletter also includes explanations on how parts of the HotAirBalloonist.com site works and to inform you about sections of the site you may not even know exists. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read our information.
UPDATE
As many of you know I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in late February. We just had our first follow up with the neurologist to get the results of my MRI and CT scan. They are still showing some blood on the brain but it is clearing. I have had some issues with dizziness and some light headed-ness. I have lost about 40 pounds and gone from a 44 waist to a 40 and still shrinking. We have already made adjustments to my blood pressure meds and are now making another adjustment. I have been very active on the web with building and maintaining my 18 URL’s and the 12 sites I currently manage. I have also been working about the house, doing yard work and making face masks. So far I have not found any physical limitations from the stroke. My mental abilities are also in good shape so overall I am one incredibly lucky man.
Equipment 4Sale
I am sure we mentioned this in the last newsletter but it is worth mentioning again. Our Equipment 4Sale section is now open to anyone who has equipment for sale. Take a bunch of photos of your equipment then find the proper category and start a topic. You can include all the text you wish as well as your location, contact information and price. You can upload up to 20MB’s of photos. Best of all when you are finished you can check the “Notify me of Replies” button and if anyone posts a reply the HAB system will send you an instant email with the content of the post. As always if you need any help let me know. Info@HotAirBalloonist.com and I will help in any way I can.
THE EXCHANGE
This section of the site was created for groups of pilots and ground teams in a specific area. The Exchange acts like a community bill board for ballooning in your area. Each exchange has four specific categories. “Pilot Forum” “Crew Forum” “Landowner Relations” & “Passenger Exchange”
The Exchange is a great way for you to post stuff for other balloonists in your area. There are so many fantastic benefits to the Exchange it is hard to cover in a newsletter but briefly. You can look for crew, fill empty spots in your balloon, find new launch and landing spots or even share landowner complaints. It is literally a community bill board for your area. It is not viewable by the public and the “Follow” feature can be used so that everyone in your area gets notified of any new posts instantly by email. You will also have a written record of anything you have posted so no one can say they did not know! Remember The Exchange is a private (Members Only) area of the HotAirBalloonist.com site.
Video Tutorials.
We have continually been creating and uploading new videos in the Download Center under the category “Video Tutorials” WE have been eliminating many of the old (Flash) formatted files and upgrading them to the (MP4) format that can be viewed on almost any device. The new files are extremely helpful in learning how to use the site! Have a look at some of them today. The site is completely virus free and you can download any of the files safely!
Face Masks
We still have some Washable, Reusable and comfortable to wear masks in our store. We are almost out of the Balloon Print and will let everyone know if we get more in. There are still some other prints as well as solid colors available. Things here in Florida are getting worse so face masks are going to be standard practice for a while. Have a look in the store if you are interested.
Humor
As we could all use a little joke now and then. We have cleaned up the Balloon Humor category on the Main “Forums” page. There are a few good ones in there if you care to take the time to have a read. Remember this forum (as many others) is a private members only area of the site. You must be logged in to view and read. Feel free to add some of your own jokes for the rest of us!
THANK YOU.
At this point I am unable to fly. After over 7,000 flights and 45 years involved in ballooning I am simply heartbroken. One of our local pilots here called up the other day and said he had a brand new balloon that I could take out and fly if I wished. He would go along and let me preform in any capacity I wanted. I was in tears by the end of the phone call. It is exactly that type of gesture that reaffirms my belief that Balloonist’s are some of the best people on the planet. Thank you Thank you Thank you! If you have not read my BLOG here is the link.
All for now.
Jeff A Thompson
2021 National Balloon Classic 07/24/2021
in Past Newsletters
Posted
The 2021 KML files for the National Balloon Classic are up!
Go to the HotAirBalloonist.com site. LOG IN! Then click on the “Download Center” link in the sub-menu at the top of the page. In the download center, look over on the right side to find the categories. You are looking for the Launch and Land (Maps & GPS Files). Click on that category and look for the Sub-Category “Indianola” When you enter that Sub-Category you will find the first 4 files are for the 2021 National Balloon Classic.
The Files are as follows.
· 2021 National balloon Classic Targets (KML) This is for use with the HotAir.app or any other application that can use a KML file. Click on that link, BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD, click the “Follow button” at the top right hand side just below the file title. Then Click Download, (Select Save in HotAir)
· 2021 National balloon Classic Targets (GPX) This is for use with any application that can use a GPX file. Click on that link, BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD, click the “Follow button” at the top right hand side just below the file title. Then Click Download
· 2021 National balloon Classic 3D PZ (KML) This is for use with the HotAir.app or any other application that can use a KML file. Click on that link, BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD, click the “Follow button” at the top right hand side just below the file title. Then Click Download, (Select Save in HotAir)
· 2021 National balloon Classic PZ (KML) This is for use with the HotAir.app or any other application that can use a KML file. Click on that link, BEFORE YOU DOWNLOAD, click the “Follow button” at the top right hand side just below the file title. Then Click Download, (Select Save in HotAir)
You can fly with all three KML files turned on at the same time if you wish. We suggest you fly with the 3D KML file turned on so you can see the Red and Gray zones in 3D and you can review your flight track in 3D after the flight. See the Viewing Flight Tracks in 3D presentation.
We have noticed that sometimes the HotAir.app will hold onto old map files in its application memory. When uploading a new file we suggest that you delete the old file first. You can delete a file simply by going to the Real Time Settings page and select Custom KML Map Overlays. To delete a file left swipe on the file and tap on Delete. Then close the HotAir.app. When you reopen the application the map files should have been purged and you can now download a new version.
While you are logged in we suggest you download the HotAir.app tutorial located in the download center under Tutorial Presentations. Remember MEMBERS can download all files for FREE!
If you have any trouble logging into the site try the Password recovery system or send me a note at Jeff@HotAirBalloonist.com and I am happy to help you.
REMEMBER TO FOLLOW!
If you click the Follow button the HAB system will send you an email instantly when a new file has been loaded. When something on the map changes and a new file is uploaded, you will know right away. Downloading a new map file takes seconds! So always stay up to date by using the Follow feature on each file you download. There is a presentation for the Follow Feature too!
May the winds be light and the turn is huge. Remember there are very few people in the world that can do what you do in a balloon. It is called the “Art of Aerostation” for a reason. For all of those (Pilots and Ground Teams) whom are heading to the National Balloon Classic, Have fun, Be safe and know I wish with all my heart I could be there with you all.
Jeff A Thompson