In the light of recent sensationalistic reporting of a ballooning accident in Hazyview, readers of this forum might have been brought under a false impression of safety matters surrounding hot air balloon flights. The report that “passengers were flung out the basket” and that they were “found lying in the field” was pure fabrication. Here, in fact, is what happened in Hazyview on the 1st of June 2011:
“The balloon took off in good flying conditions. During the course of the flight the wind conditions changed, contrary to what had been forecast. As the wind speed increased the pilot, who has 17 years experience, made the decision to land as soon as an open field, suitable for landing could be found. The balloon landed fast and dragged for several meters before coming to a stop (which is normal).
Of the six passengers in the basket, two were slightly hurt and one sustained a broken ankle, the others are fine. At no stage were any passengers “thrown out” of the basket as has apparently been reported.
Ground crew were on hand almost immediately, and the emergency plan was implemented. Emergency services were contacted and arrived without delay.
Three passengers were taken to hospital to be assessed for possible injuries. Only one was admitted to hospital with an injured ankle. The others were sent home, after having x rays.
The skill and experience of the pilot ensured that the changing conditions were handled correctly, and in a manner that minimized risk to passengers. The implementation of the company’s emergency plan ensured that professional assistance was provided without delay. ”
BALLOONING IN SOUTH AFRICA
I would like to point out some interesting facts about commercial ballooning in South Africa and add some safety tips for prospective passengers.
1. Legal Aspects
All air service operations must be licensed by the Department of Transport and must have a current Operating Certificate (AOC) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In addition, there are mandatory liability and third party insurance requirements, as well as the licensing of pilots and equipment.
Though I am not aware of any unlicensed commercial hot air balloon operators (or “pirate” operators) in South Africa at present, an easy way to verify that the company that you intend flying with is properly licensed and certificated, is to look them up on the following web page: http://www.cobasa.org.za/aoclist.htm This page shows all the members of the Commercial Balloon Operators Association of South Africa.
Membership is exclusive to properly licensed Air Service Operators (also called charter companies). Their pilots are trained in terms Civil Aviation Regulations and in terms of International Best Practise norms. The pilots are also approved by the Balloon and Airship Federation of S.A (BAFSA www.bafsa.co.za)
2. Pilot Training
Hot air balloon pilots go through intensive (and expensive) training by qualified flight instructors who operate under licence of an Aviation Training Organisation. Once the student pilots have accumulated the required number of flying hours under instruction and once they have passed all the subjects of the theory exam, they may report for their skills test to one of only three designated flight examiners (DE’s) in the country.
This is a big day in the career path of a balloon pilot, since the outcome of the test will determine if the pilot achieves his license and if, for the first time, he/she may take to the skies without an instructor on board.
Once the licence is obtained, the pilot must accumulate another 100 flight hours before qualifying to fly paying passengers, and then only if employed by a licensed operator, and therefore subject to the operators approved operations manual. Initially the “commercial pilot” is restricted to flying relatively small passenger balloons, and has to accumulate another 100 hours to qualify flying a medium sized balloon. By the time a pilot is qualified to fly a typical “large” passenger balloon with 10 or more passengers aboard he/she has accumulated at least 300 hours of flying in a variety of conditions.
3. Equipment
Only, so called, “type certified” equipment may be used in commercial operations. Type certified aircraft in South Africa can usually be identified by their registrations that start with the letters “ZS” as opposed to registrations that start with “ZU” (this is not a hard and fast rule, but applies in 99% of cases). To get an aircraft model “type certified” and the “type accepted” internationally is a rigorous, expensive and time consuming process the manufacturer has to go through.
Hence the high price tag of type certified balloons.
The balloons may only be serviced and repaired by licensed Aircraft Maintenance Organizations (AMO’s) and mandatory inspections are carried out on every balloon by an AMO’s every 100 flying hours. The successful outcome of such an inspection is evidenced by the balloon being issued a “Release to Service” certificate that is only valid for the lesser of 12 months or 100 flying hours.
4. Planning a flight
The operator and pilots spend quite some time every day collecting the latest weather charts in order to assess conditions for the next balloon flight. An example of a kind of weather chart, called a”spot graph” favoured by most pilots as the best, high resolution forecasting tool can be seen at http://old.weathersa.co.za/Aerosport/ShowSpotGraphNEWMODEL.jsp?img=-3031 (this is the spot graph for Durban)
A manifest and load sheet is completed before every flight, and that is why passengers have to provide their names and their weights before their booking is confirmed. The manifest is a legal requirement and the load sheet contains the results of calculations based on passenger’s weights, planned fuel weight, the temperatures of the day and altitudes that are anticipated.
5. Safety Tips to Prospective Passengers
This is very simple and brief:
Once you have ascertained that you will be flying with a properly licensed operator (check the COBASA website or ask the operator to show his Air Operators Certificate), you can be rest assured that a strict set of safety regulations are in force and that your pilot is a seasoned professional discharging her/his services using regularly inspected equipment.
The requirements of passengers are as follows:
-All passengers should be able to climb over a 1.2 meter obstacle (the rim of the basket) without assistance and should be able to stand unassisted for one hour (this how we ensure that passengers have the required muscle tone to resist injury in the case of a “fast” landing.
-As with any commercial flights, pregnant passengers are not allowed, unless a written clearance is given by a physician. Even then, the pilot may refuse.
-The safety briefing by the pilot is very short and simple, but it is important that you understand and carry out the pilot’s instructions without hesitation.
Lastly, my favourite quote:
“Balloonists can dawdle, lollygag, cast their fate to the wind and become part of the ebb and flow of nature.
In that silent realm, far from the mischief and toil of society, all one hears is the urgent breathing of the wind and, now and then, an inspiring gasp of hot air.” – Diane Ackerman
Dr W. Uys
Commercial Balloon Operators Association of South Africa
info@cobasa.org.za