Balloon Competition in Estonia, Friday Morning August 22

 

Flight 3, August 22

Forecast for Friday morning promised very little steering and wind speeds up to 27 km/h. I had given two alternative goals, the same they had on previous evening and another for winds from westsouthwest. Both would take balloons over the town.

PILOTS READ WIND DIRECTIONS AND SPEEDS: 50 m 210-230°  3-6 m/s | 500 m 250-260° 10 m/s | 1000 m 270° 12 m/s. VALERIJ CHECKS WIND DIRECTION FROM CLOUDS. [110 kb, not same]

Wind reading done by Darius on launch field showed more steering possibilities and speeds up to 43 km/h.  As the new goal promised more points with three scoring areas and the winds seemed to be going there, it was clear at which goal the pilots will aim. There was no need to change the launch field.
VALERIJ WAITS FOR FAN TO FILL HIS BALLOON WITH COLD AIR. YOU CAN SEE THE PARACHUTE VALVE ON THE RIGHT. IT IS KEPT CLOSED WITH VELCRO TABS DURING INFLATION. UPWARD PRESSURE OF HOT AIR KEEPS IT TIGHTLY CLOSED DURING FLIGHT.
VALERIJ'S OLD TRAILER IS SMALL AND BEAUTIFUL. SO SMALL HE CAN HAUL IT HOME IN THE TRAILER HE WON YESTERDAY. THE STRONG NYLON TAPE CONNECTS THE BURNER FRAME TO CAR AND KEEPS THE BALLOON FROM ESCAPING.
RIMAS IS READY TO GO WITH CONFIDENCE ON HIS COMPETING SKILLS. THE ROPE FROM BURNER FRAME TO CAR IS TOUT. IT IS CONNECTED WITH A MECHANISM THAT ALLOWS INSTANTANEOUS RELEASE. [162 kb, not same]
DAINA STEPS ON BOARD WITH CONFIDENCE OF AN EXPERIENCED BALLOONIST.
Oscar takes off
CAPTAIN LINDSTRÖM RELEASES THE ANCHOR ROPE. THE FLYING MACHINE IS NOW LIGHTER THAN AIR AND IT FLOATS WITHOUT GIVING A SOUND AS THE BURNER I NOT BEING OPERATED. [94 kb, not same]
BALLOONS HAVE LEFT THE LAUNCH FIELD AND FOLLOW EACH OTHER TOWARDS THE GOAL.
HERE THEY COME! I HAD NEVER SEEN A GOAL PAINTED AS MAGNIFICENTLY AS THIS. THE STICKS THAT MEASURING CHIEF JAANUS CARRIES ARE USED FOR POINTING WHERE THE MARKERS HAVE LANDED.

We got results in every one of the three tasks. Rimas won two tasks with results 27.95 m and 23.45 m, Sergei won one with 26.60 m, but Valerij won more points than anybody else, 2723, by ranking second in every task. This is what I like about this type of task setting: a skillful pilot can get lots of points by flying well to only one goal. Normally in balloon competitions there is only one task at each goal, which means that even the winner can not get more than 1000 points. [RESULTS 10] [RESULTS 11] [RESULTS 12]

There are three kinds of hot air balloon competitions. The traditional kind uses observers who follow the competitor either in his basket or in his retrieve car. Observers report to director if the competitor violates competition rules, and they measure the result, be it 1 cm or 10 km.

The newest kind uses measuring teams near goals and sealed GPS-loggers instead of observers for recording results that are too far from goals to be measured by officials.

The kind we have uses only measuring teams; no observers, no GPS-loggers. Measuring teams can only measure markers that fall within few hundred meters from goal, the ones that they see falling. The areas where they measure are called scoring areas. 

Our type of competition places the highest demands on competition director in one respect. Everybody is disappointed if the director defines scoring areas that the competitors can not reach from the given launch field. Mistakes happen. Wind gods play games with pilots and with competition directors. Pilots and directors have learned to accept that the mistakes they make can not be corrected afterwards. One can not call back a flying arrow.

Setting several tasks at one goal requires competent measuring teams, which we had. I had also explained the concept to competitors beforehand in a letter. There was no confusion, not even one question.

MEASURERS AT WORK. A MARKER HAS LANDED IN SCORING AREA "PINK".

Two balloons landed in wheat after passing the goal. Both pilots had tried to land on a meadow on other side of the road. Valdur and I spent the rest of the morning in finding who owned the fields, and in telling what had happened. The farmer's wife came from morning milking and accepted our apologies with  heart warming kindness. She assured us that her husband will take the same stand. 

Even unwished-for occasions like landing in crop seem to result in friendly contact with local people. Friendly contacts are very much in the heart of ballooning and balloonists. Few other activities can so unexpectedly drop the participant in the middle of unknown peoples' everyday life.

OSCAR HAS A BIG BALLOON THAT IS NOT EASY TO STOP. HE TRIED TO LAND ON A MEADOW BUT UNDERESTIMATED THE WIND SPEED NEAR GROUND. WIND TOOK THE BALLOON OVER THE ROAD AND TO A WHEAT FIELD, JUST BARELY.
THE LAST FLIGHT IN VILJANDI SHOWED THE BALLOONS TO TOWNSPEOPLE ON NORTHERN PART OF TOWN. BALLLONS FLEW RIGHT OVER THE COURTYARD OF THE FARMER WHO WELCOMED THEM THE DAY BEFORE. [BIGGER MAP]
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