The Colorado Balloon Club

Promoting Ballooning Throughout Colorado

 

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Ballooning Safety Resources


Welcome to the ballooning safety resource page.  Please check out the multiple resources and links we have for ballooning safety. 

The Colorado Balloon Club works hard to promote safety throughout the Colorado ballooning community.  Through regular meetings, discussions, seminars and electronic methods, the CBC is dedicated to making ballooning a safer sport. 



BFA Covid-19 Update - June 1, 2020

Another month has passed and everyone is still trying to sort out what life is supposed to be like these days.  Businesses are opening in some areas and not in others. Covid cases are diminishing in some areas and going up in others.   So every one of you are still in a mode of deciding what is right for all of you and I also still believe that situations will get better and worse and better again.  Please be sensitive to your communities as to what is right and represent the ballooning community in a positive way.

That brings me to the other reason for writing.  A good friend of mine who is also very active in the glider community forwarded on a letter he had received from their soaring society.  They are experiencing high accident rates within their community that are being attributed to a lack of flying.  We all can relate to that lack of flying and we all need to be proactive in not letting our ballooning communities fall victim to that same currency trap.

We all know that current means 3 landings in the past 90 days.  We also all know that 3 landings do not truly give you a tune-up to actually be back at the top of your game.  Give yourself a gift of a flight or two or three to get back in the saddle.  Take time to review the following:

  • Look your paperwork over…see when your flight review is due, your currency, your balloon annual, your insurance…
  • Check your equipment over and make sure everything is ready to go and in good condition including your fan, instruments, launch harness, radios, trailer.
  • Review your emergency procedures, practice a burner relight, practice what to do in the event of a fuel leak, how to avoid powerlines.
  • Crews are always rusty on that first time out in a while. Give them a chance to dust off the cobwebs.
  • Review your various sources for obtaining weather information. Make sure the links and numbers all still work.
  • Do your first flight with another pilot and give each other the chance to get comfortable on the burner. Get back to navigating, do some steep descents, practice your scan, get the feel back for the balloon.
  • Masks for everyone as well as cleaning/sanitizing your equipment. Making hand sanitizer readily available to everyone and the adjustments you would make for post flight refreshments.

And if after doing that tune up flight, you still don’t feel comfortable yet, give yourself the gift of another one…repeat as necessary.  You do this for yourself but more importantly for your passengers….the people I refer to as the unsuspecting public….because they expect you to be at the top of your game.

So, whenever is the right time for you to get back in the air, start now getting ready.

Please stay safe,

Your BFA Board of Directors




Safety Seminars


CHABC Safety Seminar
Feb. 20, 2021

The Cheyenne Hot Air Balloon Club (CHABC) and Black Hills Balloons are excited to bring you details of the Mountain West Hot Air Balloon Safety Seminar being held Saturday, February 20, 2021!  The seminar format will be through Zoom and while a departure from our normal safety seminar venues, we are taking the opportunity to bring different speakers and topics than we would normally be able to present to you.

    While pending BFA approval, the tentative line-up is as follows:

   * Mountain Long Distance Flights and Crew Implications - Malcolm Whit  and Pauline Baker (coming to us from Ireland)
   * Weather and Decision Making for David Blaine's Ascension - Don Day
   * Flight Planning and Fuel Consumption - Mark West
   * Flight Training for Success - Kay West
   * Accidents and ADM Scenario - Pat Cannon
   * IACRA - Scott Wooge
   * Wyoming Accident Weather - Don Day

The cost to pilots and crew will be $20 each, with proceeds going to the BFA's Jr. Balloonist program.

We are limited to 100 Zoom connections, so we ask you to download and fill out the registration form and mail your checks according to the instructions on the form.

*The registration deadline is February 18, 2021 (or when we have 100 connections signed up, whichever comes first!)*

Let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to "seeing" you on Zoom! 
    
https://www.facebook.com/Cheyenne-Hot-Air-Balloon-Club-1630023913741495


LTA Colorado Safety Seminar
March 6, 2021
After due consideration, we are going to present this year's LTA Colorado Safety Seminar in a ‘virtual’ format. As much as we all like to be together, it still feels like March is going to be too soon to plan for an in person event. That's the bad news. Here's the good news: We are combining forces with the GEBA, another club who has put on an excellent event for many years. They have an excellent Zoom program already set up, so it will be easy for us to join in, and there are some great bonus factors as well.

For more information goto:
www.LTAsafetyseminar.com



"Balloonowledge 2021 - Northeast Ohio Balloon Pilots Association Safety Seminar"

Topic: Balloonowledge 2021 “One Way or Another”

On Saturday, March 20, 2021 at 08:00 Eastern Daylight Time
 (05:00 PDT, 06:00 MDT, 07:00 CDT, 02:00 HST, 04:00 AKDT, 05:00 Arizona, 12:00 GMT)

On Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 08:00 Eastern Daylight Time
 (05:00 PDT, 06:00 MDT, 07:00 CDT, 02:00 HST, 04:00 AKDT, 05:00 Arizona, 12:00 GMT)

Select Number:
CE01103721

Description:

This event has a cost and requires a paper registration to be sent via mail or email. See attachments in the announcement to register.

Balloonwoledge 2021 will occur via Zoom on two Saturdays in March (20th and 27th) from 8am to noon eastern time. Topics include: risk analysis, flight instruction, weather, flight operations for rusty pilots, aeronautical decision making, ground and crew safety, FARs, density altitude, repair and maintenance, over the counter medication, and accident analysis.

To view further details and registration information for this webinar, click here.

The sponsor for this seminar is: FAASTeam

The following credit(s) are available for the WINGS/AMT Programs:

Basic Knowledge 3 - 1 Credit
Basic Knowledge 3 - ½ Credit
Advanced Knowledge 2 - 1 Credit
Advanced Knowledge 2 - 2 Credits
Master Knowledge 2 - 2 Credits
Basic Knowledge 1 - ½ Credit

Click here to view the WINGS help page


2021 BFA Video Seminar Registration

Videos available starting April 24, 2021

Testing can begin as soon as all videos are watched.

Seminar attendees must be paid BFA members in order to view the videos. It is easier to join online before registering if you wish to take the seminar the same day.

https://www.bfa.net/education-training/online-seminar-reg-2021





 

Federal Aviation Administration Resources


FAA Issues InFO on Portable Fire Extinguisher Inspection Requirements

Last December, the FAA issued an Information for Operators (InFO) bulletin that reminds aircraft owners, operators, air agencies, suppliers, distributors, and maintenance technicians that hand-held/portable fire extinguishers have the potential to leak, and should be inspected per the proper prescribing guidance. The FAA also recommends operators be familiar with any record-keeping requirements for hand-held/portable fire extinguishers. For more details, see InFO 18013 at: https://go.usa.gov/xE8V6.


Balloon Safety Tips - false lift, shear and rotors: Safety tips related to false lift, wind shear and rotors.


Balloon Safety Tips: Powerlines & Thunderstorms: Safety tips related to power lines and summer saftey in the storm and thermal season.


WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program
The FAA has created the WINGS - Pilot Proficiency Program to help pilots construct an educational curriculum suitable for their unique flight requirements. It requires education, review, and flight proficiency based on current Practical Test Standards (PTS), that correspond with the leading accident causal factors.  This is a great resource and strongly recommended for continuing safety education.


NTSB Accident Database & Synopses
The NTSB has compiled a searchable database of accidents throughout the United States.  Visitors can search the database to learn more about balloon accidents, possible causes, and ways to avoid.







Updated February 18, 2021