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When flying at low altitude, the pilot must be vigilant for obstacles, especially powerlines and traffic, and not rely solely on instruments inside the basket. The pilot should always face the direction of travel, especially at low altitude. The pilot’s feet and shoulders should be facing forward. The pilot should turn only his or her head from side to side (not the entire body) to gauge altitude and to detect or confirm climbs and descents. Facing the direction of flight cannot be overemphasized; there are many National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA accident reports describing balloon contacts with ground obstacles because the pilot was looking in another direction. 

Contour flying requires somewhat shorter burns than the standard burn. To fly at low altitudes requires half or quarter burns. One disadvantage in using small burns is the possibility of losing track of the heat being created. Precise altitude control requires special burner techniques. Another hazard of a series of too small burns is the accumulation of added heat before the effects of the last burn have been evaluated. The balloon actually responds to a burn 6 to 15 seconds after the burner is used. 

One technique to determine if the balloon is ascending, flying level, or descending is to sight potential obstacles in the flightpath of the balloon, such as the power lines shown in Figure 7-10 . As the balloon approaches the wires, the pilot should determine how the wires (or other obstacles) are moving in his or her field of vision relative to the background. If they are moving up in the pilot’s field of vision (shown by the red arrow), or staying stationary, then the balloon is on a descent that may place the pilot and passengers at risk. Conversely, if the wires are moving down in the pilot’s field of vision (as indicated by the green arrow), then the balloon is either in level flight or ascending, and able to clear the obstacle. 

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Some favorite sighting objects are a power pole as the near object and the line of a road, field, or orchard as the far object—lines may be observed moving up and down the poles. Water towers with checkerboard or striped markings are also good sighting objects. Vigilance is required for constant scanning of the terrain along the flightpath, and the pilot must be alert to avoid becoming fixated on sighting objects. Again, the pilot should look where he or she is going, not where he or she has been. When flying in proximity to other balloons, particularly at lower altitudes, it is easy to become fixated on the other balloon(s) and attempt to follow their lead. The balloon pilot should remember to fly his or her balloon and let the other pilots fly theirs. 

The particular pleasures of contour flying can best be enjoyed in a balloon. It is wonderful to fly at low level over the trees, drop down behind an orchard, float across a pond just off the water, watch jackrabbits scatter—see sights up close. No other aircraft can perform low level contour flying as safely as in a balloon, and in no other aircraft is the flight as beautiful. Contour flying can be great fun, but remember that the balloon should always be flown at legal, safe, and considerate altitudes. 

## Contour Flying Cautions — Aborted Landings 

The line between contour flying and unsafe, inconsiderate, and misunderstood practices can sometimes be very fine. Observers often misinterpret aborted landings on the ground as buzzing or rude flying. Sometimes landing sites seem to be elusive. A typical situation is the pilot descending to land at an appropriate site, but miscalculating the winds below and the balloon turns away from the open field toward a farmhouse. The farmer sees the balloon descend, turn towards the house, and, with noisy burners roaring, zoom back into the air and proceed. The pilot was not being rude or inconsiderate, just inexperienced. The pilot did not mean to swoop down to buzz the house; the wind had changed. If the pilot had watched something drop from the basket to gauge the winds below or been more observant, the pilot would have known the balloon would turn towards the house as it descended. A squirt of shaving foam from an aerosol can or a small piece of rolled up tissue could have alerted the pilot of the different wind at lower altitudes. 

Two or three of these swoops over a sparsely populated area, and people on the ground may not only think the pilot is buzzing houses, some people may think the pilot is having a problem and is in trouble. That is when the well-meaning landowner calls the police to report a “balloon in trouble.” Flying too close to a house (a friend’s house, for example) to say hello, dragging the field, or giving people a thrill by flying too low over a gathering are examples of buzzing, which is illegal and can be hazardous. 

