El Niño had kept many of the balloonist
in this area grounded for up to 5-months. On April 11, the weather was still
terrible. Winds were at 20 mph. The rain was blowing horizontal. But 12
balloons flew.By Mark Rowlee
El Niño had kept many of the balloonist
in this area grounded for up to 5-months. On April 11, the weather was still
terrible. Winds were at 20 mph. The rain was blowing horizontal. But 12
balloons flew.
It took teamwork! Members of the Pacific Coast Aeronauts, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, organized a first for their area. As part of a well-conceived safety seminar 12 balloons, 6 at a time, were moored inside Hangar One, Moffett Federal Airfield. It was a sight few had seen before.
As the nearly 80-participants began to arrive at 7 a.m., the weather was dismal but the attitude was just the opposite. Upon entering Hangar One it is possible to have a sense of vertigo due to the size of this monster. At 1,133-feet long, 308-feet wide and 198-feet high fog would sometimes form near the ceiling. Full-size aircraft appear as toys at the far end due to the optical illusion created by the sheer size of the hangar.
The seminar began with three sessions presented by the local ballooning companies in the area. California Ballooning Services of Woodland discussed envelope preventive maintenance including cable and fabric inspection and patching methods. Balloon Excelsior of Oakland gave a great talk on preventive maintenance of your basket including what to look for when inspecting straps, floor and rattan. Also, LINDAN Hot Air Service Center of Campbell discussed burner system preventive maintenance including inspection of rings and fittings.
John Terry was on hand to offer a demonstration of what happens when a freeze up in a burner system occurs as a result of getting water in the fuel tanks. The fact that both long burns and short blasts have no effect in clearing a plug of ice drives home the point of adding methanol to help eliminate the water problem.
John also brought his old Piccard so crews and pilots alike could practice setting up and taking down a balloon without a crown or apex line and see what classic equipment is like.
Additional features were added
as well. Larry Boucher is well known for his abilities with a bagpipe. Hangar
One provided fabulous acoustics as the melodious strains filled the expanse.
And after the rains had stopped PCA member Leigh Bradbury provided the group
with an appropriate salute considering their location, he did two fly-bys
in the Blockbuster blimp... the perfect "photo op!"
Lunch was an indoor tailgate party. With everyone bringing something their was a huge array of food. During the lunch everyone also had the opportunity to visit the fine aviation museum dedicated to preserving the history of the hangar and Moffett Field.
Hangar One was commissioned just 8-days after the airship Akron went down in April 1933, taking 73-lives. One of those who died was Rear Admiral William A. Moffett. The sister ship, the Macon, was to be housed in Hangar One. When the 500-ton doors were opened fully, the 785-foot long, 146-foot high Macon would just clear the sides by as little as 12-feet. And today, 65-years later, 12-hot air balloons would inflate and fill just a small portion of this massive structure of steel.
The idea was to give as many pilots and crew people as possible a chance to learn about, crew and fly different brands of balloons using several different mooring systems and techniques. By providing a broader understanding of the concepts it would make one more aware of his/her own system. And this is what all agreed occurred.
Arranging for this event was not an easy task. Permission is not easily obtained to use this facility. Clearance even had to be obtained to simply get on base. Through the tremendous efforts of Pat Moore, Bill Wissel, Tom Sharpee of the PCA, sponsor Barry Scott of the FAA, Don James and David Ferguson of NASA and Carl Honiker of the Moffett Historical Society the red tape seemingly fell before them. And with the enthusiastic assistance of many other club members all the other aspects came together.
After the Macon went down in the Pacific in February 1935, the era of the giant airship came to an end. Hangar One was then used for various aerial squadrons. In 1942, Hangar One again saw the return of the airships. They were part of the LTA anti-submarine patrol flights off the Pacific Coast during World War II. In fact, spherical free balloons were used in the first phase of the airship pilots training before they were allowed to move on to the larger, powered airships. It was not unusual to see balloons floating high above Santa Clara Valley during these times.
As the free balloons gave the trainees a chance to practice valving the gas, inflation and deflation under controlled conditions so did this afternoons exercise. Each pilot explained and instructed a "green" crew in the method to be employed. Then each pilot had the chance to make controlled ascents and descents under moored conditions, both solo and with passengers. The height of the hangar actually lets one balloon fly over the top of another. Both pilots and crew received a unique educational experience in an environment similar to the military crews of 45-years earlier.
In 1945, the hangar began full time use as a fixed wing facility. And it wasn't until many years later at the now famous Moffett Field Air Shows a few very lucky balloonist were able to again moor their balloons inside this historic building. And now it appears that the Pacific Coast Aeronauts Safety Seminar will become an annual event. There has been talk of 30-balloons doing a glow inside the hangar. Others would like to see a balloon flight actually take place from in front of the giant "orange peel" doors. The committee will be meeting in the upcoming months to help determine the format.
For information on joining the PCA contact Patrick Moore at 408-842-7873.
