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I think I'm one of the more experienced (or only?) balloon pilots here (If someone wants to amend my op from "Canada - PP, glider, hot-air" to "Canada/USA/Kenya - PP, glider, hot-air CPL" that would update the last 7ish years) So I can definitely give some answers.Riatsala posted:gusts of 7-10 miles per hour, with a wet field. Balloons really hate strong winds. In North America. maximum speed balloons will launch at is 8-10kt of a constant wind. Less if it's gusty. Maximum takeoff wind also really depends on the launch site and landing areas. If it's windy and you have a tight launch site, the balloon is going to be swinging around, potentially hitting other balloons/objects. Obviously, that's not ideal. When you have a wide open launch site, you can get away with a bit stronger winds. There's also other factors in the launch site, like if it's in a hollow between a bunch of trees, so the winds swirl and don't give a consistent direction. During inflation, strong winds will push on the balloon, and force air out. If you don't have strong enough inflation fans, or if there's gusts or direction changes, it's possible that you can't even get the balloon inflated. And it'll still be difficult to get it to stand up. With an ideal launch site, you can get away with taking off in very strong winds (Here in Kenya, I've taken off in 25kt of wind. This wouldn't be possible -or advised- to do anywhere else) but that's also using a big balloon (400,000+ cu ft) of a design without in-flight vents (which makes it easier to stand up, but only suitable in areas where aggressive maneuvering isn't required) Landing is the other issue. If you're flying in an urban area, you really don't want to be landing in more than 3-5mph of wind. That'll let you get in to tight spots (In Vegas, landing in a cul-de-sac wasn't uncommon.) With wide open landing areas, landing speed shouldn't be an issue. I've landed at 25+ knots, you just need the room to drag out. If you were there in the morning, the general rule of thumb is that the winds will increase, so you'll be landing faster than you took off. The wet field is also an issue. Balloons don't necessarily know where they're going, so they need to be chased by a vehicle. If the landing areas are wet, you can't drive in to them, which means carrying out the balloon by hand. Being a festival is probably a big factor too. Festivals will include many pilots of varying skill and experience. A festival usually puts all control in to one (experienced, usually local) organizer, called a balloonmeister. They make the call whether there will be a flight or not. A good balloonmeister knows that calling a flight on in iffy conditions is going to put some people in danger. Riatsala posted:Are balloons really just that fragile? I admit I only have the vaguest idea of how a hot air balloon even operates, or how much control the pilot has over it. Seems like a rather unrewarding hobby. Fragile isn't the right word for balloons. I've landed harder, and hit things that would completely destroy any other aircraft. I intentionally hit trees daily (Brush through them with the basket). Sensitive might be a better word? We're a lot more effected by any change in conditions, compared to other aircraft. For example, I was flying in Orlando not too long ago, and if the wind changed 5 degrees and/or 3kt, I was in major trouble. SW Orlando has very, very few places to land, and the rest is either Disney (which has a TFR over it and an army of lawyers) or swamp (gator-infested, huge, balloon destroying trees). So if my direction and/or speed changes, I might miss my only landing site because of it. A balloon pilot's only control is vertically. We have no way of turning left or right, unless the wind at a different altitude is going that way. Some mornings I can go in any direction, even landing back at my launch site. Some evenings there is absolutely no change in wind direction for thousands of feet of altitude, so I'm just going straight ahead and trying to find somewhere safe. Navigating a balloon is very much an art, and while you can get a balloon licence in a short time, it takes years and a whole lot of experience to be able to get where you want to go. Unrewarding isn't true at all. Imagine the feeling of taking off, flying 20 miles, and landing within 5 yards of where you wanted to be an hour ago, using only the feel of the wind to get you there. No steering wheel, no directional control, just the seat of your pants. You really feel in tune with the world (Or that you've bent nature to your will). I've flown everything except a blimp, and there's nothing else like a good balloon flight. For a lot of balloon pilots, it's no hobby. I'm a professional, commercial balloon pilot. I've been offered and taken jobs on almost every continent. I'm well compensated for it too. I've never flown for just fun. I highly recommend going for a balloon flight when you get a chance. If anyone has any questions about balloons, I can answer them.
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Jun 22, 2017 09:44
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Animal posted:I just wanna know how much you make so I can tell my regional pilot friends to become balloon pilots Starting salary where I am is usually around $60k, with accommodations and food all paid. Usually adds a stipend of local cash to pay for other things. The only thing I spend money on is booze, internet (only available as 3g cell connection or satellite) and transportation (though I still don't own a car here). And the occasional food luxury, like flying pizza in from Nairobi, or anything that the lodge can't provide (I live at a 4 star resort, so food is decent, but repetitive.)
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Jun 22, 2017 12:49
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MrYenko posted:Epic-level unexpected content posting. I don't know the US numbers, but there's only about 200 balloon licenses in Canada. And maybe 1/4 of those licenses are used more than 4 times a year. I'd estimate that there's maybe 30 people who fly professionally.
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Jun 22, 2017 16:23
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helno posted:Hey I was going through my ultralight thread a while back and noticed a comment you had made that went right over my head at the time you made it. Awkward email sent. Also, Desi, I'm pretty sure I know your chief pilot, if you're flying MU-2s out of YQT. Tall guy? Looks like Inspector Gadget?
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Jun 25, 2017 15:26
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Arson Daily posted:I once had a student from Kenya who was very proud of his Cessna 152 and 172 type ratings. I guess you had to have a type for every make and model over there. Every year you need to account for every hour you've flown on every single aircraft. All handwritten. And each of those "type ratings" probably came with a great certificate and probably a ceremony. Kenyan paperwork is ridiculous. The stuff I've gone through with the KCAA would make you laugh to the point of crying. K: "you need X document" Me: "that document does not exist, here is the law proving it" K: "you don't tell me how to do my job. I know the document does not exist, but you need it" Me: ".... Um OK?" (hand over document that's mildly related, with the title scratched out and the title of the document they want written in) K: "OK, this will do"
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Jun 30, 2019 09:28
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Some drama in my old stomping grounds: Dash 8 hits two wildebeest and kills them. No human casualties, definitely an uncommon accident.
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Aug 16, 2019 22:24
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PT6A posted:Yeah that’s where I’m heading, I think. I don’t know. What I want is for instructing to be an honest flying job, I do enjoy it, but I’m loving sick of being treated like a loving commodity. I still respect the gently caress out of my primary CPL instructor and I want the opportunity to be “that guy” to one or more students. And I don’t want to leave my current students in a lurch. Have you applied to Wasaya or Northstar? I imagine they're probably desperate for pilots. They have most of the Mounties fixed wing fleet in their fleet, so you could get your ratings and hours. I knew people who worked for Wasaya back in the day and they weren't completely terrible them (also not great, but sounds better than your current instructing gig). I bet you could get right seat in a PC-12 pretty quickly. Of course that means living in Thunder Bay, but it could be worse.
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Feb 24, 2020 16:40
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PT6A posted:Honestly I’d probably try to stay local if possible, but now that I’m over 1000 hours and I’m basically one night rental (if necessary) away from ATPL PIC requirements, I think I have options. I know of a single guy of the 20+ pilots I went to school with, who actually stayed local for their entire career so far (about 15ish max years now). Most of them moved somewhere far from home by their second aviation job, and then moved back 10ish years later, if they hadn't established lives in other places. I started in Southern Ontario, spent a few years on the prairies then went to Kenya and the US for a few years, and now live in Gander, NL of all places. That's not to say that staying local is impossible, but it's hard mode if you're looking for any speed of advancement.
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Feb 24, 2020 21:22
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PT6A posted:Yeah, I’m realistic about the fact that I am limiting myself to a degree, but I’m 30 and I own my place and I have an established second job I don’t want to give up entirely until I’m making a decent salary from flying alone. At least Calgary has a lot of available positions with a variety of different operators. Those are understandable reasons. I thought you were a full time instructor. And there are worse places to be than Calgary for that.
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Feb 25, 2020 01:24
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I had a guy in Orlando that shot fireworks at balloons that flew near his house (he was maybe 500m from one of the few decent landing sites). He got multiple visits from the FAA but it never stopped him.
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Feb 26, 2020 02:02
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PT6A posted:Some letters should just not go together. C-GGPP operates nearby and that is an absolute fucker to say clearly. ‘PP’ is a cursed combination. Some poor fucker probably has C-GPPP too. I'm in training with NavCan to do IFR enroute right now, and most of the Canadian registrations we deal with in the simulator are specifically designed to be the most annoying ones to say. And all the airline numbers after the call signs are made to be similar. gently caress you ACA113 and ACA1113
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Mar 8, 2020 14:39
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My ATC training is suspended for a month. At least we're getting paid. A buddy of mine recently left WS and was hired at AC and they've outright canceled his training, so he's out of a job for a while.
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Mar 17, 2020 03:23
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Charles posted:Are Canadian pilots chuds too? 💩 Can confirm.
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Jul 19, 2021 18:34
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Maksimus54 posted:You'll want a couple books too, I know Canada can be a little different from US standards but the Airplane Flying Handbook put out by the FAA has been helpful to me. The standard ground school book in Canada is From The Ground Up. Should be available in any flight school too.
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Aug 6, 2021 00:02
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hobbesmaster posted:I’m sitting at the gate next to the first air Canada flight of the morning from the US and there’s a big discussion between the gate agent and crew about whether someone was sleeping on the plane overnight. I don’t know about overnight, but at the airport I worked at (for the other big Canadian carrier) when we had an international flight with a crew change, we had to keep at least one employee onboard the aircraft at all times, or they’d have to do a full search of the aircraft. So we obviously did that on turns. It doesn’t seem like it’d be a good solution for overnight. It’d be cheaper to pay multiple people to search the plane than to pay someone to sleep an entire night onboard.
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Apr 24, 2022 17:13
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cigaw posted:Anyone got recommendations for earpro? Specifically something to wear on the ramp during pre and post-flight, preferably in ear. I used the Radians diy custom molds. Was easy to do, worked well. I don’t recommend the “tan” colour. They just look icky once they’re molded. Like a cut off tumor.
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Jul 6, 2022 20:34
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KodiakRS posted:I've always wondered how annoyed farmers get when a glider randomly shows up in their corn/soy/whatever field. I’ve never landed a glider off-airport, but for balloons it’s second only to safety. When you’re looking for a place to land, the first thing is safety. Will you damage your aircraft or anything on the ground? That includes crops, as farmers really don’t like it when you land in a planted/growing field. You could also damage the field and/or the recovery vehicle if it’s too soft or wet. Sometimes you’ll have to pay compensation depending on how much damage you do if you do end up in crop. Also, some people are just shitnuts and will threaten to shoot you (or sometimes shoot at you) if you appear on the or land without permission. Those people tend to become known to everyone very quickly. That’s when accessibility issues like fences and whether the landowner is on site to give permission to enter become a factor. I’ve landed in places where I found out after I’m down that the only way in is by crossing a stream (which may nor may not be possible, depending on how much it rained recently.) Locked gates are a constant issue. If I’m having any sort of an emergency, then I’ll land anywhere safe (though accessibility matters, depending on the type of emergency). But in regular practice I’m constantly looking ahead and evaluating the quality of the landing sites I have. I’ll usually try my best to have my chase vehicle get ahead of me and get the crew to give me an assessment of the field/site and it’s access, then get permission to enter. It’s not always possible to do that, especially if it’s a fast day. It’s not uncommon to land somewhere and then be told you can’t bring a vehicle in and you have to carry the balloon out by hand. It sucks a lot, they’re not light.
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Jul 31, 2022 20:10
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The only way I could see that claim being true is someone who'd grown up around aircraft and had been flying/riding along for their whole life undocumented, then finally actually getting the paperwork done. But I'd only expect this somewhere really backwoods, like the middle of Alaska or something.
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Jan 4, 2023 17:04
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Rolo posted:Or they just have several hundred hours of documented student pilot time. Yeah. Either way it's at best disingenuous to advertise that as possible for AB initio students
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Jan 4, 2023 19:45
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My guess would be it was for traffic. According to FR24, there’s a FlyOne a319 from Tbilisi on descent for the opposite direction on the runway it just took off. The 360 got Wizz out of the way and above it’s approach path.  
St_Ides fucked around with this message at 15:48 on Mar 7, 2023 |
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Mar 7, 2023 15:40
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You can add flight dispatch to mine
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Jul 7, 2023 02:23
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 10:55 |
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Canada/USA/Kenya - PP, glider, hot-air CPL, RPAS, Dispatch. Italics are additions for me.
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Oct 7, 2023 17:04
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