In 1971 when I got in to ballooning I paid $4,000 for a brand new AX-6 Piccard balloon. This was all the money in the world to me. Today, it would cost at least $15,000 and I don’t have that kind of money. There are a lot of other pilots that have worn out a balloon and cannot afford a replacement. Here is one solution. But first let me back up a few years.
When I moved to Houston in the mid 70’s there were a few people interested in wanting to take up ballooning. We formed a club based on a back in Columbus, Ohio. Our’s was the Tejas Aeronauts. Fifteen people joined as owner members. Their cost was $500. This allowed us to buy a new Piccard balloon for $6,000, a fan, a trailer and insurance. Every time an owner took the balloon for a flight it cost $30. This covered the propane and the rest of the money went into the bank to cover next year’s insurance and a replacement balloon some time in the future. People came and went. They got their money back when they quit. Over 30 people learned to fly. The club replaced the first envelope and bought another whole balloon. Over 1,200 hours was recorded on the equipment. The price of insurance and success finally shut the club down. Our insurance carrier lost his connections. We had only one insurance claim for $200 on an inured horse. Many of the club fliers bought their own balloons. Not enough people were left to pay the now $50 to go flying. When the club folded, each club member received $800. It was a successful operation and I am proud to have been a part of it. Can it be done again?
With some changes, I believe it can. A lot of pilots are out there with nothing to fly. A few of these and some new blood is all that is needed. Fifteen people putting in $800 each gives you $12,000. There are a lot of good Barnes baskets and burners out there for less than $3,000. I only suggest Barnes because I believe their burner was the best in the industry ten years or more ago. For an envelope we need to think of a tough, proven experimental model. You want material that will last 400 hours or more. It’s out there, look at the old Semcos, Eagles, Adams, and Piccards. You want a standard parachute top. Nothing exotic about this envelope. There are guys that build one balloon and want to build another. They are not looking for much profit. They just want to recoup their investment. An almost new 75,000 cubic feet envelope can be had for about $7,000. You can’t fly this balloon for hire, but you can do a lot of fun flying and instruction in it. You have money left for a fan, a trailer, and the insurance. Cost per flight would be $60. Twenty of that covers the propane. The rest covers the insurance for next year and a replacement envelope in the future. The club must have at least one and possibly more dedicated commercial pilots to teach others how it is done. These people cannot charge for lessons, but they get to fly for free. Costs can be split when two or three owners fly together. All this is a lot less than flying your own personal balloon.
Will it work? Get a few grounded pilots together and talk about it. It could get some of you back in the air again.