Balloon Life,October2000

28

REPAIR STATION

by Alan Sanderson

Dunking for Dollars
or Support Your
Local Repair Station

Recently I have worked on some balloon
systemsthathave suf-feredsomecostly
damageordeterioration.Muchofthis
damagecouldhavebeenpreventedby
some changesin the pilot’s behavior, ei-
therinflightorincareoftheballoon
system.
Ifyouareawareofthefollowing
waysyourballoonsystemcanbedam-
aged,youcanpreventsomeunpleasant
surprisesat your next annual inspection.

SplashandDash
or MudandThud
Balloon baskets vary in construction,
but mostof themhave aplywoodfloor,
surrounded by scuff leather. Unless all of
your landings are stand-ups, you will col-
lectsomedirtandvegetationinsidethe
scuff leather. If you somehow addmois-
ture to this trapped dirt, it forms mud that
will hold the moisture for some time. The
combination of moisture, dirt, and fungus
cancauseseriousdamagetowoodand
wicker.
Theplywoodfloorcomesfromthe
factory well sealed with a coat of exterior
varnish. After it has been in service for a
while,thefloorwillflexfromlanding
impacts andbe abraded byrocks, boots,
andsand.Fueltankswillcreatewear
patternsdu ringtransp ortation.Small
cracks and openings will form in the coat-

ing that can allow moistureto beabsorbed
intothe plywood.
Somepilots havefitted carpeting onto
the basket floor. The carpeting is a mixed
blessing—while it can prevent some wear
tothe floor, it canalsoact like a sponge
and hold moisturefora long time. Dirt and
sand can collect under the carpet, causing
evenmore abrasion damage.
Splashanddash isa commonoccur-
rence for many pilots andballoons. If you
want to perform asplash and dash and keep
yourbasketingoodcondition,youmust
perform the following maintenance steps.
1.Remove the dirt from within the
scuff leatherat every opportunity before it
getswet.Removetheinstrumentsand
fuel cylinders, turn the basket upsidedown,
andbeatthescuff leatherwitharubber
mallet or a wooden stick. A 2-foot section
ofwooden closet pole works well, as it has
no sharp edges tomarkthe scuff leather.
Beatthe scuff leatheruntilnomoredirt
comes out. If the dirt has alreadyformed
mud, takethe basket to a coin operated car
washanduse the pressuresprayer to re-
move the mud.
2.If youhave acarpet,remove it
from thebasket before performing a splash
and dash. If this is not possible, remove it
immediately after landing.
3.Check the top and bottom of the
plywood for cracks,delaminations, blis-

ters, or excessive wear, especiallyunder
thefuel cylinders. If the damage isonly
cosmetic, clean and lightly sand the exist-
ing finish, and recoat the floor with a good
polyurethane spar varnish.
4.Checkalongtheedgesofthe
plywoodforsplitsordamagedcoating.
Alsocheckthe wicker thatis behind the
scuff leather for rot or damage. You may
needtoremovethelacingonthescuff
leathertosee damagein thisarea.If the
damageislimitedtomissingcoating,
recoattheedgeswiththesamevarnish
you use onthe floor.
5.Ifyouseesignsofwearunder
the fuel cylinders, remove them and apply
a protective material to the metal bottom
tank ring. This can be a few layers of duct
tape, or a section of rubber hose that has
beenslitlengthwise.
6.If you see serious wear or delami-
nations,take the baskettoyour localre-
pair station for evaluation or repair. If the
basketfloororstructuralwickerisal-
lowedtodeteriorate, thebasketwillbe-
comeunairworthy,requiringsomeex-
pensive repairs.

CritterCorner
Smallrodentscanalsocontribute to
basket damage. One basket had somesoft-
ness in the padding under the suede trim.
When I removed the suede, I found that a

29

Balloon Life,October 2000

mouse had burrowed into the foam padding to make a nest. Ithad
left a pile of colored string and fabric scraps. It had also chewed
openings through some wicker in the same area.
Rats and squirrels like to chew on scuff leather or suede. They
have also chewed into envelope bags to make nests by chewing
through several layers of envelope fabric. This can create a need for
multiple patches or some more serious structural repair, depending
on the location.
Some rodents will also chew on rubber hoses, so your fuel
system could also be at risk.
Try to store your system where small rodents do not have
access to it. At least you should set mouse traps in the storage
area, unless you have a four-footed feline mouse trap.

Spare Fuel Cylinders
Some pilots who fly multiple hops will carry extra fuel
cylinders in the chase vehicle. If you carry them, make sure they
are secured so they do not rub on anything. One pilot brought in
two cylinders that he carried on a trailer, strapped next to the
inflator fan. Both cylinders had rubbed against the fan frame long
enough to wear grooves in the cylinder walls. I measured the
depth ofthegrooves,andonewas more than halfthe wall
thickness. This cylinder had becomeunsafe to use, so I con-

demned it and removed it from service. The other groove was not
as deep,so the second cylinderwas still usable.The pilot is
fortunate that the wear did not create an opening in the cylinder
wall.
I wouldrecommend that youkeep protective coverson your
cylinders during transportation. Relocate your heat tapes annu-
ally if they are not part of the covers. Remove them before you
take your system in for an annual inspection so the repair station
can properlyinspect the cylinders. The heat tapescan also cause
wear to the cylinders if allowed to rub.

Don’t Wait for the Annual Inspection
If you suspect your system may have some of the problems
discussed in this article, you may want to take it to your repair
stationfor a checkup. It ispossible that some preventive mainte-
nance could be performed before anythinggets too serious, and
the down time can match your schedule.
Consider the possibilitythat you take your system into the
repair station for an annual inspection just before an important
rally. You then find that you need $2000 in repairs, and the
required parts will not be available untilthe week followingthe
event. You would have been much better off by scheduling the
checkup when you did not have an important commitment.