Like many balloonists, I first noticed the name Lou Billones after he aided
Steve Fossett in his solo attempt across the Pacific Ocean. Not only was
Fossett a virtual unknown in ballooning circles at that time so was his
weather man; at least to many of us who had entered the sport after 1980.
However, Billones, weather forecasting, ballooning and the Pacific go back
much further than many of us newcomers might have imagined possible.
"It was 1965 when I received my degree in meteorology from San Diego State," says Billones, "whereupon I immediately went to work for the Weather Bureau (precursor to the National Weather Service) in Oakland, California." His first job? Forecasting the weather for the two and four-engined propeller driven airplanes then crossing the Pacific. It was a short-lived career however as a short time later, (Reserve) Air Force Lieutenant Lou Billones was called to active duty in Vietnam.
"That was the beginning of almost 27 years of weather forecasting around the world," says Lou. Little did he know then how his many and varied posts in Asia (Vietnam and Thailand), Europe (in charge of weather forecasting for 7 countries) and the US would prepare him for the ballooning adventures to come.
In the late 70's (after Vietnam but while still in the Air Force) Billones found himself working with another weatherman, Charlie Cook in Omaha, Nebraska. Cook, a balloonist too, introduced the sport to Billones who later became his crew chief. Cook also happened to serve as weather briefer at most every rally he attended, including the first US Nationals in Indianola, Iowa. There Billones learned to rig the balloon and prepare a rally weather briefing.
In 1979 Billones bought his first balloon and eventually earned a commercial pilot's license. At the same time he took over the reigns of forecasting weather for the US Nationals under such balloonmeisters as Jim Birk, Nick Saum and others.
In addition to this frenzied ballooning activity, the late 70's found Billones experimenting on the leading edge of weather forecasting by using computer modeling.
"Predicting the weather using the assistance of computers turned out to be one of my two specialties in the Air Force," says Billones. "Throughout the late 70's and early 80's I found myself stationed in Omaha surrounded by these massive computers and we developed the techniques of forecasting weather with the assistance of computers and communications."
Interestingly, much of this research was geared to forecasting weather in the boundary layer, that low level area of the atmosphere of so much interest to balloonists. "It's a little known fact that the US Air Force provides weather support for the Army. Not many people know that," says Billones. "Through that connection I got involved in forecasting low level weather for helicopters, artillery firing, tank shooting - all of the kinds of weather that was needed to support the Army. Those forecasts included winds, visibility and much of the same micro-meteorology balloonists are interested in today."
An Air Force posting to Europe for several years in the mid-80's allowed Billones' first balloon to die in the storage bag. Upon his return to the States however he renewed his love for flying and, with help from Jim Birk, emerged again on the ballooning scene as weatherman at Battle Creek one year prior to their hosting the World Championships. Since then he has continued to forecast for Battle Creek (including the World Championships), the gas races at Albuquerque since the Gordon Bennett a few years ago, the 1st Team Nationals and last year he returned as the "met man" for the US Nationals in Columbia, Missouri.
Of course as mentioned above, Billones has served as Steve Fossett's weather man on all of his record flights since being recommended to Steve by Bob Rice prior to Fossett's Pacific Crossing. Billones is quick to credit much of that Air Force experimentation in computer forecasting for where he is today.
"Computer modeling has taken our ability to forecast winds from only one or two days in advance at the local level to forecasting winds now, with reasonable accuracy, out to ten days in advance and on a hemispheric scale," he says.
"Today there are three basic models - a US model, a joint European model and a model from the British Meteorological Office. How we get them, how we use them and what we do with them is a competitive secret, so I can't tell you too much, but yes, from a meteorological point of view, it's the modeling using computers and communications that I think has made a circumnavigation of the world by balloon possible."
In many ways the world has come full circle for Lou Billones, from his role as one of the pioneers of "automated forecasting" to his pioneering use of "automated forecasting" to guide a balloon around the world, not above the weather as each of the other competitors is attempting to do, but at lower altitudes within the weather.
Billones retired from the Air Force four years ago and today teaches meteorology and telecommunications (Surprise!) at the College of St. Mary in Omaha. For him the future is clear -get Steve Fossett around the world. "That is such a large challenge," he says, "that I haven't thought of anything past that!"
Important Dates:
1965 - earned degree in Meteorology
1978-79 - weatherman for US Nationals at Indianola
1979- bought first balloon/earned only pilot certificate despite 27 years
in Air Force
1994 - returned to balloon forecasting at Battle Creek
1995 - teamed with Steve Fossett on his Pacific Crossing and all subsequent
record flights
