River Flying With David

It was a nice morning, and David Hoover and I decided to have a lesson toward my commercial certificate. We launched past where I landed last week, north and west of town. Wayne Wood flew alongside us in Miss Arkansas, The Natural State balloon. David and I started a slow climb out of the launch field, then decided to ascend a little faster, as Wayne was beneath us (also, David's tight balloon was really responsive with a relatively light load on a cold morning).

We flew toward and over the Arkansas River, then over a big field. David pointed out a deer stand or two with hunters in them. I don't think we saw any deer, which is pretty rare on a balloon flight. I hope they don't blame us for chasing their game away! We did see a couple raccoons running away from the balloon!

After flying along the north side of the river for a while, we climbed over a ridge and over part of Maumelle. Then, we stayed high over the river to steer toward Two Rivers Park, then we dropped in pretty fast for a nice landing.

It was a pretty morning, and a fun flight. David really helped me learn more about the local area. It was also a good opportunity to fly a larger balloon than I'm accustomed to, and a different brand system.

Balloon Arkansas! Take Another Peak

It was the best of times, OR it was the worst of times. I decided, as Marty Redburn and I flew up Pinnacle Mountain, and we were in desperate need of a landing site, that if I found that landing site before we ran out of fuel, it would be the best flight of my short ballooning career. When we made a nice landing, it was a done deal. It was the best of times!

We launched from southwest of Little Rock, and flew to the north, flying over ridges of beautiful scenery. As we approached the antenna towers on Shinall Mountain, we climbed WAY up, and saw a beautiful landing field just southwest of Pinnacle Mountain. Unfortunately, our path was not helpful in getting us to that field. So we went over the summit of Pinnacle. We were close enough to have a nice conversation with the folks climbing the mountain.

Once we passed the summit, our progress stopped, so we ascended a bit, got moving again, then dropped into the nearest, best looking hay field around. Sadly, a left turn low pushed us away from the field, and toward a dam. We had a great landing on the dam, then learned from our chase crew that we were in a restricted area behind a tall fence topped with razor wire! Fortunately, someone from the water department came and let our chase crew in, and we packed up quickly, and headed for pizza.

The excitment from the end of the flight, only complements the beauty of the scenery early in the flight, and the "coolness" of flying right over Pinnacle's Peak. What a great flight! If you use GoogleEarth, this is a flight path to check out. E-mail me, and I'll send it to you!

Thanks to Billy Roehrenbeck and Jill for crewing for us, and patiently waiting for help to arrive and let us in. Also, thanks to David Hoover for flying beside, below, above and near us for the flight.

Anniversary Flight

No, not our wedding anniversary, our anniversary of buying the balloon! It was also close to the birthday of the husband (Alex) of one of Jill's co-workers (Sandy). Alex and Sandy have become friends, and we promised to give Alex a balloon flight to celebrate his birthday. Today was the first chance for a flight this month.

The wind direction was a bit iffy, so I decided to drive north to Vilonia, Arkansas where the landing sites are plentiful. We got to our launch site, a school east of Vilonia, and set up slowly while we waited for the winds to calm. It was still gusting a little bit, but it was definitely calming, and it was time to inflate. Before long, Alex and I were launching into a bit of a quick wind. It didn't take too long before the winds slowed a little, and I knew we'd have a great landing.

Soon after launch, I identified the area north of town that was a good target for landing. The winds gave us a little ability to steer. Uncharictaristically, there was a right turn low. I worked the winds, alternating high and low, and drove toward a neighborhood surrounded by good landing sites. The front right part of that neighborhood presented a great spot for a fence-less landing, but when I tried to steer toward that field, by right turn had dissipated. No problem, there were plenty of places beyond the neighborhood that would be good for landing.


As we flew over the homes, a tremendous number of people poured from many of the homes. Several families were hosting parties to watch the Razorbacks' game. Despite the game starting on television, several people stayed to help us pack the balloon up. A couple even joined us the traditional toast!

Once the balloon was packed up, we drove back to Sherwood, and enjoyed a pizza at Shotgun Dan's with Alex and Sandy. It was a terrific Saturday night!

Sandy and Alex took some great pictures, and I'll add some here, and to the Flickr page (see the Flickr badge on the right).

Columbus, Kansas Yet Again!

Well, another Columbus Day weekend spent in Columbus, Kansas. It's a very friendly little town in the Southeast corner of the state. It's surrounded by agriculture (mostly soybeans) and abandoned coal mines. The first year I attended as a pilot was great, but since then, I haven't had a flight! I probably need to get braver when it's a bit windy, but when there's a low-level shear, I'm pretty happy to let some of the other pilots risk their balloons (not to mention their necks!)

Columbus always celebrates Christopher with a big festival including the balloons, a street fair, and a parade (concerts and a car show, too!). Since I didn't fly, the most interesting thing I have to show is a clip from the parade. It's taken from my balloon basket, which is in the back of a truck.

I also have my GPS track from the parade route. Because it's not from flying, and because it's in Kansas, the "flight path" is FLAT!


I had the same hosts/sponsors for the third year. Darrell and Marilyn are terrific. We have a nice time together, and they feed me very well. Unfortunately, I was feeling a bit under the weather, and I didn't feel like eating many of the great food they provide each year. I'll be ready for the ribs next year, though!

I was especially glad that Dana and Marty were able to join us Saturday afternoon and Sunday. I'm also looking forward to their visit to Little Rock in a few weeks!

Black Walnut Festival

A high pressure system camped out over the entire region for the weekend, promising great weather for hot air ballooning. Unfortunately, Jill and I were headed to Stockton, MO for the Walnut Festival (think Squash Festival in Doc Hollywood). The same weather was forecast for Stockton, so I just knew I'd be looking at the sky, wishing I could fly. As we were preparing to leave on Friday, I asked Jill what she thought about taking the balloon with us. She didn't hesitate to say we should do it.

Saturday morning would have been great, but we didn't have enough crew, so I waited until Saturday evening. Jill's sister Beth, who's birthday (I won't say which one) is approaching, was in line for her first balloon ride, so she was the passenger. We set up and launched in Julie's field, and had a terrific flight, landing west of Stockton. The flight path was a very straight line, but it was a nice flight, taking us over the Sac River.

Fortunately, a convenience store there offers propane at odd hours, so I was able to refuel Saturday evening, in time for a Sunday morning flight. We woke up to fog, but light winds, so I waited for the fog to burn off. 8:30 was a little late for Roger and Me to launch, but with the forecast, and the really light winds, I decided to go for it. We had nice "steerability" with a big right turn up high. We flew for almost an hour, the last 10 minutes hovering over the field we landed in, trying to work our way to the edge before finally setting down. The landowner was related to my passenger, so we knew which gate was unlocked, and we had an easy packup. I wish I had a GPS track to study from this flight, but my GPS was stubborn this morning, so no such luck!

My next big balloon weekend is two weeks away, when I travel to Columbus, Kansas for Columbus Days. I might get a flight or two between now and then if the weather and my schedule conspire to allow it!

Nice Flight Last Night

Since Hurricane Ike moved through, Little Rock's weather has been GREAT! Yesterday's forecast was for winds to be 7 knots out of the NE, dropping to 3 knots, so I lined up a flight with my friend David Hoover. David's friend Alex served as crew and chase driver, and once everyone was in the truck, we headed north to Maumelle, AR. A nice big launch field was a good thing, as the wind kicked up during our inflation. Though the balloon rocked and rolled a bit when we were standing it up, the launch was pretty smooth.


We headed mostly south, over Maumelle Country Club, and a very nice subdivision, then out over the Arkansas River. We dipped down for a splash and dash (or dunk and dash, I got my ankles wet!) and then floated over the river for a while. The winds over the river were pretty light, allowing us to enjoy the scenery before lifting higher and leaving the water.

We flew over some cattle farms and some horse farms, then into a nice landing in a nice grassy field surrounded by some small homes. Packup was a breeze, and I can't wait to get back in the air!

Great June for the Balloon!

Well, June of 2008 is one of my best ballooning months ever!

It all began on the first, when David Hoover and I flew our balloons side by side in West Little Rock. (see previous post)

Then, the next weekend, we met several other pilots on Mulberry Mountain for the first balloon event there. While the topography are inhospitable to ballooning, we all made short hops across the concert field on Friday evening, then on Saturday, some made the short flight, some stood up for a balloon glow. I glowed, but only briefly. It was pretty windy. Jill and I enjoyed spending the day Saturday with Charlie and Norma, driving around the mountains and visiting Ozark, Arkansas.

The third weekend was Bushwhacker Days. Saturday morning was great! I had a nice, calm flight with Marty's dad, Red Redburn. It could only have been better if my dad, Max Maxfield, had been there! It was a slow flight, from Nevada's airport, north about 4 miles. Look for a flight track to be uploaded soon. All of you Google Earth users, just ask and I'll send you the 3d version. Saturday evening, it was so calm that several of us launched and landed at the airport. A few pilots flew off the airport, but short hops were all we had wind for. Sunday, there were storms in the area, so there was no flying done that morning.

After a week in Chicago, I got a Saturday morning flight in on the 21st. Jill's friend, John wanted to go for a ride, so we did. All week, the forecasts were for wind out of the Northwest, and lo and behold, it was! I used Google Earth to find a good area for landing spots, then followed the predicted wind back to a good launch site. I dropped by Friday afternoon to ask for permission, which was enthusiastically granted by the girls' school that owns the land we flew from. The residents even came out to watch us set up and fly away! After a beautiful flight, we landed at the home of a junior high school teacher who had both Jill and John in her class! She was happy to let us pack up in her yard!

Finally this morning, the last day of June, I got to take a flight with my friend David. The last time we flew in the same basket was in his balloon. This morning, we launched from a site on Colonel Glenn Road, and made our way south and west where we landed in the middle of a street in a residential neighborhood. Our chase crew had trouble finding us, even though they could see the balloon after it was on the ground. It was a subdivision with only two entrances, and they "couldn't get there from here."

With any luck, I'll get another month like this one soon! it was really fun spending so much time under the envelope!

One Weekend, Two Days, Two Flights!

On Saturday, I got to fly with David Hoover, joining him on a passenger flight he was conducting over the west side of Little Rock. It was a nice flight, with only a minor incident on launch. I was at the burner, and the winds were stronger than I realized, so my ascent was a bit too slow, and we hit some trees. Sorry, David :-(

On Sunday, the weather was forecast to be really good and it was! Light winds from the south southwest. The plan was for me to fly my balloon, and David was taking his. We set up on the west side of town, and planned a flight to the river. The winds were perfect, light, with a slight right high up and a slight left down low.

We played leapfrog as we traveled north. David would climb above me, move from my left to my right, then descend. Then I would climb, and move back to his right. It was pretty fun!

The scenery was FANTASTIC! To our north, fog moved in on the river and some of the valleys with several ridges and Pinnacle Mountain rising above it. To our East, the city's skyline could be seen in the distance. It was a very pretty flight.

After about an hour in the air, we were ready to land, but we were short of our intended landing area. Fortunately, several fields and parking lots were available to us. David landed in a parking lot, and I tried to get into a field at a church, but the winds wouldn't allow it. Fortunately, the winds down low had shifted and were directing me back to the south, and straight into a parking lot at a shopping center. After clearing some power lines and some trees, I dropped in for a gentle parking lot landing.

Thanks to Philip and Dan (and Abby!), my crew this morning. Philip was a great passenger, and seemed to have a really nice time. I'll update this posting when I get some pictures. While I didn't have a camera, David had one in his balloon, so he got some good shots of my balloon!

Last Week Started and Ended With Balloons!

Last week, on Monday, I was driving to the park to go for a walk, when I looked to the West, and saw a balloon in the sky! It was way across town, so I knew I had to hurry if I wanted to chase it, but chase it I did! I got close to where the balloon was flying, and followed along, eventually finding the chase truck. I visited with the driver (Donna, the pilot's wife) and I followed her to where the balloon landed. It was nice meeting another balloonist!

Then, on Friday, I could tell that Sunday's weather would be perfect, so on Saturday, I put together a crew and plugged in the tank heaters for a morning flight. I got up early, met most of my crew at the Y, and headed north to Vilonia, Ar. Vilonia is a small town near Little Rock that is an ideal launch site because it's away from the airport, and there are lots of landing sites.

The pilot that told me about Vilonia said, "Just don't fly to the southeast!" because there's no place to land. After a calm, slow inflation, I launched and headed...SOUTHEAST! I started to get a bit nervous, but as I ascended, the wind shifted, and I flew almost due west, traveling almost 9 miles over the course of my hour-long flight.

One special treat of the flight was the addition of my "passenger," Flat Vicki. Vicki is a laminated drawing of a crew member's sister-in-law. The real-life Vicki is battling cancer, and is living vicariously through her two dimensional voodoo doll. After we landed, Flat Vicki celebrated with a traditional champagne toast! I hope the pictures come out and bring happiness to the real Vicki, whom I hope to meet one day. Maybe the real one will fly with me when she recovers!

The next several weekends will be occupied with packing the contents of our house in preparation for moving next month, so flying might be scarce! Good thing last week had lots of hot air!

Long time, no fly!

I've been in Little Rock for 1 1/2 months, and the time is flying by. While time has been flying, I have not been (unless you count the airline trip I took to Washington, D.C. last week). I did get to go to OKC to a ballooning safety seminar two weeks ago. I had a great time visiting Ron and Brenda McKinney. I also had dinner with Ron and Elizabeth Painchaud as well as some other balloonists who I just met.

I should get the balloon back from annual next weekend, so I'll just have to recruit some crew and take to the sky! I can hardly wait!

I'm especially excited because Jill is coming to visit today! She'll be here all week, so we'll get to spend lots of time together. While she's here, we'll do some house hunting, and we'll enjoy Little Rock, but mostly, we'll enjoy being together for more than a couple days. I sure miss her. Only a few more months until she moves here full time.

New Job and Illness

Well, it has been an exciting month. 3 1/2 weeks ago, I was offered (and I accepted) a job as the director of the YMCAs in Little Rock, AR. After a week of telling a few important folks (board members, friends, relatives), I made the public announcement.

While this was happening, I was battling my first attach of diverticulitis. It started on the day after Thanksgiving, and appeared to have cleared itself up, when I a second attack hit me hard. I checked into the hospital on the Sunday before Christmas, and had surgery the following Thursday. I recuperated in the hospital for a week before finally coming home, and now I'm getting strength back, and trying not to push myself too hard.

I'll try to go to work for an hour today, and maybe a little longer tomorrow and/or Friday.

I start the new job on February 1, so I have lots to do to prepare the Y in Nevada for my departure. I hope I have time to accomplish everything!

Looks like it will be late spring or summer before I'm up to ballooning again. I'll try to drive chase for another pilot in Arkansas so I can learn the lay of the land before I float my own fabric over the "Natural State."