My DSL died just as I started the Balloon Fiesta....but I recived a new modem today and will try it tommrow. Balloon Fiesta was great, I crewed for the Possman team from Germany, got my first ride, was made a Ritter der Luft in the socitey of feuer unt Luft and got up at 0400 every day to help on the launches. The Possman Balloon is a 11 story tall <33 meters> pitcher advertising a Frankfurt apple wine, weighs allmost a ton deflated, and flies like a dream. My flight was as follows, arrive at 0430, have breakfast with rest of crew , , unload envlope from truck, unload the basket from the truck, I attach the saftey line to the truck, and am allowed by the pilot and crew chief to attach the envlope to the basket. Note balloons are allways handeled with gloves on as there could be frayed suspension wires and skin oils can damage the balloon fabric. we pull the envlope from the cart and lay it out untieing the packing bands as we go down it's 110 foot length, I am stationed at the burner opening, holding it open for the cold in flation, the "Zebra" allows us to start the cold inflation the 10 Hp fan is started and we begin blowing air in to the envlope so as to fill it enough to allow us to "go hot" Colt inflation is done, the Zebra says go hot and Herr Kaiser fires the burners........ the hot air fills the envlope and it stands up! 10 minuts total from flat to ready to fly. Walter the pilot tells me to get in the basket and we wait on launch instructions, the Zebra signals and we are off the surface wind is from the north at 3 knots and we make a smooth lift off at about 150 feet per minuite. at this point the sun has just cleared the Sandia mountian to the East and we lift in to the sunlight. In Alberqurque, we have a wind anomaly called the "Box" where the wind blows South at one elevation and North at another, allowing extended flights while staying in one area, on that day we also had East and West layers allowing navagated flights. Herr Kaiser is a superb pilot and we spend 2 hours in the box, reaching 2000 meters AGL at one point < the take off point is at 5500 feet> sorry for the mixed units but my mind thinks that way , we are headed South, and have burned off 3/4 of our fuel, the pilot starts selectin a landing site...... we dessend to about 600 feet above ground playin tag with the high tension lines and look for a good spot, we try for a soccer feild but the wind shifts, then we duck over Paseo Del Norte, and see a building lot just ahead, but there is a power line between us and it, Walter smiles hits the burner and we clear the lines, he then pulls the RED rope they arrive the envlope is vented and we start packing up. At lunch I am inducted in to the Order.... mormally the burn some of you hair and put it out with Champain....but as my hair is short or non existant the get my Beard instead.... I recive my new name and lose 2 inches of my beard......
Gunns
