by Jim Desch
It was in the spring of 1988. I had been signed off by my instructor to solo and had about 25 hours in the log book. I only had one afternoon flight under my belt, as the conditions in western Oregon in summer do not offer may PM flights. It is usually in the spring or fall when the temperature swing is minimal (10 degrees or so) that you get the chance to fly after noon. This Sunday I was at my son's house helping him put up a new fence.
The weather was warm for spring - in the 70's with little or no breeze most of the day, which is rare. The Willamette Valley south of Portland almost always gets a strong on-shore flow mid day, as we are only 45 miles east of the ocean. I call it the "frying pan" effect because the valley heats up and the cool air is pulled over the lower coast range, replacing the rising heated air on the valley floor. When you look at the tope maps it really looks like a frying pan.
We had finished the fence project ahead of schedule. The conditions looked workable for a PM flight. My son and his wife said they would crew, and a neighbor who had been working with us agreed to come along. I had crew to "burn." Son Doug had several crews under his belt, as did my wife Shirley.
I carry the basket, fan, balloon and all the gear in, or on the van, so I can fly at the "drop of a hat." I call FSS and the area airport. The reports were all favorable. We moved down to the local City Park and started to set up. The pibal showed that the winds were light out of the north. The flight track would put me into a good area for landing with lots of open space. Most of the farms were in crop but I had flown the area several times before and was comfortable about finding a good place to land.
At that time I was flying a Raven 77, square basket with Worthington 10 gallon tanks. You need to know that those tanks are only gauged on the LAST 30 percent, so the needle only moved when you were down to three (or often less) gallons, in the tankMAYBE!! The system was set up for four tanks, but most of the time the number four tank was in the truck, and the line was "pig-tailed." On this day I left number four in the van.
We set up and had a large, A VERY LARGE, crowd around us asking all kinds of questions. This was really the first time I was presented with this situation, so I was distracted and taken out of my usual "pilot routine." The inflation went well and the crowd ooo'd and aaa'd as the pilots head was getting "fatter by the minute." It took a few minutes to get the envelope up to flight temperature and this was the warmest lift off for me to date. It was in the mid seventies, with a high overcast.
When I was signed off to fly solo my instructor was explicit about this rule. "Inflate with #1" (the vapor tank) then change to #2 BEFORE you leave the ground. With all the "personal attention" being given to the "pilot" by the crowd on the ground this rule was forgotten. As I now tell my students, "B.S. can kill you, but constant routine will save you." This flight taught me that lesson.
The flight was great - over the river, down for a "practice emergency water landing" - didn't even get my boots wet. I went up to about 3,500 feet to check out the winds": not much at any altitude. During this climb the pressure started to drop, and THEN I noticed that I was still on #1. I changed to #2 and was not worried, just glad that "Big Jim" (my instructor) was not around. I was surprised that the fuel was going as fast as it did. I surmised that it was due to the warm temperature.
The crew was right under me all the time. Son Doug has been well trained, I thought to myself. I crossed back over the Willamette River and Doug called on the radio to confirm this fact. He would have to move to stay with me and the closest point to cross the river was the ferry. I told him I would come back down and "play in trees" to hold my position on this side of the river. While playing I changed to #3 tank. I then spotted a good LZ and went ahead and made the approach. I called Doug and told him what I was up to, and to move up to the mobile home and get some permission. He had just gotten off the ferry and would be at this location in a few minutes. I made the landing in a pasture that was close to the river, but could not see the house as it was uphill from my position. I kept the balloon hot just in case we were refused permission to use the property. It was a while before the radio cracked that the crew was on site, and looking for "somebody" to talk to. A few more minutes and I got the call. "No go." The person was only renting the house and would NOT give us permission. It was time to leave and I did.
Now a fuel check shows that #3 is getting lower by the minute. I flew across the river (again) but this time the bridge was just a 1/2 mile downstream. I spotted a nursery. Doug and I had been there not long ago, and it was a good LZ. Plenty of room but spotty, with gravel areas, plants and open areas. A drop line would get you any spot you wanted. The van comes into view and the crew is now on site. Now #3 tank is starting to lose pressure: not much flame.
Now the wind stopped and I was over the tree line on the river, and over a powerline that was next to a road, next to the tree line. No way to drop a line until I could find a left, off the powerline. I was over the trees and powerline, with no left or right, not enough fuel to climb out for a "maybe" higher breeze. My thoughts were, "I'm solo, so I'm going to be the only one to get hurt" (or die). I change to #1 tank thinking that there is SOME fuel in that one. The burner told me that not much help was going to come from this tank either. I changed to #2 and got a small amount of help, then it too started to sing the "whoosh" song. Now I was changing tanks after 2 to 3 short burns and getting some lift. In desperation I pulled the tank straps loose and started to shake each tank. This helped and then the "left turn" arrived. I kept changing tanks, dropped the line to the crew and they started to tow me to safety. Those people "saved my butt" that day as the wind again quit. The landing was in a large sawdust pile, as that was where the fuel ran out. I had to get out so we could tow the balloon to level ground for deflation.
What was learned from this flight? Several lessons Don't alter your pilot routine, don't let outside activity overwhelm you. Keep focused on the task at hand, be the pilot always. Once on the ground stay there, work out the problems later. Be aware of a problem (this case low fuel). Come up with a plan, then work the plan. Be patient, as the situation is fluid and changes will happen. Finally be aware that flying is a learning curve and each flight is a lesson. Share what you have learned. The good stories are not nearly as informative as the bad ones.