Bloopers
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Boat Rescue;)
I landed on the shore of Lake Travis. But the shoreline was blocked and the chase crew could not drive near the balloon. So we took the balloon apart and shuttled it on the back of the chase-boat until we got it back to the dock. Thanks to Sandra, Dennis, Michelle and the boat driver.
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The Longest Drag
I landed in a large dirt field, but even with the top fully open, the balloon still drug for hundreds of feet even crossing a road before stopping. For some reason my passengers, Kaye and Michelle, found it amusing to scream during the whole landing.
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Stuck over a lake
The pilots in Leon, Mexico know that the wind slows down at dawn and stops at 9 AM. I flew too long and got becalmed over the lake. The balloon's propane fuel was almost empty. My passengers, nor the rescue boat captains, spoke English. If I did not get the balloon to shore, we would sink into the lake in front of a hundred thousand spectators. With a lot of waving with my hands, I was able to get a boat to tow me near the shore. But the balloon was still over the water. I could see my crew standing among the spectators on the shore. However it was like expecting cats to wade in the muddy bank. Then I noticed Brett looking alternating at my dilemma and then down to his old cowboy boots. Then he bleated out, "oh, shit' and then waded through the mud to get my drag rope.
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Big Push
My crew got the truck stuck in a gravel pit in Albuquerque. The loader driver graciously pushed it out of trouble.
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Thermals
Phillip MacNutt and I launched the balloons in Sandy Creek. Early into the flight, the thermals hit us and bounced the balloons around pretty good. We both found some small landing sites. Oddly enough, after watching us get thrown around, David Evans launches his balloon and also has a real short flight. One of my passengers was Jim Inks, owner of the property.
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Another Rescue
I talked Brian Critelli into launching too far away from the target at NASA. I was in front of him and about to fly over the lake when he radioed that he did not have enough fuel to cross. He was going to put the balloon down on what looked like an island. As a courtesy to Brian (because I got him into this mess), I forfeited the race and also landed. The crew commandeered a boat to check out the situation. Luckily, we had landed on a peninsula with a dirt access road and an unlocked gate.
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Fresh Cowpies
Our balloon was pretty new, when I drug it through a huge pile of wet cow manure. The stuff is really bad for the wicker.
Coming later... teaching Joe how to do a Splash-and-Dash on Lake Travis.
