Close encounter with wx-balloon.

[AV8R-77]

Hello All,

Yesterday while en-route near Geneva at FL390 we spotted a large wx-balloon. We passed directly below and it was not more then 200ft above us.
I could clearly see the cable below with the wx-equipment attached.

Anyone else had such experience? Should I file a report? I did inform ATC and they were going to: "advise the authorities".
These balloons don't carry transponder like equipment and they are not visible on radar? I assume there is no way to track their position.

Did any a/c ever fly into a wx-balloon? What could happen?
Rgds,AV8R

[Denti]

Don't know how its done these days, weatherballoons used to have a radar reflector so you could track them and that way get information about winds aloft. Might be they exchanged that for GPS downlinked information though.

[Blockla]

I had a report from a pilot once having a near miss with one, he seemed pretty shaken as it only entered his field of vision at the closest point of 'near' impact.

When they compared the ATC radar against the Met dept tracking of the balloon launched some 15NM away they couldn't tell them apart... Big sky theory and all...

I would guess that any impact would be very minimal they are only latex and the transponder/reflector would weigh well under 1kg and are mostly hollow so would 'crumple' on impact. Still things struck in the wrong way can do amazing damage, ie moderately large birds...

Denti, I believe they do both in various locations, but AFAIK the balloons never show up on ATC scopes.

[pattern_is_full]

Looked something like this, did it?

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Entertainment/images-4/up-movie.jpg

you would think Blockla is about right - but at 500 kts soft stuff can become surprisingly hard - compressability and all that. And latex melting in a turbine hot section - I don't like that idea.

[wiggy]

Yep, had the same thing years ago over the US, close enough see the radar reflector and the insturment package quite clearly as it whizzed beneath the left wing. reported it to ATC, never heard anymore about it.

[muduckace]

There is one but published at 14k over marathon key in Florida.

[Dan Winterland]

A British charter company 757 (don't remeber which one) hit a balloon over spain a few years ago, think it diverted. Also a RAF Canberra hit one in the 70s and it put a dent in the leading edge of a wing.

The sonde part only weighs a few ounces and has a transponder so that it can be tracked and an instrument package to send back temperature information. It's designed to do minimal damage if struck.

[captainsmiffy]

...still don't like the thought of a deflated balloon wrapped around control surfaces....

[MarkerInbound]

It's not a weather ballon over Marathon.

[Max Angle]

Also had a VERY close encounter with one inbound to GVA a few years back, told ATC who didn't seem very interested. I must say I was quite surprised how big it was and also how fast it came up on us. Would the flightdeck windows have survived a direct hit of the instrument package I wonder?.

[Abbey Road]

I must say I was quite surprised how big it was and also how fast it came up on us. Or how fast you came up on the balloon? I don't think they have engines, you know? :ok:

[aterpster]

AV8R-77:
Did any a/c ever fly into a wx-balloon? What could happen?
Rgds,AV8R

I've seen a few in the flight levels over the U.S. over many years. I guess it's one of those things someone will do something about after a couple hundred folks are killed.

[Checkboard]

I've passed a few quite large, but obviously home made, (probably) hot air balloons (large plastic bags with what looked like a heat source slung underneath) at the mid twenties.

[halas]

A few near encounters, but the closest was on departure in IMC out of Brisbane climbing through about 800' and there to the left of the nose was a balloon! Missed it by about three metres.

The met office (BoM) release site is just off the extended centre line of runway 19, or was 13 years ago. Bizarre!

Biggest or most expanded was over central Australia at FL310 and it just looked huge off to the right of the aircraft. No deviation required in 8/8 clear sky.

halas

[ChristiaanJ]

I've passed a few quite large, but obviously home made, (probably) hot air balloons (large plastic bags with what looked like a heat source slung underneath) at the mid twenties.Seems you can buy these now (made in China, I think), as a feature for a big party for instance.
They've upped the score of recent UFO reports no end, it seems....., especially if they seem to "manoeuvre" due to different wind directions at different heights.

CJ

[Mariner]

Had an encounter with a wx-balloon some ten years ago. Same place as some of the other reporters; over Southern Germany, north of GVA. In the mid-thirties, missed it by a couple of meters. Bit of a scare actually. Reported it to ATC, but never heard anything about it.

So it happens occasionally. It was my only encounter in 25 yrs of flying. The big sky theory seems to work....

[AV8R-77]

So I understand it happens now and then.
But certainly not every day. Dozens of these balloons are launched across europe but the Sky is a BIG place......

Still I would not like to think what could have happend.
Image at NIGHT......out of nowhere a large BANG and vibration.
That would get the adrenaline flowing no?

Any regulations as to where, and how often these balloons are launched.
How long they stay airborne?

[Checkboard]

The flying club I was an instructor at used to run "Balloon bursting competitions". In these, a large gas filled balloon was released from the ground, and a circling (Piper warrior) above would attempt to burst it with wing of prop as is went by. Done it myself a few times, with no problem at all.


Different speeds and no instrument package, I know.

[ChristiaanJ]

Different speeds and no instrument package, I know.Question from a very ancient engineer...
It's not really the balloon....
I would have thought an encounter with the instrument package at the wrong height and in the wrong spot (like straight into an intake) would be not that different from a bird strike. If it can dent a Canberra's leading edge, it can make a mess inside an engine.
Does anybody have a description/spec of what is in the typical instrument package?

CJ

[Neon Circuits]

Heading North on the NW coast of France a few months ago came across one in the descent.

Came up on us fast and it was close - close enough to nearly warrant avoiding action. It looked as if it could do some damage!!

ATC - not interested...