content_image/557325.jpg
Additional areas of specific interest to gas balloon pilots are the regulation for currency for night flight according to 14 CFR section 61.57(b)(1): 

“…no person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise unless within the preceding 90 days that person has made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise.” 

NOTE: This is similar to the currency for day flight and only applies to flights with passengers. It does not prohibit night flight when only pilots are on board. 

Also of interest are the sections on aircraft lights (14 CFR section 91.209) for night flight; the use of supplemental oxygen (14 CFR section 91.211), and the use of transponders (14 CFR section 91.215). 

## Flight Planning 

During the planning stage of the flight, the objectives of the flight should be established. Possibilities include: training, pleasure, competition, record setting, new equipment checkout, or possibly scientific investigation. Then, the expected flight parameters should be developed. These include the number of pilots and passengers, balloon parameters (type, size, and lifting gas to be used), launch time and location, expected duration, required weather, maximum altitude, and predicted landing zone. If a fixed date has been selected for the flight, an initial meteorological assessment should be made approximately three days out and subsequent weather developments are used to make a “go/no-go” decision. If the flight date is flexible over an extended time window, continual monitoring of the weather is required until proper conditions develop. 

After this, an equipment list can be developed and a system weight and ballast calculation should be performed. Permission to use the desired launch site must be confirmed and the availability of adequate gas supply and launch and chase crew must be assured. A concise schedule should be sent to all crew members, defining when decisions are made and how these decisions are communicated to the crew. 

Finally, all inflation and flight equipment must be assembled and checked out for proper functioning. The chase vehicle selected should be able cover the expected distance and bring all participants back home. 

## Layout and Inflation 

When the day comes, all equipment is transported to the launch site. A site “walk-around” is performed to remove 

debris and trash and to check for obstructions to inflation or takeoff. Layout and assembly differ by balloon type, but should proceed according to the balloon’s flight manual. For quick fill balloons, layout should be downwind, similar to hot air balloons. A crew briefing should be performed and a crew chief should be designated. Safety must be emphasized; new crew members must be given specific instructions and be assigned to a more experienced crew member for guidance. Gas balloon launches still tend to draw a crowd and some form of crowd control may be required. [Figure 11-9] 

<img src='content_image/557325.jpg'>

A launch restraint should be secured and additional inflation ballast (weighing several hundred pounds more than the pilots and supplies that eventually are on board) should be added to the gondola. 

The start of gas flow is a critical point in the inflation. A slow initial flow allows a last minute check of cable routings and crew positions. Surface weather conditions determine flow rate after the initial checkout. For quick fill systems, a partially filled envelope is much more subject to twisting in wind gusts. A flaccid envelope tends to present a concave (spoon-shaped) surface to the wind, producing a higher drag factor and placing more stress on the entire system. Once the envelope’s shape has filled out to a convex (beach ball) shape, it is more able to stand by shedding wind gusts around it. Quick fill systems are much more subject to this effect than are netted balloons. 

As described in the section on balloon systems, a netted balloon envelope is laid out flat on the ground and its shape during inflation resembles a sphere rising out of the ground. It always presents a convex (shedding) shape to the wind. A separate step is required after inflation to install the basket and attach it to the load lines coming down from the net. 

