by Mike Rose
Last month I said that I would be covering the pack-up at the landing site, but as I began writing it became obvious that this was the time to discuss landowner relations. I have touched on this several times earlier in this series, but good landowner relations come into play more at the landing than in any other phase of a balloon's operation. For the 18 to 19 years that I have been in ballooning landowner relations has been a hot topic. Some places in the country have real serious problems while others do not. Landowner relations should be a top priority everywhere balloons are flown. Also, landowner relations is more of an attitude then anything else. If you respect the landowner and the landowner's property the problems will be minimized. If you do not respect the landowner and his property you are going to have trouble which could lead to the end of ballooning in your area. In some communities they have even passed legislation restricting balloon operations due to landowner problems. I am going to skim over the surface to give you some guidelines for good landowner relations because complete coverage of the topic would take a whole book.
Scene: The balloon is on the ground and you are sitting in the chase vehicle on the road. Before you do anything there are several things to consider depending upon the type of site the pilot has chosen for the landing. If you are on public land you usually don't have to worry about a landowner, however, sometimes you have to deal with an irate neighbor who thinks you are doing damage to the public land he supports with his tax money. This happens to us on occasion here in Plano, Texas even through we have permission from the city to use almost all public land including parks, school yards, and recreation areas. Most of the time, however, the balloon will be down on privately owned land and here is where you must apply all of the landowner relations skills you can learn. Landing site variations are endless including, but not limited to, open range, pasture, crops, front or back yards, etc. Fields can be fenced or unfenced. Landings can also be complicated by the presence of animals including, but not limited to, horses, cattle, turkeys, pigs, ostriches, emus and peacocks. Horses and cattle quickly become accustomed to balloons flying overhead, but turkeys, pigs, ostriches, emus and peacocks never seem to learn to deal with the noise from the burner. Each situation must be handled individually and each takes skill and understanding on your part when dealing with the landowner.
We will assume the balloon is on the ground and deflated so the pilot is not able to get out of a touchy situation by simply heating up and flying on to another landing site. You, as the crew person, will usually be the first person to speak with the landowner. First of all, do not assume that the landowner is going to be angry. The balloon may have taken out several rows of a cash crop or frightened animals, but some farmers are pretty easy going and do not pitch a fit in situations like this. I admit it is rare, but years ago when I was a new pilot I dragged through a cash crop in a high wind landing. As the balloon came to a halt and the envelope settled over all the wheat that an AX 77 envelope could cover, I stood there and watched an elderly lady chase us down in a jeep. She parked near the balloon on a dirt road, jumped out and ran up to the balloon yelling, "Is everyone OK?" We had just cut a swath about 50 feet long though her wheat field and she was concerned only with the well being of the people in the basket. After I apologized for landing in her field she suggested that we drive out into the field to retrieve the balloon, but we correctly chose to carry it out. Before leaving I offered to pay her for the damage but she said, "No siree...I don't want any money. I love to watch you guys fly over and you can land here anytime you want."
When approaching a landowner the first thing to do is introduce yourself by name and apologize for intruding on his land and taking up his valuable time. His response will direct the remainder of the conversation. If he is friendly you simply ask permission to remove the balloon from his field. Make certain that you do not drive into the field until the landowner understands exactly what you are going to do to retrieve the equipment. He may give permission to remove the balloon but he may assume that you are going to carry it out of the field. Driving in without explicit permission can easily turn a good situation into a bad one, so make sure you don't drive in until you have permission.
Next month, Landonwer Relations Part 2. As always, please forward comments or suggestions for future topics to me at P. O. Box 830011, Richardson, Texas 75083 or balloon@flash.net.
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