by Mike Rose
Course 114 - Part 2
In the case of an upset landowner you may be able to temper the situation by explaining the situation and apologizing again for the intrusion. If he is irate it may be best to let the pilot handle the conversation. It is quite difficult to talk to someone who is angry and yelling at you. In instances like that you should just let him go on until he winds down a little. Never get into a shouting match with a landowner as this can easily lead to further complications, especially if one of you is prone to be physical. I have heard some pretty wild stores over the years about physically abusive landowners and how they reacted to a balloon landing on their property. Luckily I have not run into anyone like that. I did have a man who would not allow me to pack up and remove my balloon from his field. There was no crop in the field and we had not driven into the field for retrieval when he arrived, but he demanded that we leave his field and even refused the request of my passenger to retrieve her purse from the basket. A call to the sheriff's department brought a deputy who explained to the landowner that he could not keep my balloon. We ended up packing up quickly and carrying everything to the road where we loaded up and got out of there.
This was a man you simply could not talk to as he never quit yelling. He was also standing there with a shot gun in his hand. Luckily these guys are rare. Usually you can carry on a two way conversation and may even get to the reason the landowner does not like balloons. In many cases the anger goes back to sometime in the distant past where a balloon scared his cattle or landed in a crop. You didn't do it but you are going to have to take the heat for someone who did not step up and accept responsibility for his actions. I have had good results simply explaining that I am not some rich playboy just out for a good time on the weekend. I try to explain that I'm just a working stiff whose hobby, or part time job, is ballooning and usually that is enough to ease the tension.
I had the misfortune of running into the previous landowner's son recently. I had landed near a dirt road with the envelope in the road but the basket slightly on the wrong side of the ditch along the road. He skidded to a stop and jumped out of his truck yelling and screaming obscenities which he continued to repeat for the next several minutes. I was totally embarrassed because my passenger was a preacher. While he was screaming at me my crew deftly pulled the basket to the road which made him even angrier. The preacher came over and waved me away while he talked to the landowner. After several minutes the landowner got into his truck and drove away leaving us to pack up and get out of the area. The preacher later explained that the man was one of his parishioners who seldom came to church and therefore did not even recognize his own preacher. He was invited to spend a little more time tending to his faith and getting rid of the anger he held for his fellow man.
Here are some important things to keep in mind when dealing with a landowner:
1. The farmer or landowner is one of the most important people involved in ballooning. Without open fields we have no place to land.
2. What we do as individual pilots and crew effects every pilot and crew in the area.
3. Most landings occur on private property and at the very least we are trespassing.
4. Farmers make their living from the land.
5. Farmers are proud and independent people who deserve great respect.
6. Without friendly farmers or landowners we don't have many places to land.
7. The more landowners you have as friends in your flying area, the better it is for all concerned.
8. Don't drive a chase vehicle into the field until everything is packed up and ready to go.
9. If the landowner is available talk to him, don't duck him and run.
10. Diplomacy is the ticket for tomorrow's flight.
11. Wait until you are off the landowner's property before having refreshments.
12. NEVER EVER CUT A FENCE.
13. If you have caused damage, seek out the landowner, explain and offer to make restitution.
14. Do not quote your rights to the landowner. Explain the situation and ask for understanding.
15. Keep all spectators out of the landowner's field.
16. Always be courteous. Never lose your cool.
17. Thank the landowner for his cooperation.
18. If you reach an impasse with a landowner the local police make the best mediators.
Remember that the only thing we leave behind in a field is footprints, and very few of those.
OK, the balloon is down and you have a friendly landowner who says it is OK to drive out into the field and retrieve your balloon. Coming next month, The Pack Up. As always, please forward comments or suggestions for future topics to me at P. O. Box 830011, Richardson, Texas 75083 or e-mail: balloon@flash.net.
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