Did you check your balloon notams
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Did you check your balloon notams
I remember reading a story about an SR-71 pilot having a near encounter with a balloon at Mach 3. I assume that no evasive maneuvering was anywhere close to possible. What about airliner experiences. I have never seen one myself but these guys did.....
"C-FFPH, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Sunwing Airlines, was conducting flight SWG746
from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson Intl (CYYZ), ON to Nassau/Lynden Pindling Intl (MYNN), Bahamas
with 6 crew members and 180 passengers on board. During cruise flight at FL360, approximately
395 nm north of MYNN, the flight crew reported a near miss with a weather balloon. The event was
reported to ATC, and the flight continued to destination without further incident."
Going strictly from internet info, a balloon notam will look something like this...
"High altitude balloon release 5.49 WNW of KAGC, E/SE bound reaching Flight Level 600 (60,000 feet) on June 6. Launching time between 1200 and 1300Z. E/SE direction of drift. Landing time no later than 1700Z"
Anybody else had any interesting encounters?
"C-FFPH, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Sunwing Airlines, was conducting flight SWG746
from Toronto/Lester B. Pearson Intl (CYYZ), ON to Nassau/Lynden Pindling Intl (MYNN), Bahamas
with 6 crew members and 180 passengers on board. During cruise flight at FL360, approximately
395 nm north of MYNN, the flight crew reported a near miss with a weather balloon. The event was
reported to ATC, and the flight continued to destination without further incident."
Going strictly from internet info, a balloon notam will look something like this...
"High altitude balloon release 5.49 WNW of KAGC, E/SE bound reaching Flight Level 600 (60,000 feet) on June 6. Launching time between 1200 and 1300Z. E/SE direction of drift. Landing time no later than 1700Z"
Anybody else had any interesting encounters?
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Cambridge, England, EU
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I once maneuvered evasively in order to avoid what turned out to be a toy balloon that, presumably, some child had let go of. I don't think I noticed it in the NOTAMs.
In the 1980s,when at Eastern Radar,I saw a very slow moving primary return around Beeno (intersection of B1 &A37),so I asked one of the military controllers( they had a height-finding facility) to 'pull a height'.IIRC,it came back as around FL 200,and was thought to be a WX balloon.Fortunately there was no conflicting traffic at the time & it drifted off to the North East.
How far do weather balloons travel horizontally? It'll obviously depend on the winds.
I picked up some of their instrument/radio packages washed up on the beach, and the transmitter still worked, despite its time in salt water.
I picked up some of their instrument/radio packages washed up on the beach, and the transmitter still worked, despite its time in salt water.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
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I remember reading a story about an SR-71 pilot having a near encounter with a balloon at Mach 3.
Well, someone had to say it....
There’s a mass of Project Loon balloons over Peru/Ecuador at the moment. These a big balloons and you wouldn’t want to run into one of them.
Fortunately they’re at about FL600, but then they have to get there, and back down again!
Fortunately they’re at about FL600, but then they have to get there, and back down again!
Gnome de PPRuNe
Join Date: Jan 2002
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Something I'm unsure about posting elsewhere but RIP record breaking balloonist Julian Nott who has died after a safe landing and a subsequent ground accident.
