Balloon Life,November 2000

4

BalloonLife(ISSN 0887-6061) is
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BALLOON LIFE
MAGAZINE

EDITOR

Volume 15, Number 11
November 2000
Editor-In-Chief
Publisher
Tom Hamilton
Contributing Editors
Ron Behrmann, George Denniston,
Greg Livadas, Mike Rose,
Alan Sanderson, Peter Stekel
Columnists
Don Piccard
Staff Photographer
Ron Behrmann

Contributors
Steve Long, David Lynch
Cindy Petrehn, Theresa Smith
Diane Stresing, K. L. Thompson
Mike Vanness, Mike Zemlachenko

How to contact us:
2336 47th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Fax: 206-935-3326
e-mail: tom@balloonlife.com
Internet: http://balloonlife.com/
Phone: 206-935-3649

Editor

Chestnuts roasting onan open fire...

Winter has arrived in many parts of the country bringing with it the first snow fall of

the season. For many the autumn precipitation means the end of balloon flying until next

spring.

Despite the cold and wet, winter sometimes offers up a genuine gem of a day to fly.

Those are the days whenthe sky is a deep cobalt blue, the temperature dips to freezing

or below and the air is so crisp you can hear your own breathcrackle. With the coming

ofthose days in mind, we offer ourSpecial Report this month onWinter Flying. Whether

you’rejustout for a local hop,or offon anextended crosscountryflight, there are a

variety of precautions that should be taken to protect you, the crew, the balloon and the

chase vehicle from the elements. If the basic steps we’ve covered aren’t enough or don’t

suityour climate, feel free toaddyour own.

Rain, rain, goaway...

The KodakAlbuquerque InternationalBalloonFiesta experiencedsome uncoop-

erative weather this year. The nice thing about a nine day event, is that the weather will

eventually be good. Fiesta staff worked overtime to keep the field prepared. One of the

unusualsiteswasonWednesdayafternoon,twoof thelocalnewshelicopterswere

hoveringinformationover the southerngrassendtohelpdry outthe field.

Yes, the long promised grass inflation field for KAIBF became a reality this year—

at least for those on the south end. Another first for Fiesta included using hydrogen for

some of the gas balloons.Balloon Life’s