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  1. IN LIKE A LION,,,, (March 2017)

    in Past Newsletters

    Posted

    Have you been to a seminar?

    We encourage everyone who is part of a balloon team to take the time to go to a continuing education seminar at least once per year.  Many of you who live in colder climates have friends and families who share the camaraderie of ballooning and don’t see those friends over the winter months.  The safety seminars are a great way to not only learn and expand your knowledge of many aspects of the world of ballooning but a great time to see old friends and find out about their seasonal plans.  Plus it’s a great way to hear some new stories and relive a few old ones.  I was a presenter this year at the Iowa Balloonists association seminar this year and boy do I have a story.  You can find it on HotAirBalloonist.com/forum on the Current Events page.  “It’s just a trip to Iowa”

    2017 HALL OF FAME.

    Becky from the balloon museum asks if I would include this in our next newsletter. I told her of course I would.  Becky and I have been ballooning together since 75.

    From Becky Wigeland and the National Balloon Museum:

     

     

     

    Sunday, July 30th, 2017 the National Balloon Museum will be inducting three Ballooning Pioneers into the US Ballooning Hall of Fame.

    The Pioneers are David Levin, Steve Fossett, and Professor T.S.C. Lowe of the Civil War Balloon Corp.

    Kevin Knapp, who is famous for his portrayal of Professor Lowe will be at the museum Saturday and Sunday telling his story.

    The Museum will be open 9:00-4:00 during the Classic week. Sunday from 12:00-4:00 will be Open House and Free admission.

    The Hall of fame Inductions will be from 1:00-3:00. The Public is welcome. Come and learn about the importance of ballooning in the Civil War.

     

     

     

    Can you hear me now?

    I had an interesting call the other day from a interpreter service for a deaf person.  They wanted to go for a balloon ride.  Since we have printed and laminated pre-flight briefing cards I did not see much of a problem.  I thought to myself, I may want to make a set for landing in the balloon, but other than that I saw no real problem with the request.  Then they said that they wanted an interpreter.  My response was that I was unsure even how to go about getting one.  The response I received back was “You are required to by law”  Of course any time you hear that it will get your attention.  My response was “I will look into it and see what I can do”.  So the first thing I did was post something on the reflector to see if anyone out there had experience.  I received many responses but not much help.  The best response was from a pilot who will remain notorious who said.  “SPEAK UP, I CANT HEAR YOU” Thanks Bubba C.  Anyway here is what I found out.

    Aircraft are exempted.  Apparently the airlines had a great lobbyist in Washington at the time.

    The law says that it must be readily achievable. 

    Quote from the law.

    Readily achievable means easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense.  In determining whether an action is readily achievable factors to be considered include –

    (1) The nature and cost of the action needed under this part;

    (2) The overall financial resources of the site or sites involved in the action; the number of per-sons employed at the site; the effect on expenses and resources; legitimate safety requirements that are necessary for safe operation, including crime prevention measures; or the impact other-wise of the action upon the operation of the site;

    https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleIII_2010/titleIII_2010_regulations.pdf

    Here are some of the problems I have. 

    ·         Time of day, 5:30am to 8:30am

    ·         If the interpreter stays on the ground while we fly then we are paying for someone to do nothing for an hour while we fly.

    ·         If we take them in the balloon we have to find an interpreter who is willing to fly in a balloon.

    ·         If we fly them in the balloon we will have to pay for that seat in the balloon.

    ·         The cost of the interpreter is more than we will make on the flight and the next 3 flights plus the additional cost of flying the interpreter.

    ·         You may deduct the cost from taxes after the first $250.00, so @ $65 per hour X 4hrs I get to deduct a whole $10.00.

    ·         If the weather is bad we will be charged for the interpreter since their cancellation time frame is long before we will know if the weather is going to be good.  We get our weather information about 12 hours before flight time and we have to cancel 25 hours in advance.  So there is no way for us to cancel the service by the time we find out if the weather is going to be good or bad.  There are also days when we go out to fly and the weather that morning becomes un-flyable due to increased winds and or fog and poor visibilities.

    ·         If we do not take them in the balloon this also causes some concerns if the weather gets unpredictable while we are flying.  Because we are at the mercy of Mother Nature not being able to communicate if the weather turns bad is a serious safety issue.  This makes choosing the weather conditions even more critical.

    ·         The close proximity of passengers in a balloon makes visual communication difficult at best.  Imagine 4 people in a phone booth trying to sign.

     

     

     

    On a follow up call with the passengers I told them that the cancellation policy of the interpreter service was long before I would know if the weather was going to be good and there would be no way to cancel the service by the time I knew if we were going to fly.  This seemed to be a reasonable answer to the question and they agreed.  I promised that we would have plenty of printed materials and an iPad and paper and pencil on board for communication.  I will be writing an article with all the information involved.  This article will be posted on the HotAirBalloonist.com/forum website on the “Current News” page.

    Post your event!

    We have a calendar for balloon events on the HotAirBalloonis.com site.  If you are involved in a balloon event or know someone who is we want to talk to you/them.  Our calendar not only allows you to post your event but you can also place your entire schedule, applications, website, email, contact person, phone and MORE about your event.  The best part is all of this is user controlled.   One of the most fantastic features of HotAirBalloonist.com is that YOU the member can post all of this stuff on your own.  YOU the member can also go back and alter, add, delete anything you have posted!  So give us a call or send us an email.  We will set up a time where we can allow you to log into OUR computer screen and we will walk you around the site and SHOW YOU HOW to use it right from the comfort of your own computer. 

    CHECKLISTS

    Once again the use of checklists has been talked about by the FAA and some presenters at the safety seminars.  Checklists are a good thing.  There are several types of checklists you may have or use.  A Pilot Checklist for Pre-Flight.  A Pilot Checklist for landing.  What about a pre-flight checklist for crew or passengers.  How about a checklist for landing for passengers.  YES HAB has checklists available in the store.  These are customizable to your own list.  They are printed on 80 mil PVC cards.  The same card stock that credit cards are printed on.  They are weather proof, water proof, scratch resistant and more.  You can order them with a bull nose clip for your lapel or you can order them with a suitcase style strap to attach to a tank or hang over the mirror in your chase vehicle.  They can be ordered easily online and we produce them in house so the turnaround time just hours.  Go to the store on HotAirBalloonist.com and click on the “Pilots Flight Bag” product category and have a look at the sample checklists.  Then order your own.

    Welcome New Sponsor’s,

    HotAirBalloonist.com is happy to welcome two new banner sponsors to the site.  Our first new sponsor is “Desired Dreams” They make homemade items for the home.  The make Bath Bombs, Candles, Wax Melts and Shower Bombs.  These items will make your home smell fantastic and they even have a line of Bath Bombs for MEN!  Check them out by clicking on their banner on the site when you see it. 

    Our next new sponsor on the site is Windsond.   I have talked about this at a couple of safety seminars.  Windsond makes reusable wind sensors.  You attach them to a helium balloon and let them go and they relay back to your computer real time information about wind speeds, direction and altitude and more.  Easier and more accurate than the old theodolite and RE-USEABLE.  When you have a chance, please click on their banner or do a web search for Windsond and check them out.

    Ride Operators have you created your listing yet?  Why not?  It only takes a few moments and you can have a customized topic all about your rides.  Remember we have operators listed all over the country by state.  Go to the rides page and click on IOWA.  Then click on Tecvisions Balloon Rides.  This is a topic that Tim Cloyd just created for himself.  Feel free to send him a note and ask how hard it was.  We want everyone to be listed so the general public can find you instead of going to a ticket seller.  Please if you have not created a topic about your operation take the time to contact us and let us help you do so.  You are receiving this email because you are a member on the site so you most likely already have the permissions to create a topic for yourself.  PLEASE DO!

     

     

     

    All the best to everyone.  Thank you to the IBA for having me at their seminar. 

    Please fly safe.

    Jeff A Thompson.

    See you next month.

     

     

     

    March2017.docx

  2. Feb (2017)

    in Past Newsletters

    Posted

    WOW BILL SMITH, I don’t know how many of you followed his amazing flight back on the 9th.  I saw at least one photo of him passing overhead of some balloonists who were obviously paying attention to his flight path.  WOW what a flight!  Best guess 751.46 miles give or take a few feet.  Thanks go out to Brian Beazly for giving us a heads up on the reflector.  At times he was traveling more than 90 miles an hour and over 14 THOUSAND feet up, then to come back to earth for a landing with less than 10 mph winds on the surface.  WOW.  Congratulations Bill Smith and his support team!  We would love to hear the story about the flight!

     

    HotAirBalloonist.com is looking for your help!  Yes you!  We are looking for FILES.  You may ask what kind of files.  ALL KINDS. On HotAirBalloonist.com we have a download center.  We already have hundreds of files in our download center but we are looking for more.  This is where you can help.  Do you have a ground crew manual, a Student Pilot syllabus?  Do you have a Tether contract, Passenger Release, Banner contracts?  Do you have Drawings, specifications, files of any kind that would be useful to other balloonists?  We want them.  MAP FILES! GPX files, Balloon event maps, KML files anything you think that another balloonist may have a use for.  UPLOAD THEM!  You will find several categories in the Download Center where you can upload files.  Select the category that best fits your file and upload if for others.   WAIT you say you want to get paid for your files…  That is fine too!  If you have a Equipment Sellers membership, A Ride Operators membership or an Event Organizer membership you may upload files for purchase.  Upload your file and then set the price at any amount you like.  If you need help just let us know.  If you have a file of some sort that you believe other Balloonist’s could use but you do not see a category for it let us know.  That is the nice part of this site, we can customize it any way we want.

     

    From the Balloonist Hall of Fame committee.

     

    NOTABLE BALLOONIST’S BIOGRAPHIES

    The name of Robert Rechs may not be recognized by many current balloonists; however, he is notable for a number of different reasons.  He was the recipient of the first Shields Trauger award presented by the Balloon Federation of America in 1970.  He is probably best known for being the author of Who’s Who of Ballooning, a compilation of data on historically-significant aeronauts. 

     

    In the book’s preface Rechs states “If I can leave any legacy for future generations, it is to admonish all aeronauts to make a special effort to collect and preserve historical information on ballooning. Not just antique books and artifacts, but this present era too. Don't hoard your collection of data or knowledge; preserve it, and make sure that, when you expire, your efforts go to your NATIONAL BALLOON MUSEUM for preservation, assimilation, and availability to future generations.”

     

    The BFA Hall of Fame Committee has initiated the process to collect biographies or biographical information on historically-significant balloonist to preserve the history of our sport.  We are asking for your help. 

     

    At the 2011 Balloon Federation of America National Convention in Des Moines, a list of notable balloonist was developed and about 80 in attendance were recognized as part of ballooning history.  This list included balloonists who were identified in about 18 different areas.  The BFA Hall of Fame Committee, in their search for biographies have consolidated the list into the following categories:

     

    ·         Ballooning Accomplishments/Contributions

    ·         Montgolfier Diploma Recipients

    ·         Ballooning Development

    ·         BFA Past Presidents

    ·         Ed Yost Master Pilot Award Recipients  

    ·         National and World Records Holders

    ·         CIA Hall of Fame Inductees

    ·         Shields Trauger Award Recipients

     

    We would encourage all balloonists to submit biographical information on present or past balloonists, pilots, crews and other participants, so that our history can be improved and preserved.  The BFA Hall of Fame Committee is coordinating that initiative.

     

    Please send ballooning biographies, including balloon adventures, accomplishments, etc, so they are recorded for history.  If possible, include photos of the person, and photos to add more detail to the bio. Said information can be sent to Jim Thompson, a member of the BFA Hall of Fame Committee, at jim@thompsonaire.com

     

    Also, if there is a balloonist that you want the Hall of Fame Committee to add to the biographies considered annually as potential candidates for induction into the BFA Hall of Fame at the National Balloon Museum, please complete a Candidate Information Form that can be found on the www.bfa.net under the awards category.

     

    Submit all biographical information and candidate information forms to the BFA Office.  Information received will be catalogued by the Hall of Fame Committee and will continue the efforts of Robert Reich’s legacy for future generations of our special sport.

     

    WE HAVE THE NTSB Hearing.  We now have the entire NTSB hearing available for viewing on HotAirBalloonist.com  Log in, scroll down the topics page till you find the FAA category.  Inside the FAA category you will find several Sub-Categories.  Click on the Odds and Endless Sub-Category and you will find a topic called NTSB Hearing on Lockhart Texas. Click on this topic and you will be able to view the video.  Thanks go out to Jeff Haliczer for getting us the video on USB.

     

    IT WONT BE LONG, before many pilots start the flying season.  Please take the time to look over your gear, Make some checklists.  Things cannot go as planned if there is no plan.  HAB has customizable checklists available in the store.

     

     

    Become a member.

    Fly safe and have fun.

     

    Jeff A Thompson

     

    Feb 2017.docx

  3. Well it’s January and a new year! (2017)

    in Past Newsletters

    Posted

    Have you taken our poll?  We recently conducted a poll with questions regarding the ballooning accident in Texas back in July of last year.  You are welcome to log in (you must log in) and take the poll yourself.  We will publish the results at a later time.  We do ask that only Pilots take the poll so we can keep the results as pure as possible.  If you are not a pilot, but are interested in the results just scroll to the bottom of the poll and click on the “view results Null Vote” button.  To take the poll, first, log in.  Then go to the “Hot Topics” category.  Click on the “Walkie Talkie” sub-category and the topic with the poll will be the first one on the list.

    In the Headlines.  Did you know that one of the crew members for the Texas balloon incident has died?  Don’t forget we have a page called Current Events.  On this page there is a news scrubber that scans the headlines all over the world for items that are balloon related.  On the current events page scroll down to the “Ballooning in the Headlines” section and you will see the headlines of balloon related events.  Just click on them to find out more.  Don’t forget to check in now and then to see Ballooning in the Headlines.

    Seminar Season.  Please remember we have a calendar for Safety Seminars.  We sure would like to have your seminar listed.  Send all your details to Events@HotAirBalloonist.com and we will list your seminar! Send as much information as you like, send event information, times, speakers, pricing, and all your contact information such as phone, Email, Website URL or Hyperlink. Remember you can also upload your event application or registration so that anyone can download right from the site. Remember if you have an Event Organizers Membership YOU can create events yourself on both the Balloon Events calendar and on the Balloon Seminars calendar.  When you place an event on the calendar you may include Photos, contact information with Email Links and Hyperlinks as well as upload application forms and all the descriptive text you want.  Best of all you may go back and edit at any time. 

    I am excited to be making the trip from Florida to Iowa to speak at the Iowa Balloonists Association’s seminar on February 25th.  The group of pilots there holds a very special place in my flying history.  I am very proud and humbled to be a presenter this year.

    NEW IN THE STORE.  We have added several new items in the online store.  Some of these items are discounted for our membership.  Here are a few of the new items. 

    Shoot A Lite strikers.  We made a special purchase and are able to offer them to our members for only $10 each.  They are normally found on the web for almost twice that. 

    Basket Wedding Decorations. Those of you who may do weddings in your balloon now and then may want to take a look at this.  These Velcro onto your basket and are reusable for years.  They are custom made for your basket! Best of all you can fly with them and there is no need to make any alterations to your basket.

    Tank Stickers.  New regulations may require you to have these on your tanks to refuel the balloon.  Thanks go out to Sam Parks, Phil Bryant and Andy Baird and the BFA for their involvement protecting us from potentially harmful new regulation in the propane world.

    We have PI-Bal lights!  We have been using them for a few years now for our pre-dawn wind observations.  Inside a 12” yellow balloon you can spot them several thousand feet up.  We have packages of 30 lights available for about 42 cents per light.

    Below is what Mike Shrum would call a SHAMLESS PLUG.

    Paid Memberships.  The HotAirBalloonist.com site runs because of the paid memberships.  There are many items offered for free to our membership. We have been working hard to create new features, find new products, and upload useful files and presentations. This along with the additional content and the ability for the members to interact with the site and each other make it a great marketplace and resource for all of us. 

    Please read this carefully and think about it.  If you are a BFA member you can become a Pilot Member of the HAB site for as little as $11.25 A YEAR!  You realize that is less than ONE DOLLAR a month!  Why would you not do that?  The FREE items for download alone will pay for your membership. Download a Tether contract and the Hot Air App tutorial and you have paid for your membership.

    If you are a BFA member and you do passenger flights you can get a Ride Operators Membership for $12.50 A YEAR or ONE DOLLAR and FOUR CENTS a month! A Ride Operator can create their own custom advertisement on the Rides Page where they can advertise their rides.  They may create their topic with all the photos, text, links, emails and pricing.  They can also sell photo of their passengers in the Download center.  Here again Why would you not do this?  Sell one ride and you have paid your membership for a year! 

    We currently have more than 350 operators listed on our rides page.  We will be going down the list to try to verify the operations and get current information.  Help us help you by getting a membership and then creating your own advertisement for yourself.  Then we will delete the one we have on the site. 

    As we have mentioned in previous newsletters the site does many great things for the balloon world.  If you have been given a free membership or have a Registered Guest membership we respectfully ask that you chip in a buck a month and upgrade to a paid membership. Then enjoy all the amazing benefits a paid membership has as well as supporting the site.  There is a step by step tutorial on how to get the special BFA membership in the Download Center.

    If you would like a guided tour of the site and an explanation of many of the dozens and dozens of features the site has built in already just let me know.  I am working on the site almost daily.  I work very closely with the BFA Hall of Fame committee who use the site for their files and the selection process.  The Hall of Fame committee has a complete category for their use in total privacy within the HotAirBalloonist.com site.  We were awarded a BFA Directors award for our work with the HOF Committee last fall at the general meeting.  Just send me a note and let me know what time would be good for you and I will log you into the site thru my computer so we can see the same computer screen at the same time while I show you around the site.  Just send me an email Info@HotAirBalloonist.com

    Do you have a Balloon Club?  We can create a complete PRIVATE section on HotAirBalloonist.com just for your club.  No need to maintain a website of your own.  You can have complete section all private just for your club while still being able to access all the other features of the HAB site.  Newsletters can be sent with a couple of mouse clicks to all your membership.  Conduct Polls, Have Photo Galleries, Create topics where you entire club can comment.  The system will even send out emails automatically to your club members each time someone creates a new topic or replies to any previous topic.  Have more interaction among your club than you ever imagined.  Call for more details on this special feature of HotAirBalloonist.com

    Thank you all for your support for HotAirBalloonist.com.  If there are features you would like to see added or types of files or items in the store let us know.  Remember send your event listing (Festival, Competition or Seminar) to Events@hotairballoonist.com

    Please get out there and go to a seminar if you can.  They are a great way to brush up on your skills.  See friends you may not have seen in a while, show your support for our balloon community and heck you might learn something.

    All the best to everyone and please fly safe and have fun.

    Jeff A Thompson Info@HotAirBalloonist.com

    407-421-9322

     

     

     

    Jan 2017.docx

  4. Time with Family, (Dec 2016)

    in Past Newsletters

    Posted

    I always enjoy this time of year.  I try to make sure to take the time and remember just how fortunate we are. I am also glad when we get to spend a little more time with our families.  I sincerely hope that all of you were able to spend some family time over the Thanksgiving holiday. I also hope that you will have another opportunity to spend even more time over the Christmas holiday and the holiday season as well.  May you be surrounded by those you love and those who love you!

    Some of you have SNOW!  I remember back when I used to live in the Mid-West we used to have our eyes glued to the windows when the first snow falls came.  We always hoped it would be a big one and that we would wake up with everything covered in white.  If you get a few good photos of a heavy snowfall share them in the photo gallery for all to see.

    Winter also brings another season for balloonists.  The “SSS” or Safety Seminar Season.  Please remember that HotAirBalloonist.com has a calendar dedicated to the Safety Seminars!  If you are putting on a seminar or know of one please let us know.  Send us a link or details about your seminar so we can post the information for others.  Seminar information can be sent to Events@HotAirBalloonist.com

    Stocking Stuffers.  Yes it is that time of year! Cyber Sunday or Black Monday or Clash of the titans Friday.  I just don’t do that sort of stuff BUT!  HotAirBalloonist.com has a few things in the store that your favorite pilot or crew member could use or may just enjoy. 

    Shoot-A-Lite sparkers are a great item!  Always welcome in any pilots flight bag.  We have them in stock and ready to ship.  Members can log in and use the coupon code “needfire” at checkout to get them at a fantastic price of just $10/ea. 

    Pilots Sighting Compass. We also have our HAB compass on sale in the Pilots Flight bag category of the store.  These sighting compasses are Lightweight, accurate and extremely inexpensive, a must for every pilot or ground crew.  Think about getting two!

    Checklists.  We have customizable (Pilot) and (Crew) checklists in the store at HotAirBalloonist.com.  Made from 80mil PVC (Same material credit cards are made from) they will last for years.  Waterproof and UV resistant you can put one in the basket and carry one in the chase vehicle.  These checklists are inexpensive enough you may purchase a couple for your pilot and for all your crew.  See the samples on the web and then create your own list!  Send your custom checklist to us and we will create your checklist!

    HAB Gift Vouchers!  Not sure what your favorite Pilot or Crew wants?  Give a gift voucher from HotAirBalloonist.com!  HAB Gift Vouchers are available in the store in amounts from $5 to $150.  You can even select your own amount.  Purchase and send via Email instantly online to anyone.  A $10 gift voucher will give a ground crew a membership on HotAirBalloonist.com for an entire year!  Send a $50 gift voucher to your favorite pilot and let them use it in the store for item(s) of their choosing, or apply to a membership.  A “Super Easy” way to give a little something to anyone.   There is even a tutorial on how to redeem a gift voucher in the download center under the Tutorials and Presentations category.

    Balloon Ride Gift Certificates.  This year we are doing something a little different for Christmas Gift Certificate sales.  We still offer the traditional Balloon Ride Certificate but…..We are offering a $50 voucher!  We suggest that someone may purchase the voucher and give it to someone you know wants to take a balloon ride.  This way an individual can help someone take a balloon ride without having to foot the entire bill!  To see how we have this set up please visit http://www.thompsonaire.com/GCert.htm  if you would like us to set up something like this for you, give us a call right away or email us at Jeff@HotAirBalloonist.com and we will explain how the system works.  We can have you set up and ready to sell your Ride Certificates and Gift Vouchers online in minutes.

    Winter Flying!  Remember winter flying can be fantastic but you must remember it also takes some preparation and some extra awareness on the part of the pilot and crew.  We will talk more about that in our next newsletter.  In the meantime REMEMBER if you have a seminar planed we want to know about it!  PLEASE!  We want to make this information available to anyone and everyone.

    We hope that you get to spend time with your family this holiday season.

    All the best to your family from ours, may your holiday be rich with laughter and love.

    Jeff A Thompson.

    Lake Gifford Florida. (Right behind Animal Kingdom)

     

    December 2016.docx

  5. Can you believe its November already? (2016)

    in Past Newsletters

    Posted

    The Registered Guest Membership. 

     

    (Sorry about the length but please read all of this)


    Back in the June HAB newsletter we mentioned that we would be ending or altering the Registered Guest membership.  We went on to say that we were receiving spam attacks and new “registered guests” that had nothing to do with the balloon world.  Our only recourse was to make the Registered Guest a TRIAL membership good for only 30 days.  We made it clear that if you had a Registered Guest membership that you would be receiving an invoice for a general membership when the Registered Guest membership expired.  That system is now fully implemented and we are happy to say that the spam memberships and hackers have ended. 


    We did however get an email from someone who was upset with us because they had received an invoice.  This is what we said would be happening in the June newsletter.  The comment was made that there are others who do things for the balloon world without charging a fee, why don’t we follow that model? 
    Now on the surface that is a great question.  Especially if you do not know what HotAirBalloonist.com actually does for the balloon world!  We do more for free than any other balloon site on the net. Here are a few of the items and benefits that are available and FREE on HotAirBalloonist.com 

     

    ·         You may become a Registered Guest on the site for FREE.

    ·         A Registered Guest can list equipment for sale in the 4Sale category for FREE.

    ·         The 4Sale category allows you to edit your advertisement. Change the text, add more photos, change your price, enter email links and even DELETE your equipment listing YOURSELF!  (No other website has that ability)  YES FREE.

    ·         A Registered Guest can ask question by making a “Reply” to anything listed in the 4Sale Category AT NO COST!

    ·         There are event calendars and Safety Seminar calendars with information, contacts and links to these events. FREE on the site.

    ·         There is a Chat Room open 24/7 where you can get together with other balloonists and talk.  FREE

    ·         There are ballooning articles for FREE and even more articles available for members.

    ·         There is a web scrubber that finds and posts any news worldwide about ballooning.  FREE.  Next time you hear about a balloon event or incident go to the “Current Events” page and scroll down to “Ballooning in the Headlines” and you will see it there!  O did we say FREE?

    ·         The Download center has dozens and dozens of files available for download.  There are many files that are FREE. Briefing cards, Propane guides, Fan Blade Pitch Guides, Release forms seminar presentations and MORE… All the files are FREE to members!

    ·         HotAirBalloonist.com has DONATED Identification Badges for each child at the BFA Balloon Camps for the last TWO Years!

    ·         HotAirBalloonist.com provided professional sighting compass’s to the kids camps at cost!

    ·         HotAirBalloonist.com DONATED over 1600 competition markers to balloon events!  (Value of about $6,000)

    ·         HotAirBalloonist.com gives a FREE Membership to each of the BFA Elected officials and the Board of Directors.  This membership allows them to use all areas of the site with Moderator Permissions.

    ·         HotAirBalloonist.com has an interactive map called the Member Map where you can find Balloon related services all over the United States.  There are over 800 pins in the map, YES FREE for anyone to use.

    ·         We have over 370 balloon ride operators listed so the public can find a real balloonist to get a ride from instead of a third party ticket seller.  FREE.

    ·         HotAirBalloonist.com hosts a complete category and download center for the BFA Hall of Fame.  100’s of files are stored and the entire committee can work in complete privacy.  HAB was awarded a BFA Directors Award for its work with the BFA HOF Committee.

    ·         HotAirBalloonist.com created a complete power point presentation on how to use the HotAir App from Shawn Gano.  It was offered to the first 50 downloaders FREE

    ·          HotAirBalloonist.com has invested several thousand dollars in bulk purchases so we can provide balloon supplies at a fantastic low price to balloonists like our professional sighing compass for only $22.50 or Shoot a lite sparkers for $10!

    Do you need more? I honestly could go on and on, this is just a small list of things.  SO YES we do offer MORE FREE benefits, services and the ability to interact than any other ballooning site we know of. 
    At this point the Balloon world has benefited from HotAirBalloonist.com to the tune of over $15,000.  The balloon world has also benefited from the several thousands of hours invested in creating and managing such a site. Every day we work on adding even MORE.  


    BUT there are costs.  We do charge a membership fee.  Paid members gain even more privilege’s and find huge areas of the site they did not know were even there!  We have tried to create value that goes beyond the cost of a membership. We have also kept the cost as low as possible.  Do you think that 83 cents a month is too much to ask for a Pilot Membership?  LESS than what most pay for a cup of coffee! 

    Let’s talk about the Membership Fees.  A Ride Operators Membership is only $50 a YEAR. This membership has dozens of features but the most beneficial is you can create your own advertisement in the Balloon Rides category!  If you make just one booking you have paid your membership for a year!  Want to know something really silly?  If you are a BFA member you can get this membership for $12.50 a year.  YES you read that right a whole twelve dollars and fifty cents.  A standard pilot membership is $40 a year but a BFA member can get a Pilot Membership on the site for $10.  Why would you not do that? 
    Remember as a member ALL the files in the Download Center are FREE.  That alone will pay for your membership!


    Since we do not talk about all the great things that the HotAirBalloonist.com site does we thought you may want to get a little insight into this fantastic site.


    If you are not a paid member PLEASE become one.


    Click here to see what the site can do.  Click here for Descriptions of Memberships.

     


    I am sorry for the length of this newsletter.  I just wanted people to know some of the stuff we are working on and some of the items that are FREE on the site.  I remember years ago when many would say “Why join the BFA, What do they do for me?”  But after the incident in Texas the BFA has kept the FAA out of your life!  We are supporters of the BFA and that is why we hold a Pilots Membership, Competition Membership and TWO, yes Two Corporate memberships with the BFA.  No one else does that either!  We want to promote the BFA and not compete with them. That is why we offer a 75% discount on HAB memberships for BFA members.


    HotAirBalloonist.com is worthy of your support. 

     

    If you need help getting one or setting up your Balloon Ride Operation advertisement just call us.  407-421-9322 I am a balloon pilot just like you.  I have over 5,500 LTA hours and fly rides, I am an Ed Yost Master Pilot, I am a DA-8 with the BFA pilot achievement program. I am more than willing to answer your questions and to give you any help you need. Please help me create a place where we can all share our knowledge and work together to promote all aspects of the balloon world.  There is a place here for you! 


    As always, all the best to all my ballooning friends
    Have fun and be safe.
    Jeff.

     

    Nov 16.docx

  6. Welcome to JUNE! (2016)

    in Past Newsletters

    Posted

    Here in Florida June represents the beginning of Hurricane season.  We have been lucky the last few years and hope this year is a mild one as well.  Never the less it is also when our mornings become flyable at close to 95% of the time.  Barring a tropical storm or hurricane it is not uncommon for us to fly 28 or 29 times a month from now till October.  We want to remind everyone PLEASE FLY SAFE!  Be smart and when you get that funny feeling in the pit of your stomach LISTEN TO IT!  When you are flying and you need to get down please choose a safe spot.  Sometimes the urge to “Get Down” overrides our instinct for safety.  If you do land in a very public place (you know what we mean) stay around and do some PR.  Do not let the neighbors and the news guy write the story about your balloon crash or emergency landing.  Be smart about what you say.  Tell them something like this, “The landing was planned and executed precisely as expected”.  “It was unforeseen that the winds would change and not allow us to continue onto another location”.  “The location was chosen because it was a safe location to make a landing and we did exactly that, landed safely”.  Let’s all work together this year to, first fly safe and secondly put a good face on our activities and not let the press sensationalize us.

     

     

     

    The End of the Registered Guest.  Recently we have had several people registering as a guest on the site, whom are not in the balloon world or related balloon business at all.  As a Registered Guest they have privileges on the site that could be used for undesired activities.  We have already dealt with several spam attacks and other unwanted incursions to the site.  It is our intent for the site to continue to be of service to the balloon world.  We also want the site to be a great resource for the general public who are looking for balloon related services.  It is our desire at this time to have only balloon related content.  At this point we have decided to limit the membership “Registered Guest” to only a 30 day trial.  This is more than enough time for a genuine balloonist to try out the site and decide to become a member.  If you are a balloonist and you wish to help promote this site please become a General Member of the site.  A General Membership is only $20 a year.  If you are a balloonist and you purchase a General Membership by the end of June we will give you your choice of a set of HAB stickers for your vehicles or a customized Checklist for your ground crew.  If you have a registered guest membership you will be receiving an invoice in the next few weeks asking you to pay a $2 per month fee to continue your membership on the site.  If you are involved with the balloon world in any way we would like to thank you in advance for your support. BTW, a General Membership will give you more privileges than a Registered Guest Membership.

     

     

     

    GoPro and Ballooning There is a wonderful power point slide show available in the Download section of HotAirBalloonist.com about using a GoPro on your balloon flights.  We have been using them for almost two years now with tremendous success.  We actually paid for three complete GoPro setups in our first month of using them.  We have created a step by step slide show on everything we do, from the equipment you need to the inflight use and even the storage of the files and the system for recalling a video from 8 weeks ago for the passenger who now wants to purchase the video of his flight.  Everything you want to know and even the option to sell them online!  When you have a chance Log in and go to the downloads section of the site.  Currently “GoPro and Ballooning” is the featured download on the site.  The download is FREE so have a look.  As always if you have questions, comments or suggestions let us know.

     

     

     

    Get your Compass!  Very soon the BFA Hot Air Balloon Summer Camps will be firing up!  (Yes I know)  As in past years we will be providing them with Name badges and sighting compasses.  Currently our stock is good but as the competition season gets into full swing we may run low so order yours ASAP.  If you have not seen them or were now aware that we had them please visit the online store where you will find two versions of the sighting compass (Plastic & Aluminum) available for purchase.

     

     

     

    Articles and Photos.  As you travel around to the festivals this summer don’t forget the rest of us who don’t get to go play as much.  Remember we have an entire section for articles about ballooning.  Create a diary of the event and then upload it for everyone to read.  Share your adventure about your favorite festival or competition.  We also have an entire photo gallery you can upload photos to!  Log in and share with us your summer adventures!

     

     

     

    Hey BALLOON EVENTS!  How would you like to post your scores?  Believe it or not you can post your scores on HotAirBalloonist.com with an easy copy and paste.  Then all your pilots can see the results the moment you post them.  We have a section on the site for Blogs; you can create your custom blog for your event and then post the scores from each task for everyone to see.  Best of all there is an RSS feed for your blog so others can sign up and be notified as soon as you post your scores.  Post as many tasks as you want.  If you are interested in this bulletin board style of posting give us a call and we can walk you thru the process.  You can also promote your event this way as well.

     

     

     

    As always we wish you all the best and please fly safe.  If there is anything we can help with please let us know.

     

     

     

    Jeff A Thompson

    Info@HotAirBalloonist.com

    407-421-9322

    June 16 Newsletter.docx

     

     

     

     

  7. April 2016

    in Past Newsletters

    Posted

    Well the summer season is starting.  The Event Calendar on HotAirBalloonist.com shows a dramatic increase in the number of events occurring in the month of May!  We would like to say to everyone hitting the road to an event, or two, or a dozen this summer please be careful.  We are not talking about just the flying you will do at the events but on the road to and from the events.  Please take the time to read and consider the following list.

    • *      Vehicle Tires

    • *      Trailer Tires

    • *      Trailer Bearings

    • *      Lights, Turn, Brake, Marker, Trailer and vehicle

    • *      Hitch and Ball Tight?

    • *      Hitch Latching system working

    • *      Jack Stand Oiled?

    • *      Spare Tire has air?

    • *      Jack and lug wrench?

    • *      Oil Change on Vehicle and your inflation fan?

    • *      Inflator fan cage, tires, fan hub, air cleaner and shutoff?

    • *      Radios, discharged and recharged, chargers working, spare batteries, antennas

    • *      Spare batteries for GPS, Radio, Flashlights

    • *      Basket in good shape, cleaned out, Tank Straps Tight, Fuel fittings tight, Oiled,

    • *      Envelope good, Balloon Bag, straps, skirt, Scoop,

    • *      Lift Gate and tie down straps inspected

    • *      Ropes and tether gear

    • *      Balloon Tie off or Quick release working

    Before you hit the road take an afternoon and grab a crew member or your spouse or whomever is going on the road with you and spend some time looking over your gear.  You may find something that could or would have been a disaster on the road.  An afternoon spent talking with crew and looking over the gear will not only make you safer but will build trust in your equipment and a common desire amongst your team that you have a safe summer season.  We did not intend to cover everything that should be checked but rather give you a start on your own list.  Please have fun and be safe.

    New Events.  If you are involved with a balloon event please take a moment to check the HAB Events calendar to see if you are listed.  We will be glad to list your event if you are not on our calendar.  If you are on the calendar and want to have changes made please let us know.  Keep in mind we have an Event Organizers membership that will allow you to post your event yourself as well as provide links, emails, descriptive text and even upload files for others to download!  Take a second and read about the Event Organizers Membership.

    Pilot and Crew Badges.  Anyone who has been to the National Balloon Classic has been given a name badge. We made over 1600 for them last year.  They are great for identifying people.  Great for remembering that pilots name you forgot since last year. They also make a great souvenir or keepsake from your event.  They are not as expensive as you may think.  Do you have a sponsor who would like a little more exposure?  Why not let them pay for the badges in return for their logo on the bottom?  Post your contact information and phone numbers on the back.  Identify Sponsor’s or VIP’s with a badge.  There are many uses and it even helps your spectators by identifying Pilots, Crews, Sponsor’s and Staff!  Your spectators always love to ask questions from the pilots and crews.  The spectators love it and let’s face it, it’s a little ego boost for the pilots and crews too!   Call us or email us on how to get badges for your event for less than you think.

    The Exchange.  We talked about this in our last newsletter.  In the Balloon Rides section of HotAirBalloonist.com there is a section called “The Exchange”.  This section of the site is private for members only.  If you go to the site and look on the Rides page you will not see The Exchange, but, log in as a Pilot Member or above and you will see this private category.  There are Exchanges already set up for some of the larger flying areas in the country.  The intent of this is that local pilots can communicate with each other about 4 basic areas of information, inside each exchange are four Forums. 

    •         Crew Forum

    •       Pilot Forum

    •        Passenger Exchange

    •       Landowner Relations

    Each forum works like the Balloon Reflector.  Any topic posted will send an email out to all other members who are following that forum.   As you can imagine this can be a huge asset locally for any group of pilots or crew.  Imagine you need another crew member for tomorrow.  Post it and everyone knows instantly.  Imagine you have two extra passengers you need someone to fly.  POST IT and everyone will know.  If you have two spaces left to fill for tomorrow, POST IT and everyone will know. Imagine you are told that you are not welcome of someone’s property.  You guessed it.  POST IT and everyone will know.  Here in our area we had a landowner who has asked us not to use his property after 15 years of doing so.  After posting a topic we found out that several of our local pilots did not know.  We would have had an uncomfortable situation on our hands if someone had landed there.  Now because everyone is respecting his wishes, he has told us we can use part of his property to launch from.  It’s a start but communication was the key and we are sure it is in your area as well.  Remember you can share files in the Exchange as well. PDF, GPX, TIFF, JPG, and more.

    ONLINE TICKETS.  I guess we should have labeled this newsletter as the Balloon Events newsletter.  Are you involved with an event and would like to sell tickets online?  We can do that for you.  We can have your event passes set up in our store in as little as 24hours!  HONEST..  Sell passes to your event tomorrow!  Passes can be scanned and verified with a smart phone.  No need for scanners, Wi-Fi or any other expensive gear.  Best of all you do not have any mailing costs or set up costs.  Just let us know you want to sell passes and we will take if from there. 

    Ride Operations.  We have over 350 ride operators listed in our Rides category.  If you do balloon rides we encourage you to get a Ride Operators Membership.  A very small $5 a month fee will allow you to do so many things on the site but most importantly you can create your own advertisement all about your balloon rides.  Include text, links, emails, photos, specials and more.  Heck you could even copy and paste your website into a topic.  Best of all when someone is looking for a balloon ride and visits your topic they won’t see the disclaimer “This Balloon Ride Operator is NOT a member of HotAirBalloonist.com.  Their contact information is listed below.  Let them know that, YOU FOUND THEM on HotAirBalloonist.com, and encourage them to become a member”.  Instead they will find a complete description of your services and how to contact you to take a flight..  Remember As a Ride Operator Member you create your topic any way you want.  Add all the information you want.  Another benefit is that when you create your own topic you are now ON TOP of the list of operator’s in your state.  This means you get the most traffic from potential passengers.  There is also a Yearly Option for this membership.  A one-time fee of $50 gives you an entire year!  Keep in mind that the topic you create about your services is yours to do as you wish.  Post specials, coupons, and more.  Change it weekly if you want.  The Topic is yours to do as you wish and there are no limits on what you can do with it.  Give us a call or send us an email if you want to know more.  If you make one booking you have paid for your subscription for the year!  And we do spend money on google for placement and advertisements.  As the membership grows the advertising will also grow.

    Current News.  Don’t forget there is a web scrubber on our Current Events page.  This scrubber goes all over the web finding stories about ballooning.  If something hits the news you can bet you will find a link to it or several links on our Current Events page.  Stay in the know and visit often.

    Login in!  Remember you need to log in to see most of the items on the site that are created for Balloonists.  We have many public areas on the site for the general public but the private membership side of the site is huge.  There are many things on the site that are for members only.  If you have not logged in for a while you may want to do so.  In many cases you will find a bunch of new stuff since the last time you were logged in.  If you have forgotten your user name or password there is a password recovery system on the site.  If all else fails send us an email and we can help you out.  Remember our security protocols do not allow us to see your password so we cannot tell you what it is, however, we can give you a new one.  So just let us know and we can get you set up.  Don’t forget to select REMEMBER ME when you sign in so you won’t have to remember your password next time.

    We are starting to fly a bunch down here in Florida and I am sure you are in your part of the country.  Please be safe, if you are uncomfortable with the conditions don’t fly!  Even if others do!  We need leaders and now followers.  BE A LEADER!

    All the best and we hope you have a safe summer

    Jeff A Thompson

    Info@HotAirBalloonist.com

    407-421-9322

    Sorry Jon for so long……(inside joke)

     

     

     

    April Newsletter 2016.docx

  8. Bluff City Balloons

    in Tennessee

    Posted

    https://bluffcityballoons.com/

    Mailing Address: PO Box 3631 Cordova, TN 38088-3631 Bluff City Balloons. Balloon Rides near Memphis Reservations- Toni Durham (901) 481-7367 Pilot- Skip Durham (901) 314-4579 Email- tonitubbs@comcast.net

  10. Where did your Eyelashes go?

    in Better Inflations

    Posted

    So,  we have all had them.  We have all had those inflation's that we think our head is going to catch fire or the throat of the balloon begins to SMOKE!

    Lets examine how that happens and how we can avoid the situation.

    The first thing we need to do is explore a little bit of physics. 

    We all know that heat rises!  This is a good thing for us, but do you know why?  The simple answer is that when you heat the air in your balloon it gets lighter but why?  Those of you who paid attention in physics class will understand that when you heat the air the molecules spread apart making the air less dense.  In other words heated air expands and becomes thinner (lighter) than the surrounding air!

    So how does this apply to not getting your face burned off during a hot summer inflation?

    Let's use a simple example of "Action vs Re-Action example.  You are having breakfast down at the local Waffle House.  The server has just filled your coffee cup up to the brim.  The guy at the counter next to you decides he is finished and wants to give you his coffee.  So he pours his cup of coffee into your "Already FULL" cup.  What is going to happen?  Your cup can not hold any more and will spill over onto the counter and pour over the side of the counter into your lap!  AS you think to yourself Dum~@$$, you should have known that was going to happen!

    Starting to get the picture? 

    You inflate your balloon all the way full, (Packed as some pilots call it).  That big ole fan of yours is cranking air into that envelop to the point where you can bounce your crew chief off the side of the balloon like a 5 year old in a bounce house!  You light up that monster burner of yours and start cranking heat into that envelope.  Where, exactly do you expect that expanding air to go?  

    So let's get real technical.  1 Cu/Ft of air weighs .0807 of a pound.   Your average 77,000 Cu/ft balloon envelope is around 165 pounds.  This means, to lift just the weight of your envelope, you must displace over 2,000 cu/ft of air!  Where will that much air go?  You guessed it, back in your face along with a fair portion of the recently heated air from your burner!  It's no wonder you have no eyebrows.

    So how do we inflate the balloon to a standing position without removing our eyebrows or seriously singeing the mouth of our balloon? 

    To be honest it takes some practice and real good timing to do it right. The first thing you want to do is read the article Fan Placement in this category, and understand the importance of where your fan is placed and when.  As you near the point where your balloon is half way full you need to be behind the burners.  Add a little heat, just a few small puffs on the burner.  Warm up some of that air in the balloon so the expansion process can begin.  This will help fill up the balloon quicker, and help lift the weight of the fabric too!  Now your balloon is going to bounce around a little and you should make sure your crown line crew knows this is going to happen.  They should try to keep the balloon in contact with the ground but not pull so hard that they are squeezing air out of the mouth.  (Unless you have a 600 pound crew it is unlikely they will squeeze the air out at this point). 

    Here is where your next Action vs Re-Action lesson begins. 

    Some will say that you run the risk of burning your balloon at this point since your balloon is not completely full.  But lets use the old birthday cake candle experiment.  Run your hand over the top of a, lit birthday candle.  Did your hand get burned?   Now hold your hand over the top of a lit birthday candle.  It won't take long before you get your hand burned badly.  Well the mouth of your balloon is the same way.  Direct contact with flames briefly will not harm the fabric but exposure for any lengthy amount of time will result in a trip to the repair station.  So remember small blasts on the burner will not harm the mouth of the balloon when done in short blasts and in moderation.

    NOW, let the balloon settle, and then give it another shot of heat.  As the balloon nears 80% full turn the gas off on your inflation fan.  Add a little more heat and then wait.  It will take a little practice but you will begin to notice the change in sound of your fan as it begins to run out of gas.  Some fans will sputter, some fans you can hear the pitch change, but over time you will get real good at knowing just when that fan is going to die.  Just before the fan starts to quit start adding heat to begin to stand your balloon upright.  You will be amazed at how little heat is needed to actually stand the balloon up at this point and how much less heat you are feeling in your face.

    An added benefit of this procedure is that when your balloon is standing up and the crew and passengers are all coming to the basket of the balloon, YOU DON"T have that deadly fan running to catch that scarf or drawstring or any other loose items your unsuspecting helpers may be sporting.

    Here is a video of the procedure in use.

    Feel free to post your reply's below!

    Thank you for all you do for the balloon world.

    Jeff A Thompson.

     

  12. Map Creation with Google Earth

    in Video Tutorials

    Posted

    Map Creation with Google Earth

    View File

    Map Creation with Google Earth

    This video will show you how to build and save map files using Google Earth.

    Many balloon pilots now fly using applications on smart phones, tablets, laptops and more.  This tutorial will give you the instruction needed to create your own KML overlay flying maps.  We suggest you make several maps so you can turn on and off the maps you need to use.  In this video we show you how to make Green Zones (launch and landing areas) PZ areas (Prohibitive Zones) You may make your own legend. Here is the normal PZ Key (Yellow is No launch No Land.)  (Orange is 250 ft AGL) (Red is 500 ft AGL) and (Gray or Black is 1000 ft AGL)  Green Zone Pins (That include information like Landowner, gate codes, phone numbers and any other special instructions from the landowner) Target pins (great for competition) and Red Zone pins (that include minimum altitudes and more).  The total download is 479 MB, each lesson takes some time download depending on your internet speed.  The entire video is approximately 30 minutes long.  We have broken it into 5 sections.   Other videos that are also helpful are the following. Using the HotAir.app  The Follow Feature,  HotAir.app Map files, Uploading files,

    ** Remember, all downloads are FREE for members.  Consider getting a membership!

    KML5.pngKML4.pngKML3.pngKML2.pngKML1.png

    3D PZ map.jpg

     

  13. Using Windy.com

    in Video Tutorials

    Posted

    Using Windy.com

    View File

    Using Windy.com

    This video will show you how to use and features of the Windy.com site.

    As a balloon pilot you know how important good weather information can be.  This site does a real good job of forecasting winds.  Not only on the surface  but aloft as well.  With a slider that allows you to go hour by hour it seems like a nice little bit windy.com.pngof technology to have on your phone tablet or even the desktop for looking at winds.  A new and very handy feature is the "Web Cameras"  When you select any location on the Windy map you will see a "Wind Staff" open up.  You can click on that staff and a details window will open at the bottom of the screen.  Over on the left side you will see (if available) a web camera.  Great for looking around your area to see if there is fog or rain or other issues you may want to be able to see without having to physically travel to that location.  Check it out!

    Windy.com2.png

     

  15. Uploading files in the "Download Center"

    in Video Tutorials

    Posted

    Uploading files in the "Download Center"

    View File

    Uploading files in the "Download Center"

    This video will show you how easy it is to upload files to the HAB "Download Center"

    We accept files of all types and there are many categories for files to be uploaded to.  This example is a map file for a balloon event.  If you are uploading maps for an event please inform your users that they should click on the "Follow" feature so they will be informed via email if there are changes (new versions) to the map.  Also remember to give your file a descriptive name.  There is a section were you can go into more detail about your file when you upload them.

     

  16. Aerostar Scoop RX8 RXS8

    in Odds and Endless

    Posted

    I have a nice Aerostar Scoop for sale.  It came on a balloon I purchased and I am more of a fan of Skirts.  It was removed from the envelope and stored in a box in our shop.  I am asking $250 for it.  Includes Shipping.  Send a text to 407-421-9322 or email me at CaptJeff@ThompsonAire.com

    RX8-RXS8Scoop.jpg

  17. Get a Membership

    in Video Tutorials

    Posted

    Get a Membership

    View File

    Get a Membership

    This video shows how easy it is to get a membership on HotAirBalloonist.com.  In less than 2 minutes you can have access to areas of the site that are private "Members Only" areas.  See more, Do More and share your opinions and ideas with hundreds of fellow balloonists.  This site was built by a Balloonist for all Balloonist's.  The member features are in the hundreds.  Join today and see what you have been missing.

    WebAddyLetters.png

     

  18. The Follow Feature

    in Video Tutorials

    Posted

    The Follow Feature

    View File

    The Follow Feature

    The FOLLOW Feature

    This is one of the greatest features on the entire site.  This feature allows YOU "The Member" to choose what you want to be informed of and to limit the number of emails you receive from the site.  You can Follow just about anything, from entire categories to single topics, even your own postings and more.  Follow a calendar of events or follow the news category or even a balloon club. Follow a PZ map at a balloon event! 

    Choose the items that interest you.  When you have found an answer or wish to no longer receive emails just, UN - Follow when you want.  There are many many balloonists who are part of the "Reflector" email system.  On HotAirBalloonist you can use the Follow this topic or Follow this Forum feature to do the same thing.  Any topic or any forum you are interested in you can simply check the box at the top of the first entry.  Once you have checked this box anytime someone adds a new topic or a new reply, you get an instant email notice with the actual comments that were posted in the forum or topic you are following.   Choose the items you want to hear about and if you get tired of a subject or you have found the answer you were looking for you just select UN-FOLLOW and poof no more emails.   Say on top of what you want without getting tons of emails about stuff you don't what to hear about. 

    This feature has all the benefit of the reflector with YOU in the drivers seat!

    Remember that when you post a topic make sure the Follow box is checked to receive instant notifications when a reply to your post has been made!  Unlike the reflector you can add photos to your topics too!

     

     

  20. Drop Line

    in Lines of all kinds

    Posted

    I believe this Drop line is 125 feet.  it is 2 inch webbing with a good sturdy (2500 LBS) carabiner.  Comes with case and ready to install.  Made out of marine grade vinyl the pouch has tabs in the back for mounting. 

    Dropline.jpgDropLineBack.jpgDropLineLine.jpgDropLineOpen.jpg

    Asking $75 plus shipping.  It will fit in a medium USPS box ($14.95 I believe)  Send me a note at Info@ThompsonAire.com and I will have my wife send you a pay pal invoice.  Thank you.

  21. The Exchange

    in Video Tutorials

    Posted

    The Exchange

    View File

    The Exchange

    The Exchange is an online bulletin board for balloonist's in any specific area. 

    Lets say you fly in the St Louis area.  You know there are several other pilots who fly in that area.  Have them all get a general membership to the site then have each one select the "Follow" feature on the four forums in your Exchange. 

    Remember a General Membership is only $20/year.  Less than a cup of coffee A MONTH!

    • Then if you need crew you start a topic.
    • If you find a new Launch and landing spot you start a topic.
    • If you need help you start a topic.
    • If you find an unhappy landowner you start a topic.
    • If you are a ground crew and want to crew more you start a topic.
    • If you have a party for balloonist's you start a topic.
    • If you need help fixing equipment you start a topic.

    Anything you want everyone in your area to know you start a topic.  The HAB system will send an email to every one who follows your exchange.  Its an online bulletin board for you and your fellow ballooner's in your area.

    If there is not an exchange for your flying area and you would like one just send us a note and we will make one for you!  Info@HotAirBalloonist.com

     

     

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