Balloon Life,
June 2000
The alarm goes off at 4 a.m. At 4:30 I get
weather from FSS. Conditions are: 25,000
scattered, light ground wind, withwinds
at 30,000feet from the westat50 knots,
temperature 54below zero. Lookslike a
nice dayup there.
Thisismyfourthaltitudeflightto
date.Myobsessionwithhighaltitude
started with my early balloon training.In
1986duringmyveryfirstlesson(and
only second flight in a balloon),I launched
andleveledat500feet.Iaskedmyin-
structor “what next?” “This is your intro-
ductionflight,dowhateveryouwould
like.”Iputtheballoonina hardclimb,
finally leveling out at 8,800 feet. “Well, I
guesswehavethe3,000footflightre-
quirementmet,” he saidrather dryly.
Several years later I planned and ex-
ecuted a flight to21,000 feet in Ardmore
Oklahoma,carryinga skydiverfriend. I
figured he could help get my chute open if
we hadtobail.Thingswentas planned,
andfortunately,I didnot have torelyon
hisexpertise.
Twoyearsago,I madeatestflight
flying to 18,000 feet (with team member
Tim Baggett), andthenproceededto in-
crease my personalrecordto25,700in a
flightfromAustin.Ireallythoughtthis
flight would satisfy my craving, but it was
nottobe.I wentbacktothebooksand
start working on the next one. I was deter-
mined to breakthe 30,000foot barrier.
Countless hours of research indicated
that the difference in complexity between
25,000 and 32,000 feet is substantial. Iam
abit apprehensiveabout the activity yet to
come...
todobefore this one.
MikeEmich(currentholderofthe
AX-4andAX-5 distance worldrecords)
providedcrucialliteraturetomeduring
theresearchphase.Articlesof pastalti-
tude flights (Chauncey Dunn, Karl Stefan,
Peter Krieg, and others) providedexcel-
lent technical information. These articles
were especially valuable since theycon-
tainedsignificanttechnicaldetails,and
minimal“fluff.”
Most of the pilots complained about
thesignificantrotationandswingingof
thebasketduringdescent.PeterKrieg
reportedthatinhisflight to31,600feet,
motionwassopronouncedthatobjects
were movingaroundinthe basket(Bal-
looning, Autumn, 1975). Another signifi-
cantconcernIhadwasoxygenmask
freeze-up.Karl Stefanreportedthishap-
pening31,000feet.Theexhaustvalve
froze solid,causinghim toterminate his
flight early (Ballooning, 1971).
32,000 Feet in a
Homebuilt
Phil MacNutt suited up for high flying.
Insert: MacNutt’s off into the wild blue
yonder.
Balloon Life,June 2000
in this flight made all the difference in the
world.
Lowell Linney, a pilot since 1995,
Lowell helped on inflation, but his pri-
mary job was to be my “pilotshadow” in
the chase truck. Armed with a complete
layout of the basket interior and a com-
pleteflightplanchecklist,itwasLowell’s
jobto make sure I didthings on schedule.
Thisincludedtank changes and fuelman-
agement, radio changes, oxygen checks,
andthe mostcriticalof all, hypoxiasymp-
tom checks. Leah Linney, a pilot since
1997,waslargelyresponsibleforthe
inflation of the balloon. Leah also orga-
nized information in our team meetings
beforethe flight.Aside from normalflight
preparation tasks, she had the critical job
ofassuringthatLowell wokeupand
showed up the morningof the flight. Phil
Carr, a local independent filmaker, shot
video footage of the launch sequence.
Hypobaric Chamber Flight
Training
Absolutely essential preparation for
a flight at this levelis a physiology train-
ing class. Sponsored by the FAA, the all
day class is taught at various Air Force
bases across the country. A class 3 medi-
cal is required. I traveled to Little Rock,
Arkansas for my class.
Most of theday is consumed with
lectures on physiology, hypoxia, respira-
tion, and circulation. But the highlightof
the class isa full “flight”to 25,000 feet in
ahypobaricchamber. Whatisa“hypobaric
chamber?” Simply put, it is a big room
thatthey pump theairout of, thussimulat-
ing the lower pressure found at altitude.
The “flight”startswithprebreathing,
and then a climb to full altitude at 2,000
feet per minute.
At peak altitude, you remove your
mask and start seeing what hypoxia feels
like.
Why is this class so critical? If nothing
else, it allows you to determineyourper-
sonalhypoxiasystems.Infutureflights,
your chase crew canthen ascertain if you
are truly going hypoxic ornot. Fortunately,
I do not experience the euphoria that some
peopledo.Thisisverydangerous,since
youwillnotknoworcarethatyouare
hypoxic. Mysymptomsarecoldfeeling,
numblegs, dizziness,andblueknuckles.
Everyone has different symptoms.
Theaveragetime ofusefulconscious-
Oxygen,Physiology,and
Equipment
Based on what I learned in the cham-
ber, I made the decisiontogo withmili-
tary oxygen equipment. There are cheaper
ways, but you are going to feel pretty silly
while passing out at 30,000 feet knowing
that yousaveda few hundreddollars.
Above 30,000 you cannot just stick a
hose in your mouth andbreath. The oxy-
genmustbesuppliedunderpressurein
orderfor your lungstoproperlytransfer
the oxygen to the red bloodcells.
Asystemdesignedtoprovidelife
supportattheselevelsinvolvesseveral
pieces. The most expensive and complex
isthe regulator. I chose a modelthat has
been in use since 1954 (at least). Remark-
ably, the A14 is still being used today, and
canbepurchasedbrandnew.Thisisa
tributetoitssimpleandrobustdesign.
The maskis another critical item. It must
be matchedtothe regulatorused.I pur-
chasedaMIGfightermaskthinkingall
masks were the same. Well guess what, it
willnotworkwithastandardregulator.
Thevalvemechanismsarecompletely
different. I retired it to the top shelf in the
closet and purchased a new MBU5 mask,
which is 100 percent compatible with the
A14.
Reading about Karl Stefan’s exhaust
valvefreeze-uppromptedacalltothe
company who makes the mask. They sug-
gestedgauze inthe masktohelpabsorb
themoisture.Ihadnoproblemswith
Balloon Life,June 2000
connector that contains critical anti-suf-
focationvalvesandallowsautomatictrans-
fer from main supply to the bailoutwith-
out intervention.
Airspace
Flyingatthesamealtitudeas600
mphjets involves a little planning, to say
the least. I did not want towind up being
a nose ornamenton a Delta AirBus.
Twoitemsareessential:anIFR
waiver, anda Mode C Transponder. The
waiver, obtainedfrom the FAA, allowed
me to ascend into Class A airspace, above
18,000 feet. Abovethis altitude, theFARs
specifyanaircraftwithfullIFRinstru-
mentation andanIFR pilot rating. I have
neither, soa waiver wasessential.
I useda portable Transponderthat I
builtseveralyearsago.Itconsistsofa
King KT76 transponder(what an old battle
axe!), a Mode C altitude encoder, battery,
voltmeter, andvariousswitchesandan-
tenna connectors. All of this is encased in
a box,andiscompletelyself-contained.
Just drop it in thebasket and turn it on. The
KT76isaveryoldmodel,butwidely
used. It uses tubes (verses solid state), and
this is a big advantage at altitude, sincethe
tube generatesplenty of heat, thus keep-
ingtheunitniceandwarminthesur-
rounding below-zeroconditions.
HoustonCenterprovidedcomplete
monitoringduring the entire flight, rout-
ingotheraircraftawayfrommeasre-
quired. They were extremely helpful, and
theirclose attention helped make theflight
a success.
Many airplane pilots were overheard
commenting on the“weather balloon with
aTransponder.”Theywerequitecon-
fusedaboutthewholesituation.Atone
point, communications became very poor
withthetower.Totherescuecamethe
pilotof Continental flight 547,who jumped
inandrelayedmessagesfor me. Idon’t
know whohe is, but I amgrateful for his
help.Mywaiverstipulatesthatlossof
communication terminates the flight, and
this relay allowed us to keep going. A few
minutes later,thecommunication was back
tonormal.
Balloon Life,June 2000
the way to around 27,000 feet.We had
such light winds that morning, thatchase
had no problem keeping up with the bal-
loon. Overall, I felt an almost “over-pre-
pared” feeling during the climb. Things
had been detailed to the point where I did
not have much to do.
TimBaggett’shomebuilttracking
system was providing constant updates
during the flight (SeeBallooning,July
2000). What is really nice about Tim’s
system, is that he designed itspecifically
for balloonflight.Allelectronics are com-
pletelysealed in a nice wood box, with no
stray wiresfloppingaround inthe basket.
His system uses the standard setup of a
GPS, packet modem, and ham radio. The
GPS data is sent to the modem, which
forms the packets. The radio sends the
packets out on the airwaves. A duplicate
systemin thechasetruck receives the
signals and decodes them, giving chase
positional information. Tim rigged it so
anyone could follow the flight from the
internet. Tim alsodeveloped a reallyslick
palm-pilot interface for the receiver end.
See the boxon page 21 for a chronol-
ogy of the flight.
Summary
Why did I get a flameout at 32,000?
I am embarrassed to admit that poor fuel
management caused meto accidentally
runa tank dry, flamingout theburner. The
BarnesT3wasperformingabsolutely
flawlessly right up to the 32K mark. If I
had done a little better job on tank strate-
gies, we could have gone several thou-
sand feethigherwith little effort.The
problem was that I climbed too hard be-
tween20Kand30K, thususingexcessfuel.
Even thought I missed my goal of
35,000 feet,I consider theflight abig
success. Forone thing, Iam on theground
safe andsound.Myoxygensystemworked
pefectly, the video camera worked flaw-
lessly,thetrackerprovidedupdatesacross
the country, and the burner technique I
developed allowed me to relax and enjoy
most of the flight.
Chase indicated that they were able
tosee the balloonthe entire flight, evenat
maximumaltitude. They said it looked
likea star, since the sun was reflectingoff
the envelope.
Although Tim was having problems
withhisreceiver,we foundoutthatpeople
as far away as Chicago were tracking the
progress of the flight, thanks his tracking
Balloon Life,June 2000
Launch:Thanks to a couple of previous test flights,
the launch was relaxed and uneventful. Although the test
flights were only to 14,300 feet, we were able to test most
of the flight system components. Several pages of check-
lists confirmed that everything was ready to go before we
cut the quick release.
8,000feet:Fueltankchange.I findoutthe tracker
mightnotbe tracking.IimagineTimmustbe veryde-
pressed. Maintaining500 fpm.
18,000:Resetaltimeter to29.92. Basket tempis 40
degrees, whichisincrediblyhot. Balloontemperatureis
runningwarmerthancalculationsindicate.Oxygenis
runninga haironthelowside.I decide tocheckmuch
more often and will pull the plug when I hit a certain level.
I change tanks again, andcontinue to maintain500fpm
climbrate. Switchto constant-burnmethod.
23,000:Radio frequency swap to High Altitude sec-
tor. Envelope temp backdowntosomethingreasonable.
Oxygen usage has stabilized. Climb rate has increased to
600fpm.
25,000:Climbing through scattered cirrus cloud layer.
It issnowinginthebasket. Ice crystals everywhere. For
the firsttime that morning, I smile.
28,000:Iadjusttheoxygenregulator toprovidea
slight positivepressure in mask.Burner isworkingper-
fectly, withverylittleinterventiononmyparttokeepa
nice flame.
30,000:Increase regulator mask pressure one click. I
notice itis gettingverycold. Significant cloudof vapor
coming out of the oxygen mask exhaust. I think of Karl’s
freeze up problem. Climb rate still at 600 fpm. Inotice that
thereisalarge“cloud”orwhitestuffpouringoffthe
exterior of the envelope. I don’tknow whatthisis, butI
don’tlikeit.Otherairplanesare askingHoustoncenter
aboutthis“weather balloonwitha transponder.” Enve-
lope temperature has increased, but it is still within limits.
32,000 feet:Flame out. I take some pictures and look
around, trying to enjoy the culmination of months of work
and preparation. This enjoyment is very short lived, as the
balloonstarts immediatelyinto a terminal descent. I call
Houston Center and terminate the climb portion of flight.
I ask for complete clearance of all aircraft below. Clouds
and snow around the envelope.
31,000:Passingthroughthe tropopause,the circus
ridehasstarted.I amfallingat1,500fpmor better.The
basket has started to swing out from the vertical centerline
oftheenvelope,inacone-shapedmotion.Withoutthe
burner on, the temp in the basket has dropped to approxi-
mately 50degrees below zero. My hands are verycold,
but the rest of my body is reasonablycomfortable. Oxy-
genlevelsareOK,theflowindicatorshowsnormal
breathing, nosignsof hypoxia.
29,000:Descent rate maintains at greater than 1500
fpm. Envelope is slack and is doing lots of caving-in and
popping. The climb was uneventful and enjoyable, but at
thispoint, I am concerned about the roller coaster ride I
amon. The instabilityof theflight pathismuchworse
thananythingIfeltonmyprevious25,700footflight.
Attempts to relight are mixed. I get a couple but they only
last a few seconds. My hands are so cold I can barely hold
the striker. I think about the seams I sewedin the enve-
lope.
27,000:Houstoncalls,andabovethenoiseand
crackle,Ihear“…traffictoyournorth……4miles
out…..”.That’sallIhear.Iknow thatanythingatmy
altitudeisgoingtobedoing600knots.Icheckthe
transponder, and itis blinking away,soI know that the
other aircraft’sTCAS system will see me, butthisdoes
not make mefeel any better. I call Houston and once again
ask them to clear all aircraft anywhere near me. Come to
find out that ifI had heard the entire transmission, I would
not have worried. The plane was moving away from me,
and was never within any distance to be concerned about.
25,000:Envelopetemperatureisdownto50de-
grees. To be honest, I don’t know howcold it got, this was
the was the last time I looked at it.
23,000:Change radio frequency to low altitude sec-
tor. The pain in my hands has increased significantly. Iget
a good relight and the rate slows to about 1,000 fpm. Now
I am ina somewhat “normal” flight pattern
18,000:HoustonterminatestheIFRflightplan,
putting me back on VFR with continued flight-following
via Mode C. Terminal descent continues with occasional
burns tokeep the envelope ata reasonable temperature.
The air feels thick and warm.
50 feet:Strong wind shears at tree top level.I start my
approachinto anice large fieldand smacka tree pretty
good coming in.During post-flight discussions we agreed
that the wind sheer was mostly responsible for his, but on
a normal day, I probably would have done better. Fatigue
from 2.5 hours of hard work made my flight skills not up
tosnuff.
