Category Archives: balloons

Postings related to ballooning

The Lake 2012: Day 1: Back to the Burners

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Falcon124

It’s just before 6am and everyone’s staggering into the briefing room for the first welcome & weather briefing. Morning briefing on Day 1 always starts a bit earlier & runs a bit longer so we can get the overview & … Continue reading →

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The Lake 2012: Day 0: It’s a Bloody Long Drive!

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Falcon124

They say that every journey starts with a single step & my first step to get to Mildura was getting to the Picture This Ballooning shed before 6am to pick up the Toyota Troopy 4WD & balloon I was taking … Continue reading →

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Going to “The Lake”

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Falcon124

The Australian Ballooning Federation are working with the Mildura International Balloon Fiesta to host “The Lake” event at Lake Cullulleraine near Mildura in the “Mallee” region of north-west Victoria. If you’re wondering just where that might be, check out the … Continue reading →

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2010-07-04 – Halo on the Clouds – Mildura – VH-BLQ (77)

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Falcon124

This was my first flight with Pete Wright (my other instructor) and included a climb to 4,000′ AGL where we found ourselves above a thin layer of stratus, seeing our shadow on the cloud with a rainbow halo around the … Continue reading →

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2010-07-03 – Shifting Evening Winds – Mildura – VH-BLQ (77)

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Falcon124

This was an afternoon flight where the light winds shifted dramatically part way through, making us reassess our route & target landing spot. I was at Mildura as part of the Australian Ballooning Federation’s “The Lake 2010” event Here’s my … Continue reading →

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2010-07-03 – First Lesson – Mildura – VH-BLQ (77)

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Falcon124

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 … Continue reading →

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Introducing “Flight Notes”

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Falcon124

As part of my balloon flight training, my instructors have asked me to write up notes about each flight, highlighting what was good, what I learned, questions & what wasn’t so good. The idea is that this will help solidify … Continue reading →

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Safety Through Information

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Falcon124

I recently gave a presentation at the Balloon Association of Victoria’s “Safety Seminar” on obtaining information to stay safe when flying balloons. This information is published on my site as the Safety Through Information article and is also available as … Continue reading →

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Crappy Weather

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Falcon124

We’ve been getting through some rather crappy weather for the past two months. Lots of wind and rain with the occasional good weather day sneaking in here and there. I crewed the hot air balloons again last weekend and could … Continue reading →

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Fog, Balloons and some Lilydale Airport Action

Posted on May 24, 2009 by Falcon124

The other morning I was crewing hot air balloons out in the Yarra Valley. It was very foggy so the drive out was “interesting” and we spent a couple of hours waiting for it to lift. While it was very … Continue reading →

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