Last month we discussed an "easy" inflation with everything going smoothly. Well, what do you do when it is windy and the balloon is being blown around with some force. You will see crew people holding on for dear life and letting the balloon jerk them around with each gust of wind. I instruct my crew to give in to the force of the balloon and let the balloon roll. The crew people at the mouth cannot stop the balloon from rolling around during a windy inflation. The rolling can be somewhat controlled by the person on the crown line, but not by the people at the mouth. All the crew people at the mouth can do in these circumstances is to continue to hold the mouth open as wide as possible until the person on the crown line can steady the balloon. With the mouth rolling around the fan can be redirected as necessary to keep air directed into the envelope.
Continuing with the scenario of a windy inflation, the pilot returns to the mouth and finds that the balloon has rolled to one side and the suspension cables are now twisted out of whack. Sometimes, after the envelope is fully inflated, the person on the crown line can roll the balloon back into position and straighten out the cables. This is not always possible if there is a shift in the wind direction, however, another way to handle this is to simply rotate the basket. I have not seen this done very often, however, I have done it on several occasions and it works. If the wind has shifted it is much easier to rotate the basket than it is to rotate the balloon back against the wind.
I have heard discussions about which side of the basket should be down and which side should be up and the angle of the dip tubes inside the propane tanks. The dip tube is a tube inside the tank that extends down to the bottom of the propane tank to assure that when the burner is activated you get liquid propane instead of vapor. Rotating the basket could cause the dip tube to draw vapor. This should not be a problem on a balloon with rigid uprights since the top of the basket is usually lifted for the burn. This lifting results in the end of the tube being submerged in the liquid inside the tank thus giving off the strong liquid blast needed for inflation. On those balloons without rigid uprights this may be a problem and if so the pilot will direct the crew on how to handle the situation.
The balloon is now packed solid with air and we are ready to start the hot inflation. By packed solid I mean there are no wrinkles or gathered fabric on the ground and the fabric and the balloon envelope appears to be tight. At this point the pilot is ready to start the hot inflation. The crew people handling the mouth should have been given specific instructions on what is expected of them during the hot inflation. If it is not windy I instruct my two crew people on the mouth to simply let go and move away before I burn. If the balloon is properly packed with air the mouth and skirt will stay open. If it is windy and the wind could catch the skirt or close up the mouth I have the crew people hold the skirt band with one hand and stand as far out from the mouth as possible. In most modern balloons the burner puts out a very thin directed blast of flame and very little heat is generated to the side. If, however, you are working with an older balloon some of the flame or heat could be directed to the side. If this is the case, you should be fully briefed on what will be expected of you.
When the pilot activates the burner the balloon will begin to rise to a vertical position. When you reach the point that you are no longer holding the mouth open you do not become a spectator. You should move to the basket to assist in any way the pilot deems necessary. At this time just hold on to the basket and let it rise with the envelope. Do not yank or pull the basket to a fully vertical position. As the envelope heats and starts to rise it will lift the basket and keep the burner directed into the mouth. If the crew yanks the basket to full vertical before the envelope is vertical the chances are that the flame will burn out several panels at the top of the balloon mouth. When the balloon is fully vertical your weight will be needed to keep the balloon on the ground. You can also assist the passengers into the basket if necessary. One quick word of caution here. If the balloon should become heated enough to ascend and take you with it while holding on to the outside of the basket, LET GO. Do not hold on and get lifted off the ground. Further, do not stick your foot in the step hole found on many baskets or the handle for the Balloon Works balloons. Ascending while hanging on outside the basket can be very dangerous. The balloon is now fully inflated, the passengers are aboard and the pilot is ready to lift off.
The "simple job" of holding the mouth open during inflation has taken several paragraphs to describe. Maybe there are no "simple" crew positions. As always, your feedback is encouraged. Please direct all comments to me at aerobp@flash.net or P. O. Box 830011, Richardson, Texas 75083.