Welcome to the ballooning safety resource page. Please check out the multiple resources and links we have for ballooning safety. The Cheyenne Hot Air Balloon Club works hard to promote safety throughout the Wyoming ballooning community. Through regular meetings, discussions, seminars and electronic methods, the CHABC is dedicated to making ballooning a safer sport.
Slides from the April 19, 2021 Lighter Than Air Outreach Series - Propane/Fire Safety
The first set of slides was the introduction
Propane Safety Slide Show
Safety Seminars
Great Eastern Balloon Association and the LTA Colorado Safety Seminar - March 5, 2022
As much as we wanted it to be different this year, the pandemic is going to get in the way of another in-person seminar.
The Great Eastern Balloon Association (GEBA) is hosting a virtual Zoom meeting again this year on Saturday, March 5th. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience with virtual seminars, and are prepared for an even better seminar than last year. This seminar will be BFA sanctioned and will begin at 6:30am for us in the Mountain Time Zone. They have graciously provided a link so that we can register for only $20!
We will have 2 hours of breakout sessions and this year those will not be pre-assigned. You will be able to choose the session you want to attend and move into the room of your choice.
We also have door prizes to give away! We are excited to announce that for the 2nd year in a row Dave Sullivan has donated a full Digitool system! One lucky attendee will be the winner of this prize valued at $1200! Will you be the lucky winer? Register for the GEBA online seminar here:
https://gebaballoon.wufoo.com/forms/sgfff780g8p7on/
If you would prefer to send GEBA a registration form and a check, click here:
https://gebaballoon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022CESFormvirtual.pdf
To see the list of speakers, click here: https://gebaballoon.org/continuing-education/
In-person and virtual seminar on Saturday, February 26, 2022
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Dave Eichhorn and Aerco are hosting an in-person and virtual seminar on Saturday, February 26th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The price is $65 which includes a lunch, or just $35 for the virtual seminar. This seminar will be BFA sanctioned and will begin at 8am Mountain Time. You can buy tickets with this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/safety-third-judgement-day-tickets-247208596567
As much as we wanted it to be different this year, the pandemic is going to get in the way of another in-person seminar.
The Great Eastern Balloon Association (GEBA) is hosting a virtual Zoom meeting again this year on Saturday, March 5th. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience with virtual seminars, and are prepared for an even better seminar than last year. This seminar will be BFA sanctioned and will begin at 6:30am for us in the Mountain Time Zone. They have graciously provided a link so that we can register for only $20!
We will have 2 hours of breakout sessions and this year those will not be pre-assigned. You will be able to choose the session you want to attend and move into the room of your choice.
We also have door prizes to give away! We are excited to announce that for the 2nd year in a row Dave Sullivan has donated a full Digitool system! One lucky attendee will be the winner of this prize valued at $1200! Will you be the lucky winer? Register for the GEBA online seminar here:
https://gebaballoon.wufoo.com/forms/sgfff780g8p7on/
If you would prefer to send GEBA a registration form and a check, click here:
https://gebaballoon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022CESFormvirtual.pdf
To see the list of speakers, click here: https://gebaballoon.org/continuing-education/
In-person and virtual seminar on Saturday, February 26, 2022
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Dave Eichhorn and Aerco are hosting an in-person and virtual seminar on Saturday, February 26th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The price is $65 which includes a lunch, or just $35 for the virtual seminar. This seminar will be BFA sanctioned and will begin at 8am Mountain Time. You can buy tickets with this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/safety-third-judgement-day-tickets-247208596567
BFA Covid-19 Update
Another month has passed and everyone is still trying to sort out what life is supposed to be like these days. Businesses are opening in some areas and not in others. Covid cases are diminishing in some areas and going up in others. So every one of you are still in a mode of deciding what is right for all of you and I also still believe that situations will get better and worse and better again. Please be sensitive to your communities as to what is right and represent the ballooning community in a positive way. That brings me to the other reason for writing. A good friend of mine who is also very active in the glider community forwarded on a letter he had received from their soaring society. They are experiencing high accident rates within their community that are being attributed to a lack of flying. We all can relate to that lack of flying and we all need to be proactive in not letting our ballooning communities fall victim to that same currency trap. We all know that current means 3 landings in the past 90 days. We also all know that 3 landings do not truly give you a tune-up to actually be back at the top of your game. Give yourself a gift of a flight or two or three to get back in the saddle. Take time to review the following:
Look your paperwork over…see when your flight review is due, your currency, your balloon annual, your insurance…
So, whenever is the right time for you to get back in the air, start now getting ready.
Please stay safe,
Your BFA Board of Directors
Another month has passed and everyone is still trying to sort out what life is supposed to be like these days. Businesses are opening in some areas and not in others. Covid cases are diminishing in some areas and going up in others. So every one of you are still in a mode of deciding what is right for all of you and I also still believe that situations will get better and worse and better again. Please be sensitive to your communities as to what is right and represent the ballooning community in a positive way. That brings me to the other reason for writing. A good friend of mine who is also very active in the glider community forwarded on a letter he had received from their soaring society. They are experiencing high accident rates within their community that are being attributed to a lack of flying. We all can relate to that lack of flying and we all need to be proactive in not letting our ballooning communities fall victim to that same currency trap. We all know that current means 3 landings in the past 90 days. We also all know that 3 landings do not truly give you a tune-up to actually be back at the top of your game. Give yourself a gift of a flight or two or three to get back in the saddle. Take time to review the following:
Look your paperwork over…see when your flight review is due, your currency, your balloon annual, your insurance…
- Check your equipment over and make sure everything is ready to go and in good condition including your fan, instruments, launch harness, radios, trailer.
- Review your emergency procedures, practice a burner relight, practice what to do in the event of a fuel leak, how to avoid powerlines.
- Crews are always rusty on that first time out in a while. Give them a chance to dust off the cobwebs.
- Review your various sources for obtaining weather information. Make sure the links and numbers all still work.
- Do your first flight with another pilot and give each other the chance to get comfortable on the burner. Get back to navigating, do some steep descents, practice your scan, get the feel back for the balloon.
- Masks for everyone as well as cleaning/sanitizing your equipment. Making hand sanitizer readily available to everyone and the adjustments you would make for post flight refreshments.
So, whenever is the right time for you to get back in the air, start now getting ready.
Please stay safe,
Your BFA Board of Directors
Federal Aviation Administration Resources
Page update May 9, 2022