|
OLD News HOME |
|||||||||
|
For those who missed a story the first time round this is the "Twilight Home" for 'retired' news items where they can spend their 'later years' after their month of fame. So if you wonder where that story you wanted to re-read went look no further its here sitting on the verandah with the rest of the old stories! |
|||||||||
|
Dateline 27.01.11 LEETON AT EASTER
For those on their way home from
the National Championship in Canowindra, or who just can’t get enough
ballooning, why not stop in at Leeton over Easter for your regular annual
‘propane fix’? The invitations
are out. So please contact: Craig Berry berrycraig@live.com
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 27.01.11 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AUSTRALIA DAY AT PARRAMATTA
PARK
Congratulations to
Steve Ireland and the event management team at Parramatta City Council for
another successful Australia Day Event. Although the 20 year record heat and
adverse winds resulted in a lack of free flying balloons from the park, the
huge crowd was not disappointed thanks to the efforts of all
balloonists. Everyone stood their
balloons up for spectators and explained why and how they fly, or in this case,
don’t fly. Particular thanks to those
of the “Tether Squadron”, some flying on the ends of their lines for nearly 3
hours in very warm conditions and giving hundreds of spectators a brief
glimpse of ballooning from the air. Balloons came from
as far away as Western Australia, with a strong contingent of balloons from
Canberra and Sydney and pilots spent a good deal of time talking their heads
off to the public about the sport they love.
New pilot Jodie Tregale who came from
Victoria with ABF Secretary Martin, was one doing the hard yards setting up
tethers. There were some good news
shots on local television. Please see Kavanagh Balloons Picasa
Australia Day Photo Album for
just some of the millions of photographs taken yesterday. Special thanks to
all the sponsors – Parramatta City Council, Parramatta Park Trust, the Parkroyal Hotel, Elgas, Integral
Energy, Australia Day Council, Dial Before You Dig and Honan Aviation. Their generosity was
much appreciated by all participants! The Editor |
|||||||||
|
27.01.2011
Photo from Global
Ballooning’s Facebook Page. BALLOONS PUBLICISE ASIAN CUP SOCCER TOURNAMENT IN QATARBalloonists from around the world, including Australia’s
Global Ballooning, headed by Kiff Saunders have been busy the last week or so
promoting the Asia Cup Soccer Tournament in Doha, Qatar. Videos of their
exploits can be seen on You Tube and Global Ballooning’s Facebook page : - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2sS0tN98ns 1.
www.globalballooning.com.au
| Facebook Global Ballooning at Asian Cup Qatar 2011 Updated 22 hours ago. |
|||||||||
|
27.01.2011
BACK TO DENILIQUIN – 4-13th
MARCH 2011
Deniliquin in NSW is running an event from March 4th to
the 13th , details of which may be seen on their web
site www.deniliquin.nsw.gov.au - click on the Back To logo and that
will download the event in detail. If you are interested in attending please contact Greg Lawrence greg.lawrence@deniliquin.nsw.gov.au |
|||||||||
|
Dateline 02.11.09 Powerline Safety Surveys All balloon pilots and crew worldwide are invited to take
part in a power line safety survey. This survey is being conducted as part of
the information gathering process for a new power line safety e-book for
balloon pilots and crew.
There are 2 surveys running, a pilot survey and a crew survey. It does not matter whether or not respondents have been involved in a power line incident as the questions are looking to establish what are the normal behaviours of the ballooning community. For those pilots and crew that have some ‘experience’ with powerlines there are a few additional questions to ascertain the nature and circumstances surrounding the ‘experience’ The surveys can be completed anonymously if respondents prefer. The surveys are not about naming or blaming anyone. The
survey results will not include any names or individual responses. The results will be freely available in the e-book and on the web at https://www.brisbanehotairballooning.com.au/faqs/safety-research.html , links to the surveys can also be found on this page. Survey respondents who provide their email address will be notified when the survey results and e-book are published. Email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. Steve Griffin |
|||||||||
|
Dateline 14.07.09 AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON CHAMPIONSHIPS - BENALLA VICTORIA 4 - 11 JULY 2009 Congratulations and thanks to Peter Dutneall and his team from the Balloon Association of Victoria for not only pulling together a National Championship at the last minute but organising the best Australian National Championships ever! Participants were grateful for sponsorship by Benalla Rural City Council, SPC, Bertalli's Bakery, Kavanagh Balloons - sponsors of the presentation dinner, Provincial Victoria, Picture This Ballooning, MIBF for the competition equipment, Ocean Spray, Mt Buller (one lucky farmer won a skiing weekend), the Rotary Club of Benalla, Telstra, Ian and Julie Chandler, Coates Hire, the Australian Ballooning Federation, myself and others, as well as the many volunteers who gave freely and generously of their time and talents. It was a great coup for the organising committee to secure the services of world renowned Competition Director Mathijs de Bruijn, Assistant Director of the recent World Air Games in Italy and Director of the forthcoming 2010 World Championship in Hungary. Mathijs not only set innovative, interesting and achievable tasks but also gave freely of his time, knowledge and expertise in explaining the method of setting and flying competition tasks. The Championship organisation ran smoothly from the first day - registration was fast, friendly and straight forward. Briefings were relaxed and informative, results were published promptly due to the combination of tasks measured by measuring teams within scoring areas and track log results outside the MSA's and for geometric tasks. Most competitors got their first experience of logger only shape tasks and were pleased with the ease of measuring and scoring. No more trudging through paddocks and forests looking for lost markers in the middle of nowhere! Special mentions should be made of Sue and Ian Robinson (Event Manager and Safety Officer), Jodi Tregale (Director's Secretary, etc.!) and Martin Tregale (IT) and Steve Ireland who assisted Mathijs with logger downloading and scoring. John Davies, our Landowner Relations farmer and BAV President Ronald Kent had done a great job contacting local farmers who made us very welcome and in finding launch fields. Ronald's wife Gillian made sure we were all well catered for, bringing the delicious donated pastries every morning to briefing. Glenda and Rolf Dennler worked hard on the organising team and in preparing the BAV Clubhouse for National's use. Don Whitford brought good weather news, ably assisted by Steve Buckley doing the wind readings. Jury President was Dale Allen and his offsider was Ian McIlvain - who also presided as Quartermaster for the generous goods given by the sponsors. The target/measuring team members - up hours before the pilots - did an amazing job and had the actual target co-ordinates ready for each briefing and their work was invaluable. The entire Event Team worked tirelessly and cheerfully all week to create a fabulously successful, well organised event. The weather was kind but we all appreciated the afternoon off on Thursday to recover from flying 25 tasks in 4 days, particularly as Friday dawned for a fast flight. In all 29 tasks were flown over 8 flights - 4 or 5 tasks each morning and two each evening with the exception of Thursday and Friday. Watch this space for news of a gallery of Nationals photographs! The Editor |
|||||||||
|
Dateline
11.09.09 2009 ABF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS The 2009 Annual General Meeting of the Australian Ballooning Federation is to be held at 7:30pm on Thursday 8th October 2009, at the SAAA Club Rooms 265 Queens Parade Clifton Hill Vic 3068. (Melways 30E12) The only position remaining to be contested by a vote at the meeting is that of President of the Australian Ballooning Federation. The candidates are Gary Pask and Scobie Peart. ABF Administrator Dale Allen has notified all members by post of the results of Election of other Executive Committee members and Regional Representatives. The Editor
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline: Wednesday September 9, 2009 13:00
Geneva time RESULTS OF THE 2009 GORDON BENNETT GAS BALLOON
RACE |
|||||||||
|
Dateline 16.09.09 BALLOONS INVITED TO 35th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN TELESCOPE - SIDING SPRING, NSW Balloons are invited to participate in the celebrations on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th October 2009. Details in the Invitation, received 16th September. There is to be a balloon glow on the Friday night and a flight on Saturday morning. Some sponsorship of gas, accommodation, meals and travel expenses is proposed. Siding Spring Observatory is in a picturesque mountain top setting, surrounded by the dramatic volcanic peaks of the Warrumbungle National Park. This renowned Observatory is where some of the world’s major telescopes and Australia’s largest optical telescopes are housed. |
|||||||||
|
Dateline 10.06.09 WORLD AIR GAMES 2009 - TORINO ITALY A quick announcement as there may be other ones being sent
by people reporting from the event.
As the Games progress, keep an eye on the Web site for
further information and links as well as all the action in the 10 air sports
competing. Dateline 15.04.2009
The German Balloon Federation (DFSV Deutscher Freiballonsport-Verband e.V.) will hold the German Gas Balloon National Championship again this year. We are ready to accept up to 17 entries; first "seats" are reserved for those German pilots wanting to fly for the Title of National Champion.We do expect some spare free spots for other interested teams. So, we are ready for this "Open German Championship". This is why we are pleased to extend our invitation to you. Date:
June 10-14, 2009 Entry fee: 550 EUR for members of the DFSV / 800 EUR for guests. Entry fee will cover hydrogen, ballast, prize giving etc. Participation and available slots will be confirmed on a "first come - first served" basis. You will find more information on
our web-page at: - http://www.ballon.eu/dm_gasballon_2009_ausschreibung.html (German
Language). |
|||||||||
|
Dateline 20.03.09 The youngest balloonist to two ballooning families Congratulations to Belinda Howe and Andrew Clements who are delighted to announce the safe arrival of Aaron Andrew on 15th March, 2009. Aaron Andrew makes a third generation for these two ballooning families which span the continent - from Northam in Western Australia to Canberra in the east. Proud grandparents Geoff and Vida had travelled to W.A. for their grandson's arrival.
(Rumour has it the baby was delivered by balloon - Stork now out of business.)
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 17.03.09 ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE LAUNCHES BALLOON WEBSITE The RAAF have a website devoted to the Air Force Balloon Team complete with a program of events and a request form for anyone wanting the RAAF Balloon at their local event. In addition the website has an educational section, which contains facts about the RAAF balloon and ballooning and coincidentally has the best on-line balloon flight simulator this Editor has seen. The simulator is easy to use and from my brief experience more realistic in regards to balloon performance and 3 dimensional use of varying winds at various altitudes than most similar simulators.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 11.03.09 2009 GORDON BENNETT CUP ANNOUNCED On December 10, 2008 the
Organising Committee of the 53e Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2009 sent
to all NAC’s (National Aero
Clubs) the Invitation Letter, the Event Sanction Information and the
Application Form to communicate their participation in the mentioned
competition. For those of you who wouldn’t have received the documents, these can be found now on our webpage
(www.geneva.gordon-bennett.ch/moreinformation.html
). Please note that the application form has to be returned by mail or fax
latest by Friday March 13th 2009 or handed over at the CIA meeting in
Lausanne, Saturday March 14th 2009.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 28.01.09 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL AUSTRALIA DAY AT PARRAMATTA PARK
Our Australia Day effort was to fly the small Australian flag, shown right, handmade by primary school children from the Hofkirchen area in Austria and presented to Team Sol Aria at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 World Championships. The children had painstakingly painted a national flag for every team competing in the Worlds - 102 in all! So popular were these flags that ours had even been kidnapped when it became dislodged from its flagstaff on the balloon retrieve car. Due to quick thinking by our wind reading team following (and even quicker driving up country lanes as the nappers tried a fast getaway!) it was successfully "retrieved". My thanks to Sean Kavanagh for the loan of VH-SOK "Tweetie" for the occasion and Paul Gibbs' partner Maaike Bierma who flew with me. This meant our flag flying represented most of the Australian competition pilots at the World Championships. Special appreciation goes to the sponsors, Parramatta City Council, Parramatta Park Trust, the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, Elgas, all the crew members and Steve Ireland and his team for the organisation of another successful and much televised event. This significant event gives us the opportunity of "flying the flag" in more ways than one for Australian ballooning. Les Springett - Editor
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 12.01.09 DETAILS OF STOLEN BALLOON EQUIPMENT As most ABF members are now aware, much of the balloon equipment stolen from the garage in Melbourne has been recovered by the police and returned to the owners. They are glad to report that the basket and balloon envelope appear to be untouched. The trailer suffered some damage where the thieves pulled off all the locks to get access, but it could have been much worse. The thieves have taken one fuel tank with gas in it, plus the burner frame, matches and the fan. As the following items are still missing, we would be grateful if anyone can let me know if they come across any of them Contact: Dale Allen ABF Administrator 1. Double Burner - Serial No. BU121 2. Kavanagh Fuel Tank 76L - Serial No. S11751 3. Helium cylinder
4. |
|||||||||
|
Dateline 30.11.08 BALLOONISTS 'PILOT' SYDNEY CHRISTMAS PARADE BALLOONS
Earlier today New South Wales members of the ABF participated as 'Pilots' of the special shape helium balloons in this year's Sydney Christmas Parade. Chief 'Pilot' Sean Kavanagh, who had organised our involvement, lead off with "Robert the Reindeer". Wendy Friezer, Maaike Bierma, Mark Mitchell, Paul Gibbs and I followed with our charges, with guidance of the expert handlers from the USA and parade marshals. Aided by a truckload of helium and packs of Girl Guides, we 'flew' a Snowflake, Whale, Candy Cane, Raven, Panda, Beagle and Elf. 'Flying' the balloons also involved performing pirouettes with the balloons for the huge crowds and negotiating hazards such as trees, light poles and traffic lights, as well as more unusual obstacles such as building hoardings, the electrified Sydney Monorail Track and overbridge (complete with moving trains) and a final water hazard, a dancing fountain we had to "fly" over and the large curving water feature which forms a moat around Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour. The Christmas spirit was alive and well and it was great fun. Les Springett - Editor
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 19.11.08 RUTH E WILSON PRESENTED WITH WILLIAM DEAN AWARD
Ruth's endeavours are too numerous to mention in a short news article and are covered in detail in her nomination for the Award, made by current Australian Champion Paul Gibbs. For details please click here. For more information about the William Dean Award please see AWARDS.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 18.11.08 PHIL KAVANAGH AWARDED GEDGE TROPHY Phil Kavanagh, Australia's premier balloon manufacturer, has been awarded the Gedge Trophy for his many services to Australian Ballooning over a period of 40 years. The Award was announced at the Australian Ballooning Federation's Annual General Meeting. Phil's pioneering efforts and innovations in balloon design are well known both in Australia and around the world. For further details and some interesting photographs, please see Phil's nomination for the Gedge Trophy, detailed by Sue Robinson. Elsie Gedge, now 93 years old, was delighted with the appropriateness of the award of the trophy to Phil and felt that it was well deserved and indicative of his achievements over a long period of time. For more information about the Gedge Trophy, please see the AWARDS page.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 17.11.08 NEW AUSTRALIAN ALTITUDE RECORD Congratulations to John Wallington and Sean Kavanagh for setting a new Australian Altitude Record of 11,533 Metres (37,839 feet). The record breaking flight took place in Kavanagh B400 VH-OOP on 24th July 2008, launching from near Uluru. The record flight was conducted in conjunction with a high altitude parachute drop by Dr Glenn Singleman and his wife, Heather Swan. For more details on that attempt see their website:- http://www.furthestflight.com/ The flight broke the previous record of 10,047m (32,964 ft) set by Christopher (Kiff) Saunders and Paul Gibbs on 11 August 2006.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 03.10.08 THE 18th FAI WORLD HOT AIR BALLOON CHAMPIONSHIP IN HOFKIRCHEN, AUSTRIA
The finishing positions for Australia's team for the World Championships were:- 43rd Paul Gibbs
with 7870pts As a novice World Championship competitor, it was a novel experience to finish ahead of some of the 'big names' of world ballooning in some tasks and interesting to see a good result, for me, of 5.49m turn into an 'only fair' 24th place (in the CRAT). It is a great experience to fly into goals with so many crack competition pilots when they nail the target - and even better when you nail it yourself!
Photo shows the wonderful Austrian scenery, some of the maize crop and in particular, the density of good marker drops at a target. (Pilot possibly Giovanni Aimo, Italy) Congratulations to the French on a well deserved 1st (Francois Messines) and 3rd place, (Stephane Bolze) - their flying was a excellent example of both teamwork and a level of consistency that many others found hard to achieve. The 2nd placing by young Russian Alexey Medvedsky was celebrated in true Russian style with singing, dancing, flag waving and much trinken. For full details of the final results and individual task results visit the World Championship official website: www.balloon2008.com Paul Gibbs and I participated in the Primagaz invitational event held at the nearby palace of Schloss Schielleiten the week before the Championship. This provided an excellent opportunity to get to know the area and make some attempts to fly-in to the World Championship Main Launch Field. Later in the week we were joined in the air by Edwin Michell and Sean Kavanagh. With official competition only on afternoon flights, each morning we practiced for the Worlds, flying to goals and getting familiar with the area. Much to Aussie pride Paul won this very enjoyable event, and I finished in the top half of the field. Amongst other goodies, all pilots received a box of gigantic delicious apples which took all the following week for teams to consume. From sunny 30c. plus degree days and light winds during the Primagaz the week before, to high winds, rain and snow on the nearby mountain peaks, Austria went from Summer to Winter in a single day on the first day of the World Championship. With no Observers and the maize crops still largely unharvested, Championship Director David Levin of the USA was forced to abandon almost all of the pre-selected goals printed on the official competition map and select new targets in open fields suitable for measuring teams. As result it was basically a return to 'old times' with the Director announcing new target co-ordinates on each task sheet having only located them a couple of days before. Nearly every task was a Hesitation Waltz or variation thereof under another name and all targets had measuring areas, some of them as small as 35m, imposing an added discipline on flying. Bad weather for the first 3 days and on the final day meant fewer flying opportunities than the Director and Competitors would have liked, producing some surprising results - with some of the usually high ranking pilots, not only in our own team but also in the UK and US teams, finishing back in the field. Just four flights and 14 tasks over 4 of the 7 days left a lot of pilots wanting more. Controversy concerning the use of Competitors GPS's as backup loggers dogged the event, with several pilots suffering lost results when the Jury ruled that tracks from GPS's not conforming the general specification of the official data loggers could not be used for scoring. Mike Howard of the UK was the most notable victim of this decision, being stripped of third place by revised scoring on the last day. Failures of the official loggers were numerous enough that it was common for Competitors to be asked to supply a backup track. Tracks from GPS's with barometric altitude or not set at the right track recording interval (3 seconds) were ruled unacceptable by the Jury's strict interpretation of the rules. Most competitors, myself included,
also experienced difficulties receiving official information, such as the
revised goal list and PZ list. These were only provided as
electronic waypoint files and text documents on the Championship
Website. The WiFi Internet Node in the competition area was unavailable to
many competitors and as a result those with their own wireless Internet
connection had a distinct advantage in obtaining and processing official
information. These internet difficulties also meant I could not update the
ABF website during the Championship as I had planned. picasaweb.google.com/WMballoon2008/ I will post a
gallery of photographs from the Australian team when all are to hand.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 02.01.09 BALLOON AND TRAILER STOLEN FROM LOCKED GARAGE A balloon trailer with the complete balloon inside and the fan, gas cylinders etc. was stolen early on the morning of December 28th from a locked garage in Melbourne. Would everyone please keep a watch for these items and if anyone sees them or is offered any equipment under suspicious circumstances, please urgently contact the police and the ABF Administrator Dale Allen The
balloon envelope is a Kavanagh D84, registration number VH-FRE and is a
unique, easily identified design with at least 4 identification marks. Thank you for your assistance.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 19.08.08 AUSTRALIAN BALLOONING LONG JUMP SEASON HAS COMMENCED The Great Australian Ballooning Long Jump is on again this year. The 2008 Long Jump is being conducted between 1 July and 30 September and is being hosted by the Balloon Association of Victoria on behalf of the Australian Ballooning Federation. The Rules and Pilot Report Forms are available from the LONG JUMP page on this website. There is still time to fly a Long Jump for a great ballooning experience!
|
|||||||||
|
Date line 06.05.08 AUSTRALIA POST HONOURS THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF AUSTRALIAN BALLOONING
The 150th Anniversary of the first successful flight of a balloon in Australia has been celebrated by the issue of special stamps by Australia Post. The four stamps are available in a card entitled "Up, Up and Away", (above), a First Day Cover and a Design Set. Well worth the small expense for balloonists and available over the counter at all Post Offices as a Commemorative Collection. The honour of being the first to fly a balloon in Australia belongs to William Dean, who successfully flew 13 kilometres across Melbourne on 1 February, 1858. He followed up his triumph by flying across Sydney Harbour in December 1858. The Balloon Association of Victoria celebrated the day by dressing in 19th. Century clothing and holding a breakfast in a park near the original 1858 launch site, where Club balloons were tethered. A special Commemorative Medallion has been struck by BAV. |
|||||||||
|
Dateline Dec 2007 JOE BLITZ INDUCTED INTO ABF HALL OF FAME Long time Victorian member Joe Blitz was recently inducted into the ABF Hall of Fame. Joe first became involved in ballooning in Holland in the late 1940's. He was actively involved in the Netherlands Balloon Club which flew gas balloons in Holland and surrounding countries. On emigrating to Australia ballooning became a thing of the past for Joe, until the early 1970's when he saw a new balloon packed on a shipping pallet in storage, by chance. Making enquiries he found that there were a small number of hot air balloonists starting sport ballooning in Victoria. His passion reborn Joe tagged along until he was given a ride at Horsham airfield. That was enough to convince him to by "Ulinga". Joe has introduced and trained numerous other balloonists. Most of then still active today, such was his skill at imparting his passion to others. Joe is one of the few pilots who attended every Barossa Balloon meet and in the process has amassed a horde of friends in ballooning in every state of Australia.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 22.10.07 AUSTRALIA DAY 2008 - PARRAMATTA PARK - SYDNEY Steve Ireland is calling for
expressions of interest from pilots to fly or tether at next year's Australia
Day - Sydney Flight The event will be similar to last
year with a significant amount of entertainment on the launch field to
entertain the crowd once the balloons have departed. The balloon package is as
follows:-
Out of pocket expenses subsidy
$500 for free flying balloons and $800 for tethered balloons. If you are interested or need more
information please send Steve an e-mail sji213@webone.com.au
or call Steve Ireland on 0418 628962.
|
|||||||||
Dateline 26.08.07
|
|||||||||
|
PART 149 - RECREATIONAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ORGANISATIONS These 2 NPRM's cover the self administration of ballooning and revisions in the
regulations covering the operation of ballooning. If you would like further
information or wish to discuss it further within the ABF I suggest you
contact our Vice President, Danny Galbraith at Dannygalbraith1@optusnet.com.au
.Danny, as our delegate to ASAC (Australian Sport Aviation Confederation),
has been responsible for presenting the ABF's views to that body and through
them to CASA. If you have any comment to make on
the NPRM you are strongly encouraged to do so,
either direct to CASA, through the ABF or both. Please feel free to discuss this with any
of the ABF Executive or your Regional representative The NPRM for 149 may be found at
<http://www.casa.gov.au/newrules/parts/149/NPRM0704OS.asp> The NPRM for Part 103 may be found
at <http://rrp.casa.gov.au/ors_nprm0603os.asp> Please note that the closing date
for comment on both of these NPRM's is 24th September 2007 so,
please, DO IT NOW! Cheers |
|||||||||
|
WE HAVE A CHAMPION! It is also pleasing to see the depth of competition talent displayed at the Nationals, with previous Champions such as Phil Kavanagh (1990) and Tim Steiner (2000) placing well in the field. It was also good to see so many Commercial Pilots taking a busman's holiday and competing so well - proof that skill is all the better for regular practice. Even your humble Editor managed a couple of seconds - pity about a few other low scores! Like others, I will be back next time, planning to learn from my mistakes and capitalising on the training and preparation that gave me a 'non-fault' result on the rules, if not in the flying. This victory makes Paul Gibbs our first triple National Champion (1996, 1998 & 2007). Congratulations to Paul and all the other participating pilots, be they old hands or new to competition, for a safe Championship. I think they will all agree, no matter where they finished, competition flying is a great learning exercise for polishing flying and flight planning skills, not to mention reading skills! Particular thanks and congratulations must go to the small organising committee, ABF Officers and Director Les Purfield from the U.K. - not only for "getting the job done" so well, but for organising a friendly, well run competition and for bringing many new faces into ballooning, with the young Venturer Scouts and Benalla locals who acted as Observers under the instruction of Bill Brown and Scobie Peart. It was also great to see familiar faces amongst the Observers from previous Nationals passing on their skills. We appreciated the Benalla locals and farmers who welcomed us with wonderful hospitality and all in all, it's a great place to fly, with beautiful scenery and good flying conditions. Les Springett - Website Editor |
|||||||||
|
PASSING OF THE 'FATHER' OF MODERN HOT AIR
BALLOONING Dear Friends, I have the sad duty to announce
that Ed Yost, the father of modern hot air ballooning, died last Sunday at
his home in Taos, New Mexico, aged 87. Ed was a living monument and he
was the first living inductee into the FAI Ballooning Commission Hall of Fame
in 1995. (http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=37531) He will continue to participate in every
act, thought and decision we make in ballooning, and we will remember Ed with
eternal gratitude. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to
Ed's family and his friends. Ed Yost is survived by his two
sons Greg and Dale Yost, and his granddaughter Nicole. No memorial service is
planned and Ed's family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent
to the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, Iowa. JC Weber, President FAI
Ballooning Commission
|
|||||||||
|
8th World Hot Air Airship
Championship- Russia 2008 A unique opportunity exists for
any members who would like to fly a balloon in Russia. The organisers of the 8th World
Hot Air Airship Championships will also run a pre-Worlds event in 2007 (21 -
28 June 2007). There will be an hot air balloon
event associated with both the pre-Worlds and the Worlds. Alexander has asked me to provide
contact details for any Australians interested in attending these events but
I feel that it would be more appropriate to send out a group e-mail to the
ABF membership with Alexanders contact details so that anyone that might be
interested can contact him directly. The events will be held in the St
Petersburg region in particular Tsarskoye Selo is a former residence of the Russian imperial family
and part of the town of Pushkin. There are some spectacular launch sites
including the palace grounds. Please contact:- Alexander Efimov
- PR-manager MegaFon World Cup 2007 <http://www.world-airship2008.ru>
|
|||||||||
|
Seven of the balloons carried speakers with each balloon playing a different element of a special musical score, an experimental artwork by sound artist Luke Jerram and composer Dan Jones, which merges performance and music to create an audio visual installation both in the air and within the mind. Balloons from Canberra, Victoria and Western Australia joined 4 local balloons in the precision flying required to keep the orchestra together and provide an essential component of the performance. Richard Gillespie and the Balloon Aloft Camden passenger balloon provided local knowledge and media rides on the first morning and the flight received excellent coverage on all local television stations. Everyone who participated enjoyed the morning. Steve and Di Ireland are again to be congratulated on their excellent organisation. "A gorgeous sight on the second day as eight balloons (and music) kissed their way slowly east along Parramatta Park with the crowd following on foot like the pied piper!" reports Sue Browne. The story continues..... You might be interested in what we have been doing over the past week. Take a look at :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xer3kI_WFY "Sky Orchestra" was the opening event in the Sydney Festival. We flew five days out of a
possible six - playing music from seven hot air balloons flying low over the
Sydney suburbs. (Really low). Best Wishes. Martin Moroney
Here's a fab slideshow of
images... News is Sky Orchestra
has been invited to the Brisbane river festival to perform and to Korea.
Its down to everyone's
hard work that these opportunities have come about. AMERICANS 1,2 & 4 |
|||||||||
|
FINAL POSITIONS OF AUSTRALIANS AFTER 28 TASKS
2006 World Championships WEBSITE
FOR DETAILS SEE SEAN'S WEBSITE & ANDREW ROBERTSON'S FINAL OFFICIAL STANDINGS - RESULTS For even more pictures of the World's please see Adam Barrows' Blog site as well! http://flickr.com/photos/wolfieb/299201030/
|
|||||||||
|
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS ANNOUNCED 7-15 July 2007
BENALLA, VICTORIA |
|||||||||
|
A NEW
Australian ballooning RECORD Kiff Saunders altitude record has been ratification by the Australian Ballooning Federation. Detailed story to follow when available. Congratulations to Christopher (Kiff)
Saunders and co-pilot Paul Gibbs on their daring and successful
attempt.
|
|||||||||
|
SAD NEWS FROM JAPAN - WORLD
BALLOONING HAS LOST ONE OF ITS GREATEST ADVOCATES I have the very sad duty to inform you that our dear
friend Masashi Kakuda passed away this afternoon.
Masashi had suffered a severe myocardial incident on Monday and has been in
intensive care at This terrible loss, at a time when Masashi put all
his energy and competence at our service to organize a successful World
Championship in his home country, leaves us all shattered and inconsolable.
For many years Masashi has been a personal friend and a friend of the CIA and
the global ballooning community, and he earned the world's respect for his
active involvement in ballooning. Throughout the years, he was a most
respected voice of reason and moderation that helped the CIA to stay on
track. On behalf of the all the world’s balloonists, I extend our heartfelt condolences to
Masashi’s family and to his many friends. I wish you hope in the midst of
sorrow, comfort in the midst of pain. Now that Masashi has been “promoted” to
eternal bliss, he will continue to bloom in our hearts and I will find
comfort and strength in my memories where he will never fade away. The World
Championship will go on and happen as Masashi planned, and I am convinced
that we have his full support and blessing. This will be Masashi’s World Championship. With heartfelt sympathy,
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
THE PIBAL LIGHT BUYING SYNDICATE GOES INTERNATIONAL WITH A
SOUTH AFRICAN MEMBER |
|||||||||
|
AUSTRALIA DAY 26th JANUARY 2006 Congratulations to Steve Ireland
and the 14 Balloons which participated in the very successful Australia Day
celebration dawn flight from Parramatta Park, Sydney. Thanks to the event sponsors and organisers - Parramatta City Council, the Australia Day Committee, gas supplier Elgas and the hotels which provided accommodation to balloon crews. For more details of this event see the next edition of Aeronotes, the official newsletter of the Australian Ballooning Federation. LTS- Editor. |
|||||||||
|
2005
|
|||||||||
|
AUSTRALIANS WELL PLACED IN MOTEGI
PRE-WORLDS The pace was gruelling with 32 tasks flown on 9 flights in 41/2 days of competition. Steve Ireland reports some flights were quintuple and sextuple tasks! Amongst the 44 competitors were several former World Champions and top competition pilots from the USA, UK, Europe and Japan. Current World Champion Markus Pieper finished 13th. The placegetters were: - Its not just Australian pilots who are prominent at the Honda Grand Prix. Also in attendance, officiating, were Steve Ireland, Gary Lacy and Bill Dolence. For detailed results please go to the Motegi website. http://www.wgpx-motegi.com/
|
|||||||||
|
Good up to date weather
information is all important for safe ballooning and one of the neatest and
easiest websites to get current wind information in your region compiled
virtually live is WeatherZone. Click on Current
information and see the latest data from all the airport automated weather
stations. You can sort these by region for further ease of reading. www.weatherzone.com.au
Not to say that the Bureau of Meteorology Website www.bom.gov.au is not loaded with goodies too! Finally if you forget your password just remember you can get into the aviation forecasts via the AOPA Australia website http://www.aopa.com.au/infocentre/weather.cfm |
|||||||||
|
NEW AIRSPACE PROCEDURES All ABF pilots and student pilots are reminded that from
today (Thursday 24 November) new airspace and radio procedures apply within
10NM of any aerodrome. You should be aware of and follow the information
outlined in the package 'Operations at Non-Towered Aerodromes' you received
from DOTARS, and the notes on this package in the ABF Pilots Circular issue 9
which was included with the latest Aeronotes. (Now also available on this
website, see the DOCUMENTS
page. Ed.) The main changes are - MBZ's cease to exist, CTAF
procedures apply at all non-towered aerodromes, CTAF no longer has fixed
boundaries but slightly different radio procedures apply within 10NM (18.5
km) of any non-towered aerodrome. Radio frequencies generally will not
change. Please read the documents carefully, and be sure you understand them. From 24 November you should not fly until you: - have a current air navigation chart for your
intended flying area and locate any aerodromes on it. - know and follow the new procedures when within 10NM of
an aerodrome. - in particular, carry and use VHF air-band radio where
required (you must have a CASA radio licence or an ABF radio operator
certificate to use it)
Also, be aware that aircraft making straight-in approaches
to land at an aerodrome are now supposed to advise this on radio using the
words 'JOIN FINAL' instead of 'MAKE STRAIGHT IN APPROACH'. Faster aircraft
may make their first radio call from as much as 30NM away as they approach.
If you have any questions please email me on sfisher@picknowl.com.au
or phone 0415 454 004 anytime.
Safe flying! Simon Fisher - ABF Training Officer |
|||||||||
|
LES SPRINGETT WINS 2005 AUSTRALIAN LONG JUMP
|
|||||||||
|
GARY PASK - AWARDED THE GEDGE TROPHY
|
|||||||||
|
CAMERON BALLOONING MILDURA IS
NOW MILDURA BALLOONING Dateline
Saturday, September 03, 2005 1:26 PM
|
|||||||||
|
Chile Balloon Tour 26 JAN 2006 Best regards and soft landings.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline 15.03.05 MAJOR UPGRADE TO WEBSITE DOCUMENT ACCESS At the suggestion of ABF Administrator Dale Allen, I have created a new link page called DOCUMENTS which you will find on the Contents side bar. This contains all documents stored on the ABF website - an easy to access area for members and the general public. In addition, Dale and I have formulated a plan to further increase access to key documents, such as the new Airworthiness Directives (Balloons) AD-BALs, which will progressively be added to the DOCUMENTS access page. For those of you who may not be aware, the website already carries printable copies of the New Member Application Form, Membership Renewal, Student Certificate and Private Pilot Application Forms, the ABF Constitution and all Pilot Circulars. So if you need any of these documents, try the website! Les Springett - Web Site Editor.
|
|||||||||
|
Dateline11.02.05 Borken August 2004. |
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
FIRST FLIGHT FOR NEW KAVANAGH G-450
Kavanagh balloons largest yet the G-450 made its maiden test flight at Canowindra last month. Photos of the new G-450 from its maiden flight in Cairns courtesy of Andrew Steele of Hot Air in Cairns. The G-450 allows 25 passengers to be carried on a single flight. |
|||||||||
|
On
a slightly smaller scale individual balloonists are achieving their personal goals, some like Adam Barrow are building and flying their
own balloons. Editor.
ADAM BARROW MAKES SOLO RETRIEVE FLIGHT I finally realised one of my dreams on the weekend when I made a balloon flight completely on my own. I have always wanted to be able to inflate fly and retrieve a balloon on my own so it makes it possible to go flying whenever and wherever you want without the need to organise a tribe of crew to help out.
On Sunday I strapped on the trusty pushy to the rubbish
bin and off we went. There was no-one else around, no crew, no other
balloons, no spectators. Just me, the bike and
the balloon, quite surreal in a lot of ways.
Adam's website is now at http://www.balloonsvictoria.com/balloonbuilding |
|||||||||
|
2004 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
Friday,
5 March 2004 7:29 AM
|
|||||||||
|
PROJECT YETI 2004 - NEW WORLD & AUSTRALIAN RECORDS TO
STEVE GRIFFIN The weather finally came good and we have an AX-2 Duration
World Record and AX2-4 Australian Duration Records in the bag. The following have been ratified by the ABF and are now
with ASAC. AX-1
Distance 5.0km 5th Feb
04
VH-IBA Griffin Itty Bitty -1 AX2-6 Duration 4 hrs 39 min 50
sec 11th Feb 04 VH-SIK Griffin Mylar Magic AX2-3 Distance 47.237 km 5th Feb
04 VH-ESN Griffin
Eyestrain -2 AX2-5 Altitude 3235 m (10,614 feet) 5th Feb 04
VH-ESN Griffin Eyestrain - 2 There are some photos on the website www.flymetothemoon.com.au/yeti There
will be more on the Fly Me to the Moon / Project Yeti web once we stop
celebrating.
Steve Griffin Congratulations Steve! (Editor)
|
|||||||||
|
Approaching deadline for entry 10th
FAI Gas balloon World Championship |
|||||||||
|
PROJECT YETI 2003 The following was received from Steve Griffin Records from last year's Project Yeti expedition are: AX-1 Duration 18 minutes AX-1 Distance .538 km
AX2&3 Duration 2 hours 18 minutes AX2&3 Distance 9.976 km AX2&3 Altitude 1518 metres
Steve hopes to give all of these a nudge over the next
little bit. Steve
has also been awarded the FAI/CIA Gold Sporting badge with 3 diamonds - one
of only 6 in the world.
Grahame Bateman and Steve Griffin are off to Canada on
Friday 30th January for 3 1/2 weeks. Steve has a project website up and
running again www.flymetothemoon.com.au/yeti
. If you are interested there is an e-mail list running which will give you
daily updates of our progress in Canada. You can sign up on the Contacts
page. Steve also has a homebuilding website which has a bit more info on
the balloons at www.flymetothemoon.com.au/homebuilding
|
|||||||||
2003
|
|||||||||
|
SAGA
- JAPAN Wednesday 19 Nov 2003 |
|||||||||
|
CANBERRA
FESTIVAL MOVED FORWARD ONE WEEK |
|||||||||
|
SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR |
|||||||||
|
GPS - IS IT THE WAY OF THE FUTURE? After the successful application of GPS Data Loggers at the last World Championship and the recent National Championship there has been a good deal of interest in the application of GPS to balloon competitions in Australia. The Balloon Club of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory has conducted a trial event exploiting the potential of GPS scoring to set interesting and unusual objectives. In this case the target was a point high above an otherwise inaccessible mountain top. How long will it be before we see GPS used in serious National and International Competition? It is only a matter of time many believe and Australians are helping to lead the way with prominent Australian competition officials co-operating with their overseas counterparts to produce a fully functional GPS based competition scoring system. LTS |
|||||||||
|
VICTORY TO SEAN KAVANAGH IN NATIONALS LTS |
|||||||||
|
BALLOON
WEBSITE OF THE MONTH - NOVEMBER 2003
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
Copyright © 2010 Australian Ballooning Federation. All rights reserved |
|||||||||
.jpg)
