Balloon crash
Spicy Meatball
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Liverpool UK
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Yes, I had a think about this on the way home from work, and I believe that I was thinking of commercial airlines. I have been involved in two incidents so far in a car, neither of which resulted in serious injury - just a big excess bill. I would say that minor problems with a car may be dismissible, for example if you have a flat tyre, you just pull over and change it, whereas if you have one in flight, it can be very dangerous, even more so for a commercial airliner, where we have 350 people on board.
Examples only, but they illustrate my point (hopefully).
Regards,
Maz.
Examples only, but they illustrate my point (hopefully).
Regards,
Maz.
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Thanks guys
Even though I'm not heading till December I just got most of my ground itinerary sorted yesterday. Looks like the company I'm going with run the balloon trip from Christchurch (one thing exciting about the place). Hope I'll be able to fit it in cause I've two trips running from Christchurch, the TranzAlpine Railway & of course Hanmer Springs. I believe one is supposed to do it early in the morning before the atmosphere heats up & it gets lumpy & bumpy up there. A westerly wind blowing from Christchurch will be no bad thing, if it was a friggin easterly the next bit of land I might spot could be South America.
Looks like I'm going to need a rest after this holiday.
Even though I'm not heading till December I just got most of my ground itinerary sorted yesterday. Looks like the company I'm going with run the balloon trip from Christchurch (one thing exciting about the place). Hope I'll be able to fit it in cause I've two trips running from Christchurch, the TranzAlpine Railway & of course Hanmer Springs. I believe one is supposed to do it early in the morning before the atmosphere heats up & it gets lumpy & bumpy up there. A westerly wind blowing from Christchurch will be no bad thing, if it was a friggin easterly the next bit of land I might spot could be South America.
Looks like I'm going to need a rest after this holiday.
Awesome but Affordable
Omaha,
I really do think you got your easterly and westerly reversed. There was a tragic balloon accident near Christchurch, NZ a few years ago when a commercial rides balloon ditched some distance offshore when unable to land before being drifted out to sea in a westerly wind. The pilot had a reputation of pushing his luck a little probably due to commercial pressure. He learned the hard way that liberties are not to be taken with passengers lives.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
I really do think you got your easterly and westerly reversed. There was a tragic balloon accident near Christchurch, NZ a few years ago when a commercial rides balloon ditched some distance offshore when unable to land before being drifted out to sea in a westerly wind. The pilot had a reputation of pushing his luck a little probably due to commercial pressure. He learned the hard way that liberties are not to be taken with passengers lives.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
Join Date: Dec 2004
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G-KEST
Thank you for that information. Do you know the name of the commercial operation he worked for?
Why are you so angry about it mate, looks like it must have affected you personally.
Thank you for that information. Do you know the name of the commercial operation he worked for?
Why are you so angry about it mate, looks like it must have affected you personally.
Awesome but Affordable
Omaha -
Before I retired in 1998 I had been head of the operational regulation of general aviation at the CAA for nearly 12 years.
Back in the late 1980's there was a balloon accident in the UK where a passenger broke her back and was paralysed. Arguably the weather conditions were marginal; but in any case it would have been hard to avoid an almost invisible set of telephone lines since the poles were hidden in trees. The accident was not reported at the time to either the AAIB or the CAA so no investigative action took place before it was outside the statute of limitations due to the time delay.
At that time there was no commercial ballooning in the UK and no CPL(B) so definately no public transport in the form of paying for a passenger flight. The operator was not insured so the passenger got no compensation as the operator was the proverbial "man of straw" so not worth sueing in the civil courts.
As a result I ramrodded through a proposal to enable properly regulated and legal commercial ballooning which led to the CPL(B), transport category balloon CofA's and a balloon AOC system.
For the last 15 or so years there has been around 60,000 passenger flights each year, largely free of incident and still less of injury. Getting on for a million passengers flown and but one sad fatality, to the best of my recollection, so an enviable safety record This as a result of the BBAC and the commercial balloon operators association efforts along with the oversight provided by the CAA; though no doubt good fortune had a part to play as in all forms of aviation.
The NZ pilot involved had, it would seem, a notorious reputation for flying passengers in virtually any conditions. Probably in the dreadful interest of making as much money as was possible. A tragedy resulted.
The NZ CAA has now tightened the strings in this aspect of what they term "adventure aviation" so a repeat is unlikely.
Hope this clears up the reason for my passion on the subject.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
Before I retired in 1998 I had been head of the operational regulation of general aviation at the CAA for nearly 12 years.
Back in the late 1980's there was a balloon accident in the UK where a passenger broke her back and was paralysed. Arguably the weather conditions were marginal; but in any case it would have been hard to avoid an almost invisible set of telephone lines since the poles were hidden in trees. The accident was not reported at the time to either the AAIB or the CAA so no investigative action took place before it was outside the statute of limitations due to the time delay.
At that time there was no commercial ballooning in the UK and no CPL(B) so definately no public transport in the form of paying for a passenger flight. The operator was not insured so the passenger got no compensation as the operator was the proverbial "man of straw" so not worth sueing in the civil courts.
As a result I ramrodded through a proposal to enable properly regulated and legal commercial ballooning which led to the CPL(B), transport category balloon CofA's and a balloon AOC system.
For the last 15 or so years there has been around 60,000 passenger flights each year, largely free of incident and still less of injury. Getting on for a million passengers flown and but one sad fatality, to the best of my recollection, so an enviable safety record This as a result of the BBAC and the commercial balloon operators association efforts along with the oversight provided by the CAA; though no doubt good fortune had a part to play as in all forms of aviation.
The NZ pilot involved had, it would seem, a notorious reputation for flying passengers in virtually any conditions. Probably in the dreadful interest of making as much money as was possible. A tragedy resulted.
The NZ CAA has now tightened the strings in this aspect of what they term "adventure aviation" so a repeat is unlikely.
Hope this clears up the reason for my passion on the subject.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
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Indeed it does sir.
'Up, up and Away' are the operators I will be using should I be able to squeeze it in. Wonder did said pilot work for that joint.
I suppose if one wants to indulge in these type of experiences they have to accept there is an element of risk.
'Up, up and Away' are the operators I will be using should I be able to squeeze it in. Wonder did said pilot work for that joint.
I suppose if one wants to indulge in these type of experiences they have to accept there is an element of risk.
