Balloon Competition in Estonia, Thursday Morning August 21

 

First Flight, August 21

Weather forecast for Thursday morning promised surface wind 6 meters per second and in altitude of 1000 m wind speeds 35-45 km/h. Balloons seldom fly when surface wind is over 5 meters per second. Why? For the simple reason that it is difficult or impossible to fill a balloon when wind tosses it wildly from side to side.

In such conditions one needs a sheltered launch field where forest acts as a wall against the wind. Darius and Deividas, helped by their excellent dragoman (local guide and interpreter) Teet Lindmaa, had on Wednesday located seven launch fields in area southwest from town, and had asked permission to use them. The best one had forest against the wind and it was in right place upwind from the goals I had chosen.

VIKTOR USANOV HAS BEGUN HOT INFLATION. BALLOON IS FIRST FILLED WITH COLD AIR USING A POWERFUL FAN. IN WINDY CONDITIONS THE FAN IS OFTEN USED ALSO DURING HOT INFLATION TO KEEP THE AIR PRESSURE UP. THE TREES IN BACKGROUND TESTIFY THAT IT WAS NOT A DEAD CALM MORNING. [182 kb]

I had placed the first goal, a big white cross (called target), on a grass field on the northern shore of Lake Viljandi, not far from city center. I had two good reasons for the decision. First: the goal would take balloons above the town, which is a standing requirement; the idea of the event is to provide entertainment to Viljandi townspeople. Second: in evening there will be a concert at the same shore and we are expected to fly above or in front of the concert audience. This would be a practice flight for evening.
VETERAN BALLOONIST ANTANAS PALECKAS POINTS TO A BALLOON THAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN OFF. PILOT ZYDRUNAS KAZLAUSKAS IS PULLING THE RED ROPE THAT OPENS THE BIG PARACHUTE VALVE ON TOP OF THE ENVELOPE. THE VALVE IS USED FOR LETTING HOT AIR OUT. DURING INFLATION IT IS KEPT CLOSED WITH VELCRO TAPE. PULLING THE VELCRO APART IS A ROUTINE PROCEDURE BEFORE TAKE-OFF. [169 kb]

Pilots had two tasks at the first goal. They had to throw a green marker inside either one of the two areas designated as "Green" and a beige marker inside either one of the "Beige" areas, and of course as close to the center point of the target cross as possible. Markers that fall outside of the areas would not be measured. First task was won by Sergei Usanov with a result of 37.15 m, second by Valerij Machnorylov with 105.74 m. According to our rules the worst available result plus one meter was given to pilots who dropped outside of the scoring areas. [TASK 1 RESULTS] [TASK 2 RESULTS]
FIRST GOAL IS A WHITE CROSS WITH 5 METER ARMS. SOME BALLOONS ARE ALREADY HEADING TO SECOND GOAL WHEN MEASURING CHIEF JAANUS VÄLJAMÄE POINTS TO ONE MORE MARKER THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY. [90 kb]

For the second goal pilots needed to turn east, and turning enough was difficult. The goal had four scoring areas, and only Oscar Lindström, the 1988 hot air airship World Champion, was able to drop his markers to areas "White" and "Pink". Everybody else missed the goal barely. [RESULTS OF TASKS 3 AND 4]
THE PILOTS HAD DIFFICULTY IN REACHING THE SECOND GOAL. ALL EXCEPT ONE PASSED 300-400 METERS NORTH FROM GOAL. BECAUSE OSCAR LINDSTRÖM MISSED THE FIRST GOAL BY FLYING SOUTH OF IT, HE COULD ACHIEVE RESULTS AT THE SECOND GOAL. [BIGGER MAP]

Three balloons landed in standing crop. It is not unusual when the wind is fast, as it was, and harvested fields are hard to find. If the pilot has to choose between damaging crop and breaking bones or wrecking the balloon, he chooses to damage crop. Valdur managed to explain the matter to the farmers in question. They understood and did not press for compensation. [FLIGHT 2] [ALL DAYS]