The CHEYENNE, WY HOT AIR BALLOON CLUB was established in September 1981 by Nan Ourada as a non-profit organization for hot air balloonists and crews. CHABC promotes public interest in hot air balloon aviation and actively participates in hot air balloon rallies across the United States. We always welcome new members and fellow balloonists to join us as we enjoy safe hot air ballooning at its best.
Cheyenne Hot Air Balloon Club
Tower at Northern Colorado Regional (Fort Collins/Loveland) airport
Below are our guidelines for operating within the airspace of Northern Colorado Regional (KFNL). Please note that our launch sites in Windsor are within this airspace (or very close) so this will apply to most flights from Windsor and many from Fort Collins. For planes, they request contact within 3-6 miles of the tower controlled airspace, so we should really adhere to the guidelines below if we are anywhere in that vicinity. Here they are:
Please feel free to call or email with questions (contact info below). I am happy to help you practice radio communications, or go through a refresher on calling flight service for your pre-flight briefing.
Rachel Metzgar
970-402-1583
Rachelmae2@hotmail.com
Dan Griffin
970-667-2246
dan@nocow.net
Also, should you have any specific inquiries regarding tower operations, here is contact information for the tower manager:
Barry Dishman
Air Traffic Manager
Northern Colorado Regional Airport
Barry.Dishman@serco-na.com
As luck would have it, the May/June issue of the FAA Safety Briefing magazine has some very good articles about communication among aircraft and ground stations and Flight Service and such.
Here is the web site address for all Safety Briefing magazines: https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/
Tower at Northern Colorado Regional (Fort Collins/Loveland) airport
Below are our guidelines for operating within the airspace of Northern Colorado Regional (KFNL). Please note that our launch sites in Windsor are within this airspace (or very close) so this will apply to most flights from Windsor and many from Fort Collins. For planes, they request contact within 3-6 miles of the tower controlled airspace, so we should really adhere to the guidelines below if we are anywhere in that vicinity. Here they are:
- Please call the tower the day before you fly to let them know your departure time and location, "destination" (the area you are hoping to fly in), and expected altitude (in our case, they are aware we don't always know so a general range is ok).
- The tower number is 970-962-2867.
- Very important: Call flight service for a briefing and get the NOTAMs that apply to our airspace. The tower expects to open at 8 am most of the time, but this can change at any time.
- In flight, have your aircraft radio on at 118.4. The old channel does not operate any longer. Once the tower opens, if you are within or near the airspace, alert them to your location, altitude, etc. and then monitor the frequency. Again, this applies when you are within 3-6 miles of the tower-controlled airspace.
- To address the tower over the radio, use “NoCo Tower”
- At many times of year, we are launching close to or within their hours of operation so please call the tower the day before and again the morning of, prior to your flight, with the same information as above (launch time and location, expected direction, and expected altitude, which will be more accurate after seeing the pibal). Again, use your radio to contact the tower after launching if you are within their operating hours.
Please feel free to call or email with questions (contact info below). I am happy to help you practice radio communications, or go through a refresher on calling flight service for your pre-flight briefing.
Rachel Metzgar
970-402-1583
Rachelmae2@hotmail.com
Dan Griffin
970-667-2246
dan@nocow.net
Also, should you have any specific inquiries regarding tower operations, here is contact information for the tower manager:
Barry Dishman
Air Traffic Manager
Northern Colorado Regional Airport
Barry.Dishman@serco-na.com
As luck would have it, the May/June issue of the FAA Safety Briefing magazine has some very good articles about communication among aircraft and ground stations and Flight Service and such.
Here is the web site address for all Safety Briefing magazines: https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/