Spring - Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society

Spring 2016
Next CLAS Meeting—Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 7:30PM at
Plainville Police Department, 19 Neal Court, Plainville, CT
TABLE of CONTENTS
Page
CLAS Officers……………………………………………………………………………………
2
Calendar of Events……………………………………………………………………………….
2
Message From the President……………………………………………………………………..
3
2016 Winter Dinner Summary…………………………………………………………………...
5
2016 Safety Seminar Summary………………………………………………………………….
8
Minutes…………………………………………………………………………………………..
10
January…………………………………………………………………………………..
10
February………………………………………………………………………………….
10
March…………………………………………………………………………………….
11
Obituary – Dr. Clayton Thomas, Aeronaut Pioneer…………………………..…………………
13
Gordon Schwontkowski series - part 1 of 52 – “Welcome to the Crew Chief’s Corner”……....
18
CLAS First Aid Class……………………………………………………………………………
20
Did You Know?.............................................................................................................................
20
2016 Calendar of Balloon Festivals…………………………………………………………….
23
1
Spring 2016
Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society
CALENDAR of EVENTS 2016
CLAS OFFICERS 2016
PRESIDENT
Mark Sand
860-389-6778 (H)
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Garry Guertin
860-919-4175 (C)
860-621-9945(H)
[email protected]
SECRETARY
Penny Christy
860-638-3803 (H)
[email protected]
TREASURER
Robert Zirpolo
860-620-3754 (H)
[email protected]
CLAS FLY OUT
Saturday, May 14, 2016
(rain/wind date Sunday, May 15, 2016)
Aqua Turf Club
Southington, CT
Time: Meet at 5:00 a.m.
CLAS FLY OUT
Saturday, June 25, 2016
(rain/wind date Sunday, June 26, 2016)
Tentatively at Aqua Turf Club
Southington, CT
Time: Meet at 4:45 a.m.
No fly outs in July or August
to avoid conflicts with balloon festivals
2016 CLAS monthly meetings:
Apr 21
May 19
Jun 16
July 21
July 30 – CLAS summer picnic
Panthorn Park, Southington 1-6 pm
Aug 18
Sep 15
Oct 20 –photos due for CLAS photo contest
Nov. 17 – Purchase 2017 CLAS calendars
Dec. 15 – Annual Holiday Party
COME & JOIN US IN THE FUN!!
IT TAKES A VILLAGE!
2
Spring 2016
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Fellow C.L.A.S. Members,
When the Red Sox or the Yankees have a bad year they usually designate the next year as a “rebuilding” year.
They don’t promise a pennant but they do work toward making themselves a better team and once again
becoming contenders in the years to come.
We might say C.L.A.S. is in a “rebuilding” period, too. After a number of years of relative inactivity, we now
have scheduled periodic flyouts (after all we’re about FLYING, you know), The Scoop is once again gracing
our computer screens (thanks to Editor, Jamie Whitman), educational meetings have reappeared, and will
continue (kudos to VP and Educational Committee Chairperson, Garry Guertin), and the membership data base
has been updated and every member should now be receiving email announcements. Our Safety Seminars
continue to be top shelf and are highly thought of in the ballooning community.
We are making progress, but it’s not enough to ensure that we will thrive, or maybe even survive into the future.
We still have poor attendance at our meetings; probably less than 10 per cent of the membership attends
regularly. The flyouts are fun but we should be able to attract more than four or five balloons. If you
commercial pilots have rides scheduled the same time as our flyout, consider flying your passengers with us. I
don’t know of any passengers who do not enjoy flying amongst other balloons. Our executive committee has
not changed in the past two years and two officers have been serving in their capacity for more than 2 years.
Perhaps we should consider amending the bylaws to allow non-pilots to serve as President. Why limit the gene
pool? We need more attendance at the meetings. We need more ideas to grow the club not just in membership
but in relevance. We need to revive the spirit of the club.
We have the opportunity to pull off some events that have the potential to kick-start our road to recovery. The
year 2018 marks C.L.AS’s 30th year in existence. We totally missed recognizing our 25th year, so let’s not
forget this upcoming milestone. We have a 30th anniversary committee stood up. The committee would
welcome more members and will consider any and all suggestions on how we can celebrate our existence. 2018
also marks the 225 year anniversary of the first manned balloon flight in the U.S. Thanks to Chris Mooney, we
have a great opportunity to partner with the New England Air Museum to recognize this extremely significant
event in aviation history. We will present the result of discussions with the Museum to the membership at our
next meeting on May 19. At that time we will likely ask the membership for their commitment to making this
celebration an event that will benefit not only C.L.AS. and the New England Air Museum, but also the
community at large. Please plan to attend that meeting at 7:30 at the Plainville Police Department.
Your officers can’t do the job by themselves. The committees can’t either. In order for C.L.A.S. to
become vital we need the commitment of each and every member. We come together because of our
common love of ballooning and the friendships forged by our passion in the sport. Let’s use that love
and camaraderie to make C.L.A.S. reach the potential in growth, relevance, and vitality we all know it has.
I hope to see you all at our next meeting. Let’s make it the start of our “rebuilding” year.
Buoyant regards,
Mark Sand
C.L.A.S. President
3
Spring 2016
If you have not paid your dues for 2016 please do so!
When you pay your dues, please file out a membership application (on our web site: www.lighterthanair.org.
Please send it to any of the C.L.A.S. officers, or send it to CLAS, PO Box 53, Southbury, CT 06488-0053
Balloon Inspector Paul Stumpf (L) & pilot Mark Sand (R) give “Mystical Flyer” a stress test
during her annual physical, Chester, VT October 2015
REMINDER
The current edition of the New York Sectional Chart became obsolete on April 28, 2016. Make sure your
charts are up to date!
4
Spring 2016
Winter Dinner Summary 2016
By Mark Sand, President
Photos by Rob MacFarlane
Over 50 C.L.A.S. members, their families and friends, converged on the Baci Grill in Cromwell, CT on Saturday,
February 6, 2016 for our annual Winter Dinner. Good food and camaraderie were the order of the evening. A slide show
of the past two years’ ballooning adventures was continuously projected during the event. The highlight of the evening
was the presentation of our annual awards. This year’s winners were: Pam Bogart-Macfarlane, the Judith Ushchak Crew
Award; Bob Maxwell, the Art Laliberte Crew Award; Charlie Perreault, the Mike Bollea Spirit Award; and of course,
Chris Mooney, the S*&t Happens Award. The Connecticut Long Jump Award was not presented. Many thanks are due
to Jude Russell for compiling the initial 2014 slide show to which I added the 2015 photos, those members who sent in
their photos for the slide show, Rob Macfarlane and Pam Bogart-Macfarlane for finding and booking the Baci Grill, Rob
MacFarlane for taking pictures of the event, Brian Nilson, for the loan of his digital projector, Ellen Dressel for manning
the registration table, and Santo Galatioto for his Master of Ceremonies duties.
Winners of the C.L.A.S. annual awards. From the left,: Bob Maxwell,, Chris Mooney, Pam Bogart-Macfarlane,
Charlie Perreault
C.L.A.S. Officers, from the left: Ellen Dressel 2015 Secretary, Mark Sand, President (2015-2016), Penny Christy, Secretary
(2016), Garry Guertin, Vice President (2015-2016), Robert Zirpolo, Treasurer (2013-2016)
5
Spring 2016
Charlie Perreault proudly displays his Mike Bollea Spirit Award along with his door prize
Four happy C.L.A.S. members
Did Rob take a Selfie?
6
Spring 2016
Mmmm, maybe one for the long drive back to Orange
Mother and Daughter enjoy the festivities
Nancy Russell and Rick Silva share smiles
7
Spring 2016
2016 ANNUAL CLAS SAFETY SEMINAR SUMMARY
by Penny Christy, Secretary
The 2016 Ruth Salzberg Memorial Safety Seminar was held this year on February 27 at the Yale
Divinity School. It was a gorgeous day for traveling and attendees came from NY, VT, MA and CT.
Chris Mooney elicited some provocative thought when he asked how many actually used checklists.
Many who did use them, described their checklists and made some very good suggestions of when to
use them, where to post them and that the crew would also benefit with them.
Ryan Carlton, who is a software engineer and a balloonist from Danville, Il. He presented a very
interesting take on weather and what do we do when it doesn’t match the briefing. He showed us a
link on his www.ryancarlton.com winds aloft website that we all use. The link is at the bottom right of
his page and takes us to a table that lets us input our flying limitations of wind, temperature and
probability of precipitation. It will then plot the combination of these for the next several days to tell us
when we have the best probability of flying.
Daryl Smith reviewed the FARS and our currency regulations. We’re not current until our flight is
logged into our logbook. Can a PIC with an expired Biennial Flight Review fly with someone else?
Yes, if that passenger is the reviewing pilot. He had lots of prizes for those of us who had the right
answers to his FAR review questions.
Jim Adams from the FAA came to us with his bullseye on his back. He reminded us that he is the
“good guy” since he is in the education division and we can contact him with any questions we have.
He reviewed the FAAST and the Wings program with us.
Tyler Nilson is the Junior Balloonist we sponsored at the 2015 BFA Junior Balloonist Camp. He gave
us a great presentation about his experiences there. Our sport is being invigorated by the young
blood and these Balloon Federation of America camps! CLAS will sponsor Tyler again this year!
Peter Neary from Eversource gave us the critical information about Powerlines and it affects us all!
He had been on 36 straight hours of duty as the very high winds had done so much damage to trees
and powerlines around the state. We appreciate his commitment to making it to our seminar.
Mark Schilling gave us a very interesting presentation that emphasized the importance of post flight
debriefing. This not only educates the crew, but also the pilot in his future decision making processes.
Gordon Schwontkowski recorded a fresh commentary tailored just for our CLAS Safety Seminar on
his dynamic Balloon Accident and Accident Prevention presentation. He also reviewed the latest
accidents from 2015 for us. He was there in spirit even though he was also presenting at another
seminar out West.
Jude Russell opened our eyes as she presented the popular Social Media available today. The
variety of social media available to us today has different exposures to people and it’s important how
we use it. Facebook can have a viral post almost immediately. Especially in ballooning, someone who
8
Spring 2016
takes a picture of a normal landing can send out that “a crash that just happened in our
neighborhood.”
The “Missing” S**t Happens Plaque had been found and engraved so it could be properly presented
to Chris Mooney for his shrill screaming passenger flight in 2015.
Acknowledgements: Santo Galatioto kept the seminar running smoothly and hosted the day. Lisa
Huck was critical in procuring the Yale Divinity School location for us and the insurance requirements
for our seminar. Mark Sand provided all our certificates and nametags. Veneziano’s Catering
presented their popular food in the morning and mid-afternoon breaks and their lunch upstairs was
delicious. They generously accommodated Vegan and Gluten free requests of our attendees. B&G
Sports engraved our presenter plaques.
Sunrise from “Mystical Flyer”, Plainville, CT 2014
9
Spring 2016
CLAS Meeting January 21st
by Penny Christy, Secretary
The meeting was called to order at 7:35. In attendance were: Garry Guertin, Mark Sand, Rob
Macfarlane, Pam Bogart-Macfarlane, Ellen Dressel, Erwin Dressel, Bobbie Barber, Carol Silva, Rick
Silva, Al Theodore, Tony Roswell, Penny Christy – a quorum.
Weather was not conducive to fly the Mike Bollea Memorial flight on Dec. 12th or the 13 th or the
Freeze your Buns flight on Jan 2nd or 3rd.
The Christmas Celebration was held at the Wesleyan Hills Little Barn on Friday, Dec. 18 th. A great
feast was enjoyed by all.
The Winter Dinner was postponed two weeks because of the snow storm. The date is now February
6, 2016 at Baci Grill in Cromwell. Rob and Pam are the Winter Dinner team. Check for any
Landowner Cards to bring to the dinner and send any crew award nominations to Ellen. There were
no Long Jumps entered so far. Garry will do the center pieces. Penny will bring 50-50 tickets.
May 1st flyout has been changed to May 14th.
The 2016 CLAS Committee Sheets were passed around for volunteers to sign.
So far:
Erwin and Ellen will be the Membership committee for CLAS.
Garry Guertin will head the Education committee.
Pam, Rob and Ellen are the Winter Dinner committee.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:36 PM and the refreshments continued.
CLAS Minutes February 18th
by Penny Christy, Secretary
The meeting was called to order at 7:45 PM. Attending were Mark Sand, Penny Christy, Garry
Guertin, Ellen Dressel, Erwin Dressel, Rick Silva, Robert Zirpolo, Bill Costen, and Al Theodore.
The Flyout in on Saturday, May 14th.
The Winter Dinner was a success at the Baci Grill in Cromwell. Thank you Rob and Pam for
arranging that and selecting a great food menu. Everyone loved the food. The plaque for the S**t
Happens Award goes to Chris Mooney when we find it.
Education: Gordon’s Safety Checklist Cards would be a good topic for a meeting.
Clayton Thomas’ obituary was discussed.
Robert reviewed the Winter Dinner expenses for the restaurant and awards, CLAS calendar
expenses, some pre-seminar expenses for insurance and attendee certificates.
The meeting was adjourned and the refreshments were consumed.
10
Spring 2016
CLAS Minutes
Mar. 17, 2016
by Penny Christy, Secretary
The meeting was called to order at 7:50 PM after socializing and general conversation.
The attendees were: Mark Sand, Penny Christy, Garry Guertin, Janet Storrs, Pam Bogart-Macfarlane,
Rob Macfarlane, Ellen Dressel, Erwin Dressel, Rick Silva, Al Theodore and Bill Costen.
Garry had just installed a new battery in the Plainville P.D. Community Room clock.
Penny summarized the 2016 CLAS Safety Seminar held on Feb. 27 at the Yale Divinity School.
(Thank you Lisa!) All the speakers received good evaluations. We were especially thrilled by the
presentations of 14-year old Tyler Nilson (whom CLAS sponsored at the 2015 BFA Junior Balloonist
Camp) and Jude Russell on Social Media. Ryan Carlton from Danville, IL presented his interesting
take on the latest weather briefings available. We all use his site for winds aloft and he also has a link
to an activity planner that connects to NOAA to tell us when the most probable flying days are. Our
powerlines presentation was made by Peter Neary who had just come off 36 straight hours of work
covering all the high wind damage in CT from the previous few days. Mark Schilling presented the
value of having post flight briefings and lessons learned from what they could have done differently.
Daryl Smith presented colorful FARs regarding Pilot currency and gave out his prizes for the right
answers. Jim Adams updated us on the FAA Safety Team and reminded us that he is the “Good Guy”
in the FAA. Chris Mooney led us in a thought provoking interactive session on Check Lists. Santo
kept the seminar running smoothly all day. Veneziano’s Catering provided us their good food for the
day.
People want a session on First Aid next time.
Penny also attended the BFA Online Safety Seminar on Mar. 12. She summarized those interesting
presentations as well.
The Committee Reports:
Education:
Garry brought up a future meeting on “What’s in your First Aid Kit? Is it current? What’s missing?
Does everyone know where it is?”
Other topics for the meetings include Recertifying in CPR, Check lists.
Competition: Mark – The next fly-out is Saturday, May 14th.
Annual Picnic: Garry – Saturday, July 30: Panthorn Park
30th Year Committee: Mark – The committee will gather soon.
Plainville Balloon Festival:
Garry reviewed the festival rules for us to bring up anything that we want to change. Posting “NO
SMOKING” signs around the park and in our balloons would heighten the awareness of their
proximity to propane for the spectators and especially photographers who lean over our baskets for
“that perfect shot.”
Updated Red Zones will be available.
Reasonable rates for acceptable accommodation include Motel 6 by Denny’s and Days Inn just down
The road for around $50 per night.
As a group, we assembled a Pre-Flight Season Checklist:
Chase Vehicle: Current registrations, emissions and insurance
Crew vehicles: Current registrations, emissions and insurance
Chase Vehicle: Clean windows, refill fluids, fuel, air in tires, fire extinguisher, check/change oil
Trailer: Wheel bearings, hitch and receiver, door locks, fire extinguisher, lube
Fan: Change oil, fuel, check operation, fire extinguisher
Balloon: In annual, insurance, paperwork in balloon, flight manual, sectionals
11
Spring 2016
Pibals: Helium in tank, fresh pibals
Pilot: current, certificate
Flight preparedness: Landowner cards, Release forms, Radios charged and operational
Refreshments: Pam and Rob brought yummy refreshments including St. Patrick’s Day cookies. Al
Theodore will bring refreshments next month.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM and the eating began.
Tyler Nilson, presenter
at the 2016 CLAS
Safety Seminar sharing
his experience from
the 2015 BFA Youth
Balloon Camp. The
CLAS Board of
Directors has approved
Tyler attending the
2016 BFA Youth
Balloon Camp.
CONGRATULATIONS
TYLER !!!
12
Spring 2016
Clayton L. Thomas M.D.
(1921 - 2016)
Clayton L. Thomas, Physician, Lexicographer, Aeronaut, Dies
at 94. Clayton L. Thomas, MD, MPH, died on February 6, 2016
in Santa Monica, California. Dr. Thomas was born on
December 23, 1921 to parents Birdie Doyle Herring and Robert
Wesley Thomas of Paducah, KY. He was predeceased by his
older brother, Robert H. Thomas. He made his home in
Brimfield, MA for nearly 50 years, before moving to CA. After
attending the University of Kentucky on a football scholarship,
Dr. Thomas received his MD at the Medical College of Virginia
and his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. As a
medical officer and flight surgeon in the US Navy, he saw duty
in China, Guam, Hawaii and Florida. He was an instructor at the US Naval School for Aviation Medicine in Pensacola
and then Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at the Univ. of Utah. From there, he became Medical Director and Vice
President of Tambrands, Inc. He maintained his association with the Harvard School of Public Health as a visiting
scientist. Keenly interested in sports medicine and a champion for women’s health, this led to his involvement with the
US Olympic Team, where he served at the Mexico, Munich, Calgary and Lake Placid games, as well as the annual
Boston Marathon. Of his many accomplishments, Dr. Thomas was most proud of being Editor of Taber’s Cyclopedic
Medical Dictionary, for nine editions, over 30 years. It is still considered the leading dictionary for nurses and allied
professions and is published by the F.A. Davis Company of Philadelphia. Aviation was his life long passion. He was
licensed to fly single engine aircraft, hot air and gas balloons and at age 75, received his commercial helicopter license.
On two occasions, he piloted the Good Year Blimp. A pioneer in the sport of hot air ballooning, Clayton founded the
Balloon School of Massachusetts at the Balloon Port at Dingley Dell, Brimfield, MA. He trained over 100 pilots and
certified them in his capacity as an FAA designated examiner. A consummate competitor, in 1983, Dr. Thomas won the
Trophies Montgolfier in Annonay, France by navigating his balloon 172 kilometers to land only six km. from the target.
In 2013, he was inducted into the United States Ballooning Hall of Fame, an honor held by very few. Dr. Thomas and
his wife made global headlines when in 1983 they were taken hostage by four Arab gunmen aboard a hijacked Air
France flight from Vienna to Paris. After many stops throughout Europe where passengers were released in exchange for
fuel, the plane was forced down in Teheran, Iran. Clayton and his wife were the only American hostages among the
fourteen remaining passengers and crew. Clayton was singled out and forced to kneel down on the tarmac for nearly an
hour while a terrorist fired a gun beside his head. After five days, the terrorists surrendered and the hostages released.
Clayton’s medical affiliations included the American College of Sports Medicine, the Aerospace Medical Association,
the American College of Physicians and the American Social Health Association. He was also a member of the
Brimfield Board of Health and Aero Club of New England. Always the southern gentleman with an extraordinary
intellectual curiosity, personal flair, zest for life and wry sense of humor, Dr. Thomas leaves behind his beloved wife of
sixty-five years, Margaret (Peggy) and his four children: son Robert and his wife Carey Shefte, of Middleburg, VA, son
Clayton of Parker, CO, daughter Wendy of Brimfield, MA and daughter Gwynne, her husband Richard Trutanic and
step grand-son Nicholas, all of Santa Monica, CA.
13
Spring 2016
Dr. Clayton Thomas awarded BFA award
14
Spring 2016
Dr. Clayton Thomas at Lake Placid, NY
15
Spring 2016
Dr. Clayton Thomas, Aeronaut pioneer, 2014
16
Spring 2016
Thanks for contributions to this edition of The Scoop to: Mark Sand, Penny Christy, Rob
MacFarlane, and special thanks to Wendy Thomas for providing the photos of her Dad, Dr.
Clayton Thomas. All photos by Jamie Whitman unless otherwise specified and cannot be used
without permission.
Publishing Information
The Scoop is published quarterly by the third Thursday of every third month. Submissions for The Scoop are
preferred by email to Editor Jamie Whitman at [email protected]. Photos, articles, and ideas are
always welcome. Information may be mailed to 142 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355 or can be
brought to any CLAS meeting and given to the President, Mark Sand. All materials should be received by the
Editor at least two weeks prior to the third Thursday of every third month for inclusion.
The Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society publishes this newsletter for its members and interested parties. Portions of this newsletter may be reprinted if
credit is given to the writer and to CLAS. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the organization or members of this organization. For
more information contact: Editor, Jamie Whitman, 142 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355 Email [email protected]; Phone: 860-9177634
Mid-Hudson Hot Air Balloon Festival
July 2015
17
Spring 2016
Deflating the gentle giant “Mystical Flyer” Aloft, Simpsonville, SC 2014
WELCOME TO CREW CHIEF’S CORNER!
Series by Gordon Schwontkowski – part 1 of 52
Safe ballooning is simply more fun, and your club has joined every other US ballooning club in the first-ever
nationwide ground school to promote that end. The goal is to get crew chiefs and crew to higher and more
uniform standards of knowledge and skill nationwide and to reduce flying risk to near zero as fast as possible.
More brains, less brawn, safer fun more often!
Crew Chief’s Corner is for all balloonists. Pilots will find information on flying and skill instruction their
instructors never provided. Crew chiefs will find in-depth analysis of their role never discussed before. And
crew will find what to expect and what is expected of them as their ballooning experience grows. Regardless of
your ballooning rank, you’ll find a wealth of safety techniques and tips found nowhere else in our sport.
These 52 articles take an honest and thorough look at the mechanics, dynamics, realities, and legalities of
crewing. They’re not the only or final word on crewing safety – just the first in ongoing discussion and training
among you, your pilot, and crew. The key to safety is adapting fundamentals you find here to your equipment,
region, flying style, and needs. Crewing is evolving faster than ever before, and the basics have never been as
important as they are now!
A word of caution for readers: this is not the passive follow-behind “chasing” of the 1980s. Those days are
over. Trouble develops when safety demands and skills/expectations are mismatched. Today’s flying demands
informed, skilled, and proactive crew. You’ll learn to understand and manage weather, emergencies, high-wind
ground handling, and landing safety like a pilot (while acting as crew) for one simple reason: you serve as your
18
Spring 2016
pilot’s only redundancy. Skilled, knowledgeable, and proactive crew are often the missing ingredient in safety.
A full list of article topics appears below:
1. Welcome to Crew Chief’s Corner!
2. A Brief History of Crewing
3. Safety Versus Command
4. Finding Great Crew
5. Crew Chief Training and Proficiency
6. Healthy Crew Dynamics
7. Common Crew Mistakes and Misperceptions
8. The Golden Rule and 10 Commandments
9. Dressing the Part
10. FAQs – Frequently Answered Questions
11. Emergency Contacts
12. First Aid and Injury Prevention
13. Equipment Care and Handling
14. Lift Gates and Lifting
15. Rope and Line Safety
16. Legalities and Realities of Crewing
17. Driving Safety and Vehicle Handling
18. Navigation
19. Weather Savvy
20. When Things Go Really Wrong
21. Preventing and Managing Power Line Strikes
22. Crew Briefings
23. Passenger Briefings
24. Radio Communication
25. Tie Offs and Tying Off
26. Layout to Launch
27. Fan Tips
28. Crown Line Command
29. In-Flight Management
30. Being There on Landing
31.There on Landing – Now What?
32. Drop Lines
33. Farm Landings
34. Unloading Passengers
35. Packing Up Fast and Easy
36. Landowner Relations
37. Handling Hostile Landowners
38. Beware of Man’s Best Friend
39. Propane and Refueling Safety
40. Flight Reviews
41. Cold Weather Crewing
42. Crewing with Children
43. Professionalism
44. Tethers
45. Festival Crewing
46. Plan B’s
47. Commercial Crewing
48. Competition Crewing
49. Special Shape Crewing
50. Media Management
51. Beating Crew Complacency
52. Making It All Happen
What you’ll read is field-tested and proven. I’ve served as crew chief on 2000+ flights since 1982, closely
studied 100,000+ more, and worked with 10,000+ crew nationwide. My book “Hot Air Balloon Crewing
Essentials” and “Crew Zone” column in Ballooning Magazine address crewing topics in even greater detail.
Hundreds of pilots and crew nationwide have agreed this is the most valuable hands-on material of any sort they
gain from safety seminars. I’m not the nation’s most experienced crew chief by any stretch, just the one most
willing to lead the charge for ballooning safety. That said, you won’t ever see the word “I” in these articles;
they’re more about your future safety than my ballooning past. Hopefully, this series will start discussions and
create a forum to pull out even better crewing ideas and techniques.
What’s in it for you? Pilots and crew who’ve taken tips from my articles, book, and seminars use them on their
very next flight. Reported benefits include less equipment damage and repair cost, smoother inflations in any
weather, fewer emergencies, easier navigation, safer landings, and faster pack-ups. Performance,
communication, morale and loyalty all drastically improve. More safety, skill, fun, and profit with less risk,
time, effort, and hassle – what more could any balloonist ask for?
How each club runs these articles – sequentially in newsletters or as a web archive – will vary. Exactly how and
how fast your pilot, crew chief, and crew use them is up to you – just apply what you learn. However you
access them, thank your club officers for joining this unprecedented safety program which can help unify and
grow our sport. My best wishes to you for flights filled with safe fun, adventure, friends, and lifelong memories.
19
Spring 2016
Safe Flights and Soft Landings,
Gordon Schwontkowski
Disclaimer: The information presented in these articles is for educational purposes, may not reflect the opinion of
the newsletter publisher, and should be placed in context with personal experience and other authoritative sources.
The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, damage, or risk, personal or
otherwise, which is incurred or alleged to have occurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and
application of any of the contents in this series.
CLAS FIRST AID CLASS
Plainville FD firefighter
Phil Brousseau, “victim”
during first aid demo
during the CLAS monthly
meeting on April 21, 2016
Photo by Mark Sand



DID YOU KNOW that on October 7,
1870, Leon Gambetta, the prominent
French statesman during the FrancoPrussian War, escaped a Paris revolution
in the hot air balloon the "ArmandBarbès"? Read on…

20
Spring 2016
All Aboard L’Armand-Barbès
October 7, 2014 | by Dan Piepenbring, the Paris Review
Jules Didier and Jacques Guiaud, L’ Armand Barbès, 1870, 1914.
Say you’ve got to skip town in a hurry. Maybe you owe somebody a lot of money; maybe the mayor’s daughter
is in love with you and you’re below her station; or maybe it’s 1870, the Franco-Prussian War is on, and you
have to ditch Paris because it’s under fierce siege and you’re the minister of the interior. In any case, here’s
what history advises:
Flee in a hot-air balloon.
Léon Gambetta did it on October 7, 1870. Worked like a charm.
Okay, Paris ultimately lost the war, so “worked like a charm” may be overstating things, but still—Gambetta
lived, didn’t he? He did. He became a prominent statesman.
At the time of his spectacular escape, Paris had been shelled by the Germans and Napoleon’s empire had fallen;
Gambetta helped to improvise a new government and advised running it from someplace other than the capital,
given the city’s precarious condition. A delegation left for Tours to organize the resistance, but Gambetta
himself had to be sure to elude capture by the Prussians.
21
Spring 2016
The safest way, against all odds, was by balloon: couriers had been delivering the mail to Paris that way with
great success. And so they smuggled him out on the sumptuously named (if not sumptuously appointed)
Armand-Barbès, one of some sixty-six balloons. He made it to Tours intact and resumed his post with vigor.
After this comes the part where the French lose anyway, but let’s skip that and wonder instead how Gambetta
felt up there, in transit. I mean, I’m sure he was terrified, at least partially—his capture would be the end of
him—and yes, there must’ve been a good bit of patriotism coursing through the old veins, but I hope he took a
deep breath and saw the bigger picture, saw himself wafting into the history books on a hot-air balloon,
Prussians cursing the sky and stomping on their hats.
And how, once he’d reached safety, could he find it in himself to talk about anything else?
Hello, I would say by way of introduction for the rest of my life, It is I, the man who fled Paris by balloon. No,
no, remain seated. Hold your applause.
A broadside about ballooning during the Siege of Paris, 1870–1871, with a list of balloons that left the city.
22
Spring 2016
UPCOMING 2016 BALLOON EVENTS
Adirondack Balloon Festival
Crandall Park Glens Falls and Floyd Bennett
Memorial Airport
Queensbury, NY
September 22 - 25, 2016
37th Annual Quechee Hot Air Balloon, Craft, and Music
Festival
Quechee, VT
June 17th, 18th, 19th, 2016
Plainville Fire Company Hot Air Balloon Festival
Norton Park
Plainville, CT
August 26, 27 & 28, 2016
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Balloon Festival
Poughkeepsie, NY
July 8-10, 2016
Albuquerque, NM International Balloon Fiesta
Albuquerque, NM
Oct 1-9, 2016
Letchworth Annual Red, White & Blue
Balloon Rally
Letchworth State Park
Castile, NY
May 27-30, 2016
38th Annual South County Hot Air Balloon Festival
URI Athletic Fields
Kingston, RI
July 22-24, 2016
NJ Festival of Ballooning
Solberg-Hunterdon Airport
Whitehouse Station, NJ
Jul 29-31, 2016
23
Spring 2016
Any other news? Photos to share? Send it to Jamie @
([email protected])
FESTIVAL SUNRISE
Mid-Hudson Balloon Festival
Poughkeepsie, NY
July 2015
24
Spring 2016
Who needs a drone? We don’t need no stinkin’ drone!
Mid-Hudson Balloon Festival 2014
A different perspective can change everything! Aloft Balloon Festival, Simpsonville, SC May 2014
25
Spring 2016
Convection heat waves, “Mystical Flyer”
Mid-Hudson Balloon Festival July 2014
Pilot Rick Silva
stands up “High At
Last”
at the
Mid-Hudson Hot
Air Balloon Festival
July 2015
26
Spring 2016
Mid-Hudson Hot Air Balloon Festival, Poughkeepsie, NY
27
July 2014
Spring 2016
During the Mid-Hudson Hot Air Balloon Festival in July 2014 Pilot Mark Sand, in
“Mystical Flyer”, honors those affected by the bombings at the Boston Marathon
in April 2013
28
Spring 2016
Pilot Mark Sand, in “Mystical Flyer”, honors those affected by the Newtown, CT
shootings in December 2012 with his double-sided banner at the Mid-Hudson Balloon
Festival, July 2013
29
Spring 2016
Balloonmeister Bill Hughes stands up his balloon, “Seagull”
Mid-Hudson Hot Air Balloon Festival 2014, Poughkeepsie, NY
30
Spring 2016
The Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society is a club for anyone interested in learning about, participating in, and improving the sport of ballooning. Pilots,
crew, and enthusiasts alike are welcome and ALL can contribute to the safety, enjoyment and education of the sport. Meetings are scheduled monthly on
rd
the 3 Thursday of the month at the Plainville Police Department, 17 Neal Court, Plainville, CT.) at 7:30 PM. For more information, contact any of the
officers listed in this newsletter.
CLAS DUES $20 include membership privileges and newsletter.
Extra voting family member add $5
CLAS Member Pins $5 ($3 members)
Decals $2 ($1 members) Landowner Pins $4 ($3 members – limited quantity)
NAME _______________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________
CITY_______________________________STATE______________ZIP___________
TELEPHONE (Home) ______________(Work)____________________(Cell)________________
E-Mail______________________________
CLAS Membership Info:
Single ($20)___ Family ($20)___ Extra Vote ($5) Name: _________________________________
New _____ Renewing _____
Crew_____ Student Pilot _____Private Pilot_____ Commercial Pilot_____ N#_________
BFA #__________________ BFA CAAP Level ________ BFA PAAP Level ________
FAA Wings Level Completed________
Pilot Certificate # __________________Type(s) of Certificate(s) _________________________
Make Checks payable to CLAS and mail to: CLAS PO Box 53, Southbury, CT 06488-0053
The Scoop/ CLAS
PO Box 53
Southbury, CT 06488-0053
www.lighterthanair.org
31