a newly planted crop, another balloon deflating in the field, etc. The crew may find a site the pilot might not have seen from the air. 

• Many pilots ask crew to get landowner permission before committing to a site or actually landing. This is often a crew’s top priority. Finding the landowner can take a few minutes; one crewmember can do this while another walks out to assist the pilot. If it is a “no,” time and fuel might have been better spent searching for the next suitable option. 

• Landings create a workload challenge for the pilot. Consider all the tasks in the seconds before and after landing: flying the balloon, making an approach, briefing passengers, watching for obstacles, bracing for landing, deciding to move closer to a road or driveway, shutting down tanks, bleeding fuel lines, radioing crew, directing passenger unloading, deflating the envelope, keeping the envelope off obstacles, dealing with a hostile landowner or dog, and more. A single oversight, distraction, or poor decision can compromise safety. Extra hands may be required to protect everyone onboard and on the ground 

• Crew serve as a pilot’s redundancy and work to minimize flight risks of any nature. The FAA and every balloon manufacturer know the safety value of redundancy and the greatest risks (accidents and injuries) come at landing. There is no better time for crew to promote safety than in the flight’s last minutes. 

While crew-assisted landings may make some pilots uncomfortable, the reality is they happen all the time. This crew role can perhaps have more impact on flight safety than any regulation, equipment, or technique, provided the pilot and crew decide this before the flight. 

Sometimes the best landing assistance may be none at all. Every pilot is trained to land without help from their crew. The balloon pilot may have chosen a landing site—fully 

visible from the air, with no obstacles, and perfect as is—early in the flight. Conditions are often smooth enough for safe landings. An unassisted landing often gives the pilot a better feel for the balloon’s equilibrium. Letting the ground absorb the balloon’s energy by touching and/or dragging might be the safest option of all. The landowner might greet the pilot in person even before the crew arrives, and passengers may have equipment disassembled and packed before the crew arrives. Many of these conditions frequently occur. A thoroughly prepared crew is one that is trained and ready for the many occasions that they are needed. 

## Chapter Summary 

Among the many adages in aviation is “takeoffs are optional, landings are mandatory.” For every flight, there must be a landing, and the balloon pilot should be prepared to execute a landing with skill and precision at any time during the flight. 

In the early days of ballooning, it was common to see pilots “stick” the balloon (execute a hard landing) on a routine basis as burner systems were generally inadequate to slow the balloon during a rapid descent. With newer systems, the balloon can be better controlled and a smooth, graceful landing is a routine result, provided the pilot has planned ahead and understands the mechanics and concepts of the landing process. The information contained here is by no means all inclusive, but illustrates certain methodologies to good landing techniques. 

