Balloon Life,February 2000

6

PREFLIGHT

Ball Varios
BallVariometers,In c.,Boulder,
Colorado,hasannouncedthenewBall
M57 Flight System. This is the companies
newestFederalAviationAdministration
TSO certifiedinstrument andisthe most
adv ancedandcomprehensiveballo on
flight instrument available.
Project coordinator Jeff Meeker told
Balloon Life,“Thiscertificationculmi-
nates years of research and development,
incorporatingthelatesttechnology.The
Ball M57 Flight System provides the cus-
tomer witha fullyintegratedinstrument
package,from awirelesspyrometer and
GarminGPStoextensiveflightreview
software.”
TheM57 is conveniently mounted on
any upright with the Garmin GPS mounted
just below. This mountinglocation com-
bined with the M57R’s graphic LCD dis-
play makes it easy to readfrom any loca-
tionin the basket.
Display edonth eM57Rsimulta-
neously are MSL and REF altitudes, baro-
metricoffset,digitalvariometeranalog
variometer trend, envelope temperature,
ambienttemperature,andrechargeable
relative battery level. Also view able dur-
ingflight aredifferenttemperature,real
time clockanddate, elapsedflight time,
andtotal time.
The BallM57software packageal-
lows eachflightto bereviewedin detail
byexaminingeachflightsstatisticsin-
cluding time, altitude, temperatures, and
GPScoordinatesinbothadigitaland
graphical format. The GPSflight pathis
also integrated onto Delorme’s Street At-
lasmappingsoftware fora completevi-
sual presentation.
FormoreinformationcontactBall
Variometers, Inc., 6595OdellPlace #C,
Boulder,CO80301.800-729-2602,In-
ternet: www.ballvarios.com,email:
jeff@ballvarios.com

Balloon Works
TheBalloo nWorks,Statesville,
NorthCarolina,hasannouncedaFlight
SafetySeminartobe heldinColumbia,
Missourion March25. The seminar will
be held at the Lenoir CommunityCenter
inColumbiafrom8a.m.to5p.m.A
cateredlunchis included.
Featuredsp eakersincl udeRob
Bartholomew, Gary Sines, and Sid Conn.
The tightlyfocusedcurriculum includes
onlytopicsintendedtoimprovepiloting
skillsandknowledgeof the relationship
betweenthedesignofaballoonandits
performance.
Participationislimitedto75.For
more informationcontactAlisonatThe
BalloonWorksfactorybycalling704-
878-95 01,fax70 4-8 78-950 5,email:
firefly@abts.net.

UltraMagic
Dav idB radl eyofUltraM ag ic
America,Encinitas,California,hasan-
nouncedthatStuart CrawfordandDiane
Crawford of Crawford Hot Air Balloons,
Inc. are newrepresentative/distributors of
UltraMagicStandardHotAir Balloons,
Special Shapes and Cold Air Inflatables.
BasedinLaGrange, Kentucky Crawford
Hot AirBalloonsnow servicesandsup-
portsa threestatearea,flyinga fleetof
new UltraMagic - RE/MAX M-105s.
For more informationcall Crawford
Hot Air Balloons forfurther details and to
inspect theUltraMagicMK-10 Plus Burn-
ersat502-222-7600.

Tempest Technology
Tempest,theworld’s largestmanu-
facturer of power blowers, including units
for the balloonandfire service markets,
hasannouncedtheiracquisitionofPort-
A-LiteHigh-VelocityFanproductfrom
Allmand Bros. Inc., Holdrege, Nebraska.
Formore informationcontactTem-
pestTechnology, 4645 North Bendel Ave.,
Fresno, CA 93722, 800-346-2143, Inter-
net: www.tempest-edge.com.

AIBF
The 2000 Kodak Albuquerque Inter-
nationalBalloonFiestawillfillNew
Mexicoskieswithananticipatedrecord
of1000hotairandgasfilledballoons
October 7through 15.
BalloonFiestaofficialsdecidedto
host a thousand balloons for Fiesta 2000,
thethemeforthenine-dayevent,only
after determining that the additional bal-
loonscouldbe safelyaccommodated.
TomGarrity,media spokesmanfor
Fiesta toldBalloon Life, “The logistics of
coordinatinganevent ofthismagnitude
are enormous. Addinganadditional100
balloons to thisyear’sevent will require
additional volunteers, launch directors and
safetyofficials.”
Comparedtootherballoonevents,
theKodakAlbu querqueIn tern ational
Balloon Fiesta is the largest event.Other
largeballoo nin geventstakeplacein
France(approx imately4 25balloo ns),
SouthCarolina(approximately150bal-
loons)andNevada(approximately125
balloons).
KAIBF also announced that the 1999
edi tio nres ul tedi nanes ti mate d
$76,832,953ofdirectspendingintothe
New Mexico economy.An economic and
market analysis of spectators to the 1999
KodakAlbuquerqueInternationalBal-
loon Fiesta, completed by the Illinois State
University’s Bureau ofTourism & Recre-
ationResearch,revealedthestateand
localtaximpactsofthe1999Balloon
Fiesta totaled$5,670,810.
Theanalysis was based on interviews
offourhundredseventy-twospectators
attendingthe1999KodakAlbuquerque
InternationalBalloonFiesta.Theinter-
views were completed by members of the
University of New Mexico Tourism Man-
agementAssociationduringsixdaysof
the event.
Otheritemsincludedinthesurvey
include:
The$5,670,810ofestimatedstate
and local tax impactsinclude:

9

Balloon Life,February2000

$1,031,754 in local lodging taxes
$542,846inStateGasolineExcise
taxes
$4,096,210inGrossReceiptsSales
taxes.
The total estimated tax benefit to the
CityofAlbuquerquefromtheBal-
loonFiestais$1,445,977(lodging
andGross Receipts Sales).
Fifty-sixpercentofBalloonFiesta
spectatorsin1999werevisitors,
44.0%wereresidentsof Albuquer-
que.
BalloonFiestaguestshadattended
the event an average of four previous
years.
The average visitor group to the Bal-
loon Fiesta numbered approximately
fourpeople, and made approximately
three visitstoBalloon Fiesta Park.
Theaveragevis itorgro ups pen t
$173.73 on theBalloon Fiestagrounds for
souvenirs/gifts, food and beverage, enter-
tainment, film, andothergoods andser-
vices. The visitor groups spent an average
of $1,282.46inAlbuquerque,primarily
for lodging, transportation, food and bev-
erage, retail shopping, and entertainment.
Formore information contact KAIBF,
8309WashingtonPl.NE,Albuquerque,
NM871 13,505 -82 1-100 0,Internet:
www.aibf.org.

FAI Records
FédérationAéronautiqueIntern a-
tional has received the following Class B
(Airships) record claim for speed by James
Dexter of the Untied Kingdom. On Janu-
ary19, 2000Mr. Dexter piloteda Blimp
Corp. A60+ at a speed on 92.3 km/h. The
currentrecordisheldby PaulWoessner
of the UnitedStates with a speed of 77.5
km/h.

Helium deaths?
ACBS-TVstationinSanBernar-
dino,Californiaheadlinedastorydated
January28,“VictimsMightHaveSuc-
cumbedTo Helium Fumes.”
Twomainten an ceworkerswere
foundunconsciousafterworkingona
blimpinaprivateairporthangar.The
workers,a35-year-oldmananda32-
year-oldwoman,werefoundinsidethe

$2.5 million blimp being built by World-
wide Aeros Corp.ata private airportlo-
catedattheformerNortonAirForce
Base.
According to the news story the pilot
of the blimp foundtwo people unrespon-
sive and immediately called for help. The
blimpenvelopewascutopenandthey
wereplacedonthehangarfloor.Both
were pronounced dead on arrival at Loma
Linda MedicalCenter.
Although cause of death was unclear,
fireinvestigators believed they might have
suffocatedfromthe helium.
WorldwideAeros is building the 145-
foot-long,40-foot-wide, four seaterblimp
for Airship USA of Las Vegas.
Balloon Life has learned that thecom-
panysaidtheworkerswere electrocuted
by ungrounded heat guns. OSHAis inves-
tigatingthe accident.

SkyQuest7
Dr. Bill Busseyof Longview, Texas
landedhis56,000cubic foot SkyQuest7
balloon shortly after 2:00 p.m. CST Janu-
ary30nearBullard,Texas(approx.15
milessouthof Tyler)toestablishanew
World Duration Record for the AX-6 cat-
egoryhotair balloonat21hours and13
minutes.Busseyshatteredtheexisting
worldrecordof 15hours22minutesby
some 36percent.
Bussey’slandingwaswithoutinci-
dent, unlike his last world record attempt
in 1996 when this sameballoon was forced
downintothetreesafterathenrecord
flight of14 hours 14 minutes.Theflight of
Sk yQuest7o rig inatedt hepreviou s
eveninginOkemah,Oklahomawitha
launchjustminutespriorto5:00p.m.
CST.
The flightmust besubmittedtothe
NationalAeronauticAssociationofthe
United Statesandthenontothe Federa-
tionAeronautiqueInternationalebefore
the record will be officially recognized.

The Atlantic Race
AlanNoblehasannouncedadeci-
siontopostponethetrans-Atlanticbal-
loonrace plannedfor thissummer until
thesummerof2001(seeBalloon Life,
PreflightDecember, 1999).

According to Noble the decision does
not reflect any lack of interest in the event.
“Onthecontrary,thenumberofteam
wishingtotakeparthascontinuedto
grow. I blame myself for not announcing
the event early enough last year and then
notsettingadeadlineforentries.The
resultwasa lackof focusfollowedbya
flurry of last minute activity,” Noble told
Balloon Life.
The costof entryinto the 2001race
for teamsthathave paidtheir deposit by
July 31, 2000, will remain $310,000 for a
two person and$350,000for a three per-
son team. After that date the entry fee will
beincreasedto$325,000and$365,000
respectively. Theentrylistwill closeon
October 31, 2000.
“We had saidthat we wouldnot run
the Millennium Race this year unless we
had at leastfive entrants. As of today the
number is three, which is not enough, but
I knowthatoneofthese teamsisinter-
estedinchallengingeitheroftheother
two to take part in a practice run across the
Atlantic this year,” said Noble.
FormoreinformationcontactAlan
Nobleat anoble@cameronballoons.co.uk