Fan Safety

During the early days of modern hot air ballooning the envelope would be flapped to fill it with cold air. Long poles were used by the throat personnel to help hold the fabric out of flames harm when the air was heated. There was even a crew position referred to as the "Turkey" who would go inside the envelope to help hold the fabric high enough so that the flame did not burn it. Imagine standing in front of a burner! Of course, yesterday's burners did not hold a candle to today's, in terms output.

Blowers and fans eventually replaced this tedious task. This radical new way to fill the envelope was not without controversy. Seen as giving some pilots an unfair advantage, some competitions limited the fan engine horsepower to five.

Today there is no restriction to the size of fan that can be used in competition, or even the number of fans a pilot can use. Getting off the ground can take less than five minutes from when the vehicle stops.

For all the advantages that this little piece of equipment offers it is often the most neglected piece of equipment that a balloonist owns. Balloon Life's Special Report this month provides some helpful tips to keep the fan running smoothly and efficiently.

Best Event

Last October Balloon Life asked our reader's to nominate their favorite balloon event to receive the First Annual Balloon Life Best Event Award. Nominations were received from all parts of the country. The Best Event, as selected by you the reader, is Hershey, Pennsylvania's Hersheypark Balloonfest held the last weekend in October. Turn to page 18 to see why this event is the best and what Balloon Life's readers think makes an event special.

Bravehearts

From the bag of amusing stories a Balloon Life reader sent in the Yellow Pages ad to the right. The name of the company says it allBraveheart Balloon Adventures. Would you fly with a pilot certified by the FFA? While a certification by Future Farmers of America may not say much about this person's piloting skills, he/she should have absolutely no problem with crop identification.

What happened to February?

The February 1998 issue of Balloon Life became the victim of a crashed press. Our printer experienced an unusual problem with one of their printing presses which caused an abnormal backup of their printing. The February issue of Balloon Life was not delivered to the mail house until the second week in March.