This was my first instructional flight in a hot air balloon.
I was at Mildura as part of the Australian Ballooning Federation’s “The Lake 2010” event
Here’s my notes from the flight:
- Paul’s FICOM check process
- Cold, crisp conditions with steady light winds
- Inflated under Paul’s guidance & did a “3 Bounce” take off:
- Stay on the ground line
- Inflate & get lift
- Let it return to the ground
- Repeat 3 times
- Launch on peak of next lift
- Lets you identify false lift
- Went to about 2,000′ to check direction of winds aloft
- Wasn’t totally comfortable at altitude (“the voice”)
- Back down to low level again – skimming the ground was great fun
- Stand up landing in a field
- Got out and rode with the chase crew so Cynthia could get in & fly the second hop
- Elation to be flying at last
- So much to learn
- Paul’s “count the balloons” method for keeping track of others
