End of Summer (Sept 2019)

[hotairballoonist]

How have you been?

Making some changes,

Since the beginning HotAirBalloonist.com was designed so “WE” balloonists could share anything and everything with each other.  HotAirBalloonist.com has a public face as well as a PRIVATE members only section.  HotAirBalloonist.com has something for everyone! HAB. is a storehouse of Information, Files, Photos, Documents and Presentations and so much more. 

We also created a membership called the Registered Guest Membership.  This was a FREE membership that allowed Balloonists from all over to participate in areas of the site that were for members only and to participate at no cost.  This system worked for nearly two years till some enterprising spammers got into the site and started posting thousands of junk postings.  We cleaned out more than 10,000 files in one folder alone. 

SO…  We have altered the registered guest program.  It is still possible to register on the site and to see some of the “Members Only” sections without paying for a membership.  To become a Registered Guest on the site you must register and we must approve you.  A Registered Guest will still be able to see areas of the site that are not open to the public but will no longer be able to create new posts on the site.  For example, if you have equipment for sale you will need to register and be approved then let us know you want to post equipment for sale and we will give you a temporary membership to do so.  We still want Balloonists to have the ability to post items for sale at no cost, but we must balance that with keeping the site “spam free” and SAFE for our members. If you are currently a Registered Guest on the site the only thing that has changed is that you no longer can post new topics where in the past you could.  As this evolves we may make even more changes to keep the site free of spam and safe for our members.

Of course you can bypass all of this simply by purchasing any of the regular memberships on the site.

NEW DOWNLOADS

 

We now have a new information slider on the front “FORUMS” page.  This new slider shows the latest downloads posted in the Download Center.  This is an easy way for you to find new stuff that you can download. This slider will show the 10 latest files that have been uploaded to the site.  These file could be anything from photographs to presentations to map files and more.  Some are free for download and some are for purchase.  Remember ALL FILES are free to paid members of HotAirBalloonist.com.  This new feature is an easy way to stay up to date on the latest files available for members.

Video Tutorials

We have started the task of creating new Video Tutorials on the site.  These new videos will be a step by step guide with complete narration on how to preform many of the common tasks on the site.  In the past many of these tutorials did not play on some devices.  ALL of the new tutorials will be saved in .mp4 format so they will play on any device.  In addition we will be creating a new forum on the front page where you can see the new additions to the Video Tutorial Library.  The new forum on the front “FORUMS” page will simply be called “HowTO”.  Each time we post a new “How TO” video the system will post a new topic in the new forum category.  Log in and go to the new “How TO” category and click the “Follow” button and you will be notified via email each time a new video has been uploaded. 

CHAT ROOMS

This is one of the greatest new features added to the site.  CHAT ROOMS!  Not only for the public but for members as well!  The entire scope of this benefit (feature) may be a little hard to grasp at first.  We have a Public Chat rooms and we have a private members only chat rooms.  We can create a chat room for your area! (Public or Private)  Imagine all your local pilots being able to chat and talk about launch and landing areas, Weather, Crew and more.  Even better yet is that if you have a CLUB on HotAirBalloonist.com you can create a chat room for your CLUB!  No Kidding!  Imagine creating a club of your area pilots and crews and then having the ability to create your own private chat room!  Yes we continue to make HAB better and better….

MAP FILES

Did you know that HotAirBalloonist.com creates map files for balloon events?  Our files are created for use with the HotAir app and for the Motion X app.  If you have not used these applications we suggest you have a look at them.  Both are great applications for use in pre-flight planning and inflight navigation.  These files are FREE for download and you can download the file directly into your phone tablet or any device you are using the HotAir app or Motion X app on.  There are also FREE Tutorials on how to download the files into your device.  All available on HotAirBalloonist.com

Thanks for your support!

As always we thank our paid members who allow us to create and maintain this fantastic site.  If you have not been on in a while and have a membership please log in to look!  There is so much more on the Members side of the site that you will be amazed.  Those of you who do not have a paid membership, we suggest you get a membership and see the 1,000’s of things on the member’s side.  A crew membership for an entire year is only $20 and a general membership is only $20 a year.  Pilots can also get a membership for as little as $4 a month.  Please consider supporting the site.

We were Lucky

As many of you know we are located in the central part of Florida.  In fact we are just behind (west of) Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  The recent hurricane took a turn to the north and spared us.  Our hearts go out to the Bahamas as they were totally devastated by the storm.  If you are in a position to donate please do.  We know firsthand here in Florida the unbelievable power of these storms.  Irma hit us and we still have visible damage 2 years later.

All for now, more soon.

Jeff