November 2000
The Balloon Federationof America
held its annualgeneralmeetingin Albu-
querque,NewMexicoOctober8.Rick
Joneswaselectedthenew Presidentby
the board of directors.
Amount the various awards presented
wasthe organizationshighest award, the
Shields-TraugerAward.Thisyearthe
organization recognized two individuals:
David Rapp servedtwo terms on the
boardandone year as its president. Dur-
ing the last decade he has made numerous
contributions tothe manyBFA publica-
tions and spearheadedthe Flight Instruc-
tors Manual. Mr.Rapphasalso actedas
GeneralCounsel for the BFA.
RuthLudwighadbeen the editor of
the two BFA periodical publications. She
Dupont, Wilmington, Delaware, has
announced an improved SolarMax® high-
tenacity nylon fiber tofor hot air balloon
envelopes andparachute canopies.
Prolonged exposureto heat and ultra-
violet (UV) rays take a toll on fabric used
intheballoonsandparachutes.DuPont
saysthatitsenhancedpolymertechnol-
ogy is up to two times more durable than
fi bersprevi ous lyav ai lable.DuPo nt
SolarMax®yarnsuseabasetype6,6
nylonthatoutperforms type 6nylonand
polyestersof similar fabric construction.
According to DuPont, fabricsmade with
SolarMax®providesuperiorresistance
to damaging heat and UVradiation,which
translatesintolongerfabriclife.With
deep, brilliantdyeing characteristicsthat
createo utst an din gco lorsaturatio n,
SolarMax® fabrics retain their colors and
graphics whenother have paledincom-
parison.
In the high-performance demands of
ballooning and parachuting, strength, UV
resistanceand fabric permeability are criti-
calfactors.Hotairballoons,exposedto
harsh sunlight,wet weather and widetem-
peraturechanges,requireastrongcon-
struction material. DuPont’s press release
stated, high-tenacity nylon fabric, such as
Aerostar’sDiamondWeave™balloo n
cloth,madewithDuPontSo larMax®
nylon, is strong, colorful and can be made
intobeautiful flying machines.
DuPont is a science company, deliv-
ering science-based solutions that make a
differenceinpeople’slivesinfoodand
nutrition; health care; apparel;home and
construction; electronics; and transporta-
tion.Formorein formationvis itthe
com pan y ’sInt ernets iteat
www.dupont.com
editorofthebi-monthlymaga-
zine,Ballooning, the Journal of the Bal-
loon Federation of America, in1988. In
1991 she took on the added responsibility
ofthemonthlynewsletter,Skylines.In
mid October she stepped down from both
positions.
GlenMoyer,formereditorofBal-
loon Life, and a long time balloon journal-
ist was chosen bythe boardfrom a num-
ber of applicants tosucceedMs. Ludwig
as the new head of BFA publications. Mr.
Moyer is well known to the balloon com-
munity,notonlyforhismanyeditorial
contributions, but as the voice of many of
the largest and finest balloon events around
the country. He has also previously served
as a boardmember.
Shield-Trauger, to David Rapp (left) and Ruth Ludwig (right) during the
organization's annual general meeting.
Stu mpf’sBalloonin gEq uipment,
Andover,Vermont,catalogisnowon-
line. New productsarebeingaddedfre-
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Stumpf’sballooningphotography, qual-
Aerostar International Northeast Distribu-
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Stumpf’sBallooningEquipmentof-
fers a wide range ofmorethan 200 products
fortheactive balloonist.Formore informa-
tion go to www.stumpfballoons.comor call
802-875-1600 for a free catalog.
The Federal Aviation Administration
has issued a revised Advisory Circular
00-61, Event Planning Guide. This circu-
