FAASafety.gov - Distinguished Speakers Series: Lorraine Gabel, author of the book, 'Time Flies' Why Don't You?

A new event has been scheduled that meets your notification criteria on FAASafety.gov. Following is a brief overview of the event:
"Distinguished Speakers Series: Lorraine Gabel, author of the book, 'Time Flies' Why Don't You?"
Topic: History of aviation in the Portland area from the mid-1930s, and the development of airports in the eastern metropolitan area.
On Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Location:
Monmouth Public Library
168 Ecols St S

Monmouth, OR 97361
Select Number:
NM0927640
Description:
The story of Troh's Air Taxi, and the development of private and commercial aviation in the Portland area. A chronicle of aviation pioneer Henry Troh's legacy to aviation in Oregon - giving rides, teaching flying, and selling airplanes from 1931 to 1968. He also taught at Tex Rankin's Flight Academy in California.
To view further details and registration information for this event, click here.
The sponsor for this event is: FAA Ssfety Team

Corvallis Gazette Times Article

This article was posted on the OSU Today website.

"OSU students duck disaster, safely land balloon. In hindsight, it may have been an enterprise doomed by circumstance: Oregon State University students lost control of a hot air balloon Wednesday morning, although they managed to land it safely in the Timberhill area.

Witness Tiffany Chona, who contributed the above photograph, said she happened to look up and see the balloon as it drifted down to land at Buttercup Drive sometime between 7 a.m. 7:30 a.m. It caught her attention.

"It's not something you see every day in the neighborhood," she said.

Chona immediately spoke to the people in the balloon to see if they were OK. She learned that they were OSU students who had launched the balloon at Martin Luther King Park (formerly known as Walnut Park), but soon realized that something was wrong.

After a brief descent to the north, they managed to get it landed before approaching the heavily wooded area just north of town.

"Luckily, they didn't hit anything in the neighborhood," she said. Once it was clear that nobody was hurt, Chona said the mood was lighter.

"We teased them, (saying), 'Next time you land a hot air balloon in the neighborhood, it better not be Duck colors.'"

No official report of the incident could be found, and Chona said she didn't know the identity of the quick-thinking, fortunate balloon pilots. Anyone with more information about the incident is invited to call city editor Theresa Novak at 758-9527 or send e-mail to theresa.novak@lee.net."

BFA All General Meeting

If you are going to be in ABQ Oct 3, please join us for the All General Meeting of the BFA. This will be at the pilot tent 1:00 pm. You will get the chance to meet all of the board members and share your thoughts with the BFA.
If you can't attend, please check back here as I will be posting the highlights of the meeting.

On August 21, 2009, BFA Office Manager Sharon Ripperger, along with Jim and Connie Thompson counted the ballots and did the tally for the elections.

At Large
Kevin Knapp

North Central
Matt Fenster

Southeast
Don Edwards

2 new Pilots

Two new Private Pilots were added to the list of Northwest Pilots this week.

On September 1st Dale Justice was issued a Private Pilot Certificate following completion of his Practical Test with Tim Moon. Congratulations to both Dale and his instructor Cheryl Isaacs.

On September 2nd Robert Prinslow also was issued a Private Pilot Certificate following completion of his Practical Test with Tim Moon. Congratulations to both Robert and his instructor Roger Anderson.

No Competition at Albany

At last week's committee meeting we were informed that our insurance carrier has said we can not drop any object from any aircraft. This cuts out our baggie dropping on targets and the fixed wing aircraft flour bomb demonstration. For those of you who are bringing your "bears in a bag" -- please do so. We will set them up to be judged.

Grant County Balloon Event

The invitations have been sent out for the Grant County Balloon Festival in John Day, Oregon. This year there will be 15 balloons up from 12.It will be held Oct 23-25. We need experienced crew for this event. Please contact Cory or Greg Miller for more details

August Meeting to be held during the Loose Goose Rally in McMinnville

The August WAS meeting will be Sunday during the Loose Goose Rally at Evergreen Aviation in McMinnville. WAS will provide drinks as well some fruit platters. Please plan on attending. We will have a potluck style tailgate after the flight and conduct our monthly meeting during that time.

Jefferson Mint Festival

This morning 13 balloons lifted off from Jefferson High School in Jefferson Oregon for part of the Jefferson Mint Festival. Winds were calm and everyone enjoyed a wonderful flight. After the flight, many of the pilots and crew decorated their baskets and chase vehicles to take part in the parade.

Madras Event in August

Received the following today. If interested please contact them (not me). Thanks.

Hi,
We are inviting you and your balloon to participate In “The Air Show Of The Cascades” in Madras, Oregon August 21st and 22nd.

We have limited resources, but would be able to supply some propane, and possibly more. Would anybody be interested in joining us on either day? We would also like to host a balloon for doing tether rides? Would anybody be willing to do that?

Please contact myself, Amber Sanders at amber@danddrealtygroup.com , or Butch Roberts at butch@proairservices.com

Thanks,
Delita Cordes pc
D and D Realty Group LLC
60 SE 6th Street
Madras, Oregon 97741
541-475-3030
http://www.danddrealtygroup.com/
delita@danddrealtygroup.com

PZ's

The area east of I-5 and South of 205 is a known caution area. A number of landowners in this area notified the Tigard Festival this year that Balloons were not welcome due to high value crop production and prior abuse by Balloonists.

The newest PZ reported by a Festival Pilot is
Larson Farm Nursery” near the corner of SW 65th on Stafford Rd.
The Balloon crew approached the owner after the balloon landed asking permission to retrieve the system. The owner said they didn’t want balloons landing there because of the previous problems with past balloonists running thru their nursery and disrupting their business.

Please use caution flying in this area. Click on the link below to see a map of the area.
http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=11nzbrwk

Out with the Paper...

News from FAA Safety:
Paper Pilot Certificates to ExpireNotice Number: NOTC1741
Remember that the paper pilot certificates that you have in your wallet must be replaced by the new plastic certificates by March 31, 2010.
FAR 61.19(h) reads: (h) Duration of pilot certificates. Except for a temporary certificate issued under §61.17 or a student pilot certificate issued under paragraph (b) of this section, the holder of a paper pilot certificate issued under this part may not exercise the privileges of that certificate after March 31, 2010.
If your Social Security number is your pilot certificate number you can go to this link and download the form to get a new certificate without charge: http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/media/8060-56.pdf
If your pilot certificate does not contain your Social Security number, you have two options to obtain a new plastic certificate:1. You can apply on-line by going to this link and the fee is $2.00: https://amsrvs.registry.faa.gov/amsrvs/ReqAcct.asp or,2. You can fill out the paper form and mail it to the Airman Registry and the fee is $2.00. Go to this link for the form and address: http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/media/8060-56.pdf
If you have questions concerning the process call your local FSDO office. Note: If your email program does not allow you to open the links in this Notice, please go to FAASafety.gov and view this Notice under the "FAASTeam Notices" link.

WAS July meeting Jefferson Mint Festival

The July meeting will be after the flight on Saturday July 25th during the Jefferson Mint Festival.
WAS will provide pop and water as well as some cakes as well. Please plan on attending both the festival and the WAS meeting

BFA Elections

Soon it will be time to elect new directors for the BFA. Positions open this year are Southeast, North Central, and one Director at large.

I would like to direct your attention first to the 'new' BFA Web Site www.BFA.Net , then to the Candidate's statements for the Director At Large opening. Kevin Knapp is one of three candidates and in my opinion would be a very positive influence helping the BFA in the future. I encourage you to consider voting for Kevin.

Of course in order to vote, you must be a BFA member. If you are not, now's a great time to join and cast your vote.

BFA Western Region Directorship

You may know that our own Cory Miller lost being elected last fall to the BFA board by just 3 votes to Gary Eaton. Gary was forced for medical reasons to recently resign the position of Western Region Director. When this happens the BFA Board appoints someone to complete the term.

At Thursday's WAS's BBQ/Meeting it was announced that Cory was being considered for the Position. Paul Cheatham, a visiting Pilot from California, also announced that he was being considered. At this point I was beginning to look forward to some serious arm wrestling or some other form of entertainment to settle this situation. Paul settled it by saying he was declining and throwing his support to Cory.

Later, Cory received a call from the BFA Board announcing his appointment to the position of BFA Western Director to complete Gary Eaton's term.

WAY TO GO CORY ! Congratulations and I hope you're looking forward to some exciting times ahead. I belive this shatters the glass ceiling that dictated that only 'Pilots' were qualified to sit on the board.

Allstate Festival of Balloons

Thursday nights "BBQ" was a bit different this year as one of the Festival's Sponsors, California Kitchen, catered the dinner. Everyone enjoyed a variety of Pizza's, breads and salads. Many thanks to Cory for organizing the evening and to WAS members for your help and participation.

Festival flights occured on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We got 'weathered out' on Friday. The weekend flights gave our communities a great show with the balloons scattering over a wide area. The 'record' for long distance was a toss up between Bill Woodhead flying WWJD to Canby on Saturday, and Michael Blum flying Betty Bovine to Gladstone on Sunday with a splash and dash in Lake Oswego along the way.

Both Friday and Saturday's night glows came off great. With less than perfect conditions we stood up the Corporate Balloons on Friday and scattered other baskets around the field. On Saturday everyone who participated stood up their balloons a little before dark and had a wonderful time entertaining the crowd. Darren Kling (ReMax), Kevin Knapp (Mayflower) and Michael Blum (Beemster Cheese) lined their balloons across the field and did an all-in-one stand up. Once they were up the remainder of the field stood up their balloons.

Our own Laura Hancock received the Brick Morgan Memorial Sportsmanship Award for delighting neighborhood kids with tethered rides after landing in their neighborhood on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday she entertained the kids for over an hour and half until her fuel tanks ran dry. Way to show the "Ballooning Spirit" Laura.

Many thanks to all our members who participated in one form or another. See y'all next year.

Allstate Festival of Balloons

Today amid the mist and raindrops another successful crew school was held for those volunteering to crew at the Allstate Festival of Balloons next weekend.
One more giant step toward next weekend's fun filled activities.

Many thanks go to Marilyn Barnhart and Judy Ell for their work to recruit, organize and assign our volunteers.

A special thanks to Carmen Blakely and Cheryl Isaacs for conducting the school.

And of course thanks to Jesse Rafn who was 'recruited' to be the crew chief and pilot for the on hands inflation demonstration.

Well done. Thanks everyone.

Jim Smith
Director, Balloon Operations
Festival Of Balloons In Tigard
Tigard, Oregon
www.TigardBalloon.org
(503) 590-5250
Jim@pachigh.com

Jefferson Mint Festival Flyout

Arrangements have been made to have a informal balloon flyout as an added attraction to the Jefferson Mint Festival, flying from the Jefferson High School. Date is July 25th. There are no sponsors -- i.e., no money for pilots. However, rides will be offered to the public at $180/person. I will be putting up handbills around town. Pilots and crew are welcome to camp out at the LeDouxs -- just let us know. After the flyout those that want to will join the parade. So plan on some decorations. Theme is "150 Years of Hoppiness." Website is www.mintfestival.com. Let Marianne (541-327-2907) know if you plan to come and how many paying passengers you would like (or arrange for your own paying passengers).

Breaking News

Special shape "Arky" is coming to the Albany rally on Saturday August 29th. In today's economy this ia a very big boost for the event. We are so excited and a big thank you to Bill Woodhead who is the owner, pilot and driving force to make this happen.

Memorial Day at Jefferson

I just gotta say -- we have the very best pilots and crew here in the PNW! Seven balloons flew from Jefferson High School on Monday. Due to the critical time of the year for crops, the landing sites were the Albany airport, Timber Linn Park or several small areas around the airport. Four landed on the airport in a nice neat row, two landed in park and the other made it to a manufactured home park. We had very fast upper winds - reports of 19, 22, 26 mph. The flights were fast and short, time-wise. About 7 miles as the crow files. We ended the morning with a nice after flight brunch at local crew John and Margie's house. Thank you to all, you made me proud.

Walla Walla Balloon Stampede Day 2 and 3

Saturday Evening, about 7 balloons gathered in hopes of having an afternoon flight. The winds were forcasted to start dying off as it got later into the day. Around 6:00 pm winds were pretty light and so the inflating began. We had an amazing afternoon flight that lasted about an hour.
The glow was a huge success. Winds were down to about 1-2 for the glow.
Sunday Morning winds were around 2-3 for the launch. All balloons lifted off and many had the chance to land and trade out passengers. Many of the balloons again landed at the airport.
A huge thank you to Jerry Cummings for all of his countless hours in putting this together. He worked with the chamber to help them run an excellent event. Also, a huge thank you to all of the volunteer crew that came out day and night to help this event become a success. We could not have done it without you.

WAS Balloons is now on Twitter

If you have Twitter look for WAS Balloons on Twitter. I will keep this pretty current. This will be great for club functions and flights

Walla Walla Balloon Stampede

This is the 35th year of the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede. This year, close to 40 balloons will partake in the festival.
We arrived late Thursday night. Friday morning rolled around pretty fast and we headed to the launch field. Every year, they have all of the balloons go to various schools around Walla Walla and launch from there. 5-6 balloons per school.

The forecast winds were a little faster than most felt comfortable in, but there were 7 balloons that launched and had a great flight. Most of the balloons landing at the airport.

Day 2 of the event- Saturday- Winds were a lot calmer from yesterday. All 40 balloons were together for todays launch. 2 waves to get them all of the ground. Gentle winds at takeoff but at the landing they were beginning to pick up. Most of the balloons landed at the airport just off the runway. Now comes the adventure- getting to the balloon at the airport. If you have never flown here, they have a crew class that tells how to gain access to the airport. Since it is an active runway, you have to be escorted back to the balloon and then once packed up if the escort vehicle is not around, you must turn towards the tower with your headlights on. He will then come and escort you. Since most of the balloons landed there today, They had several escort vehicles coming and going.
The weather looks good for afternoon flights tonight and looks great for the glow.
Check back tomorrow and I will report on the afternoon flights, glow, and Sunday's Flight

April 26th

Another light and variable flight today. 4 Balloons launched from the field and had a quite pleasant flight to the Northeast. Varying speeds and steerage made for a very enjoyable flight. Three of us landed within a hundred yards or so from each other and the other was having so much fun they flew a bit further.

The fields are as Barb says in their full "WOW" stage. The Festival has been extended one more week so let's hope for good weather for one more fantastic flight over the Tulips.

Tulip Festival extended

Due to the lateness of the blooms, the Wooden Shoe is extending the festival thru May 3rd.

Gives us one more weekend to get flights in from there.

Keep your hopes up for flyable weather next weekend.