Around The House in 80 Minutes

Elliott Newcomb has recently patented a miniature gas balloon designed for indoor ballooning. Over five years in development, this gas balloon is made to look like a hot air balloon.

After assembly, ballast with pennies and then popcorn kernels until buoyancy is neutral, and enjoy its realism as it drifts from room to room, upstairs and down, following unseen air currents.

The kit comes complete with wicker basket, net for balloon, stopper, two balloons (a double balloon system), and two pages of instructions for assembly of the balloon. U.S. patent number 5,531,401. Suggested retail price is $19.99.

For more information or to order contact Lilliput & Co., Hot-Air Balloon Factory, P.O. Box 652, Kensington, MD 20895 or e-mail: newleigh@aol.com.

The Balloon Works

The Balloon Works, manufacturer of FireFly Balloons, announced the winners of the 1997 FireFly Student Pilot Contest. The winning student pilot is Jack Ernst of Lehi, Utah. Mr. Ernst logged 21 hours towards his Private Certificate in 1997. The prize for being the winner is a Delcom aircraft radio. Jack's instructor is Brian Kelly of Highland, Utah. His prize for submitting the winner name is a Magellan GPS. Jack's name was picked at random from among the 189 student pilots registered for the contest. Each student pilot who submitted his/her name and that of his/her instructor received a FireFly t-shirt and a FireFly certificate worth $500. All student pilots were eligible to enter the contest and to win the prize regardless of the brand of system in which they were training.

Details of the 1998 contest will be announced shortly. For more information, contact Elenor Conn, The Balloon Works, 810 Salisbury Rd, Statesville, NC 28677, phone 704-878-9501, e-mail: FireFlyBln@aol.com.

Aerostar International

Brad Redlin, Assistant Sales Manager for Aerostar International was recently honored by the Aerostar International Distributor Group as the first recipient of the Aerostar Outstanding Employee of the Year.

The award recognizes the outstanding contributions and customer service made to the distributor group by one individual over the year. Redlin's responsibilities include the handling and processing of hot air balloon parts orders, lead management and distribution, customer data base management, coordination and processing of FAA paperwork on new systems, financed systems and generation of balloon production specification folders.

For more information contact Allen Schlenker, Aerostar International, PO Box 5057, Sioux Falls, SD 57110, phone 605-331-3500, e-mail: sales@aerostar.com.

FAI News

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has awarded the Montgolfier Diploma, the highest honor in ballooning, to Mark Sullivan of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The award was presented for "service to ballooning" at a recent meeting in Italy of the Commission Internationale d'Aerostation (CIA), the world governing body of ballooning. Mark is an accomplished balloonist and current president of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Board of Directors.

Mark Sullivan, an Albuquerque businessman and a prominent figure in the sport of ballooning, has been active in ballooning since 1982. A competitive pilot in both hot air and gas balloons, Mark has represented the USA in four World Gas Balloon Championships and placed second in 1996 and 1997. Mark is also a former North American Balloon Champion.

NAA News

The National Aeronautic Association announced its eight annual selection of the "Ten Most Memorable Record Flights," chosen from more than 150 aviation records set in the U.S. during 1997.

Art Greenfield, Director of Contest and Records for NAA, told Balloon Life, "While every record is an important contribution to aviation, these records have left a lasting impression on us."

Heading the list is Steve Fossett's Rozier balloon flight lifting off from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri and staying aloft for six days, two hours, and forty-four minutes before coming to rest in Sultampur, India. This record for Duration was set January 14-20.

Steve, and many others, were honored March 30, 1998, at the Annual Awards Ceremony of the NAA at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

The NAA is the National Aero Club of the United States and the nation's oldest aviation organization. For more information contact the NAA, 1815 N Fort Meyer Dr., Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22209, phone 703-527-0226, e-mail: naa@ids2.idsonline.com

Breitling Olympic Orbiter 3

Monday, February 24, in Geneva, Switzerland, Breitling agreed to support the Breitling Olympic Orbiter 3. Orbiter 2 received a large amount of press coverage in January during its failed attempt to fly around the world by balloon.

FAI News

The following record claims have been received by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

J. Pat Harwell, size category AX-4, for distance of 225 kilometers. Harwell made his flight in a custom built balloon from Shreveport, Louisiana on March 9. See A Black Tie Affair on page 12 for the story. The current record is held by Coy Foster with a distance of 209.93 kilometers set March 20, 1986.

Oscar Lindström, Sweden, size category AX-2, for altitude of 4100 meters. Lindstöm made his flight in a Lindstrand balloon from Långtora to Krägga, Sweden on March 15. The current record is 3,672 meters set by Coy Foster January 23, 1983.

Junior Balloonists

Tina Reeves, chairperson of the Balloon Federation of America's Junior Balloonist program has announced a Poster Contest, "Around The World-Uniting The World." The contest is sponsored by the National Balloon Museum, World Balloon Corporation, Dreams Come True, and The Outer Marker Pilot Shop. To learn more about the contest visit the World Wide Web at: http://www.stlmo.com/skyangel. Judges for the contest are Ron Behrmann and Bubba Cliver.

Marlene Gaidzik announced a balloon camp sponsored through the BFA/EAA Young Eagles program. The camp is scheduled for August 9 through August 15 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Registration is open to any young person aged 14 to 17. For more information of this summer camp contact Marlene at 847-639-1678 or e-mail: mgaidzik@att.com

FAR Clarification

Lynn Harris, Chairman, BFA Government Relations Committee, advises that there has been some recent confusion regarding statements required on the Airman Certification and/or Rating Application, FAA Form 8710.1.

Prior to the new Federal Aviation Regulation Part 61, effective August 4, 1997, a balloon applicant was required to sign block "W" on the form. Block "W" was a medical statement, "I have no known physical defect which makes me unable to pilot a glider or free balloon."

The revised Part 61 eliminated this requirement. However, several Flight Standard District Office's have been returning application to the Designated Examiner's requiring block "W" be signed by the applicant.

Harris spoke to the Manager, General Aviation Certification Branch in Washington, DC regarding this issue. The reply that Harris received was, "The new rule stands as written." The new rule deletes the need for anyone to make this statement on their application.

The Manager went on to say, "[FAA] eliminated the medical statement from the eligibility requirements for glider and balloon pilots and located all medical certification in subpart 61.23 of the FAR's. The FAA is currently working on a `new' Airman Certification and/or Rating Application form which will eliminate block `W' where the applicant has had to sign."

Harris advises that in the interim of the new form being completed, should your FSDO require an applicant to sign the existing form 8710.1, brief them of the new rule. If this does not help Harris says to contact him and he will request the proper FAA management to get in touch with the FSDO and clear up the misunderstanding.

For more information contact Lynn Harris, BFA Government Relation Committee at 405-631-0117 or e-mail: lynnharris@worldnet.att.net.