Winter From the Executive Director...

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1 The Ventline rg Winter In this Issue: Results of the 108th FAI General Conference Saga, Japan Balloon Race 2015 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Page 2 Page 4 Page 6 From the Executive Director... The days are getting longer and we are in the midst of a January thaw. The first local rally of the year is just a couple weekends away. We have set dates for the Winter Meeting and Continuing Education Seminar. Plans are in process for both and more information will be provided as we develop it. Since we haven t had anything to spend money on, our finances continue in excellent shape. I ll be looking for some guidance at the Winter Meeting as to how many scholarships we should provide this year for the BFA JR Balloonist Camp. If anyone has a candidate for one of the camps, full information is on the BFA website. I did notice that it s in the guest section of the site so anyone can access it. I m looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Winter Meeting or the Seminar or (hopefully) both. Pete Asp

2 Page 2 Results of the 108th FAI General Conference by Debbie Spaeth Below is the summary of the FAI (International Aviation Federation) General Conference from October The FAI President, John Grubbstrom, is a balloon pilot, so ballooning is actually getting a bit more attention at the international level. For ballooning, the World Air Games in Dubai are of interest. And the anti doping measures apply to all pilot participating on the world stage of aviation. Pilots should check the FAI list of prohibited drugs and compare to their personal list of prescription drugs. If they find a prescription drug on the prohibited list, they should check into the FAI procedure for a "Therapeutic Use Exemption", and complete & submit the proper paperwork to FAI. Dear FAI News Readers, The Delegates from the FAI Member Countries participated in the 108th FAI General Conference which took place in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday 17 and Saturday 18 October The event was successfully organised by the Royal Aeronautic Sports Association of Thailand (RASAT) which is a member of the FAI since The results of the conference, such as the reelection of FAI President Dr. John Grubbström, are outlined below. The full minutes will be published on the FAI website at the beginning of The sessions were preceded by the prestigious 2014 FAI Awards Ceremony on Thursday in presence of aviation personalities coming from Thailand and the world. On Friday night after the first day of the sessions, a reception and dinner were hosted by RASAT and the organising committee of the FAI World Air Games Dubai The participants in the conference had a chance to meet up with a delegation from the United Arab Emirates. Additionnally, in support of the initiative to increase the participation of women in air sports and in air sports organisations, a forum was held on Wednesday in conjunction with the General Conference to encourage an exchange of ideas on this important topic. Election of FAI President FAI President Dr. John Grubbström was reelected unopposed for a two year term. Dr. Grubbström was first elevated to the Federation's presidency in He was reelected in Election of FAI Executive Directors The candidates elected to serve on FAI Executive Board for a two year term are: Mr. Frederik Brink (Netherlands) Mr. Alvaro de Orleans Borbon (Spain) Mr. Agust Gudmundsson (Iceland) Mr. Robert Henderson (New Zealand) Mr. Niels Christian Levin Hansen (Denmark) Mrs. Gillian Rayner (France)

3 Page 3 Reports and Projects Reports on different projects were made during the General Conference. They included: Sports The eleven AIr Sport Commissions reported on their activities to develop the sport with the aim to make it more attractive for the audience. The overall objective in terms of sports is to connect air sports and expertise in order to enhance the quality of our premier air sports events. Marketing & Communications Marketing and communications are focusing in increasing the visibility of air sports, especially focusing on the events and the FAI World Air Games Dubai Measures were taken to further the quality of FAI World Championships events selected for full Breitling branding and support. FAI World Air Games Dubai 2015 The FAI World Air Games has been awarded to the United Arab Emirates and will be held in Dubai.This multi discipline event will be organised by the Emirates Aerosports Federation and will take place over a period of 12 days in December It will be the biggest air sports event ever organised. The World Games 2017 Glider Aerobatics, Parachuting Canopy Piloting and Paramotors have been selected by the IWGA (International World Games Association) for The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland. Support for FAI Organisers A new Organiser Agreement has been proposed. The intention is to make this assist interested event organisers, air sports commissions and FAI Members in their bidding process and to better prepare and managed the event. Anti Doping The FAI continued fighting against doping this year, through a close relationship with WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) and its European agency based in Lausanne. Following discussions with FAI, WADA decided to allow the FAI not to create a RTP (Registered Testing Pool) for Testing was conducted along the year:adverse analytical finding was found which shows air sports are clean. Technical Commissions and Expert Groups The Points of Contact of the Expert Groups and the Technical Commissions reported on their activities. The FAI Aviation and Space Education Commission was converted into an Expert Group, while the FAI Environmental Commission remains a Technical Commission. The 109th (2015) FAI General Conference will take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Pictures : The pictures of the conference and the 2014 FAI Awards Ceremony are available on Flickr. Upcoming Balloon Events Please reference the WBG website for the current list of events Feb 6 8 Feb 21 Mar 21 Jul 9 12 Jul Aug 7 9 Hudson Hot Air Affair WBG Winter Social Continuing Education Seminar Wausau Balloon Rally and Glow Waterford Hot Air Balloon Festival Seymour Hamburger Fest and Balloon Rally

4 Page 4 Saga, Japan Balloon Race by Jim Dieball Saga, in far southwestern Japan, has held balloon races for many years. The Saga International Balloon Fiesta (SIBF) typically features 30 international Pilots and well as the Japanese National Championships. With shapes and other fiestas, there are 125 balloons. Saga won the bid for the 2016 World Championships, so this year was sort of a pre pre Worlds. It was held Oct 29 Nov 4th. Georgene and I went as Observers, along with Bill Moyes of Missouri. Debbie Spaeth was a Steward. Competing were Richard Sabin and Joe and Rett Heartsill from Texas and Owen Keown and Derek Hancock from the west coast. Doug Grimes flew the HummingBird, a special shape. Saga is a flat plain, 10 miles in radius, surrounded by the Ariake Sea (and Pacific Ocean) and mountains (3,000 high hills). Landing in the harvested rice and soybean fields is preferred. The crops were late this year, due to typhoons earlier in the year. Normally the issue is the farmers replanting the rice fields during the event, but this year the rice and beans were perhaps only half harvested. The race uses Observers, so pilot declared goals and fly on goals are a big part of the competition. Not being able to measure into the crop was a potential problem. The fields are typically one acre in size with some of them as small as 50 by 200. We flew from Chicago to Narita (Tokyo) to Fukuoka and then took a bus the last hour to Saga. It is a city of 200,000 and you can walk to hotels, restaurants, parties, shopping, etc. The launch area is Kase riverside, the flood plain inside the dike. There is a temporary train station at the field each year with huge afternoon crowds. The first time you hear the 80,000 Japanese sitting on the dike steps yelling Banzai to cheer a good drop, it can be startling. The other tasks were mostly Judge Declared Goals with one Minimum Double Drop at the field. Much of the flying is light and variable, with local knowledge of the effects of the mountains and sea being very important. Owen Keown is the king of light and variable, having won Saga eight times. But this year the winner was Yudai Fujita, who also won the Worlds in Brazil this summer. You may remember his father, Massahiko, at the World Honda Gran Prix in Monroe. Rett Heartsill was 6th and Joe 17th. The other Americans finished in the fifties. Jan Timmers of Belgium was 2nd and Matt Scaife of Australia was 5th. I observed for Matt, and I knew that I recognized his wife/crew chief from somewhere, but it wasn t until they gave me her card (2014 Women s World Champion) that I was able to place Nicola.

5 Page 5 The travel allowance for Pilots was 150,000 yen. That had been about $1,500 earlier in 2014 but it has now dropped to $1250. That could get you a flight (for one) as far as Tokyo. The Travel stipend for Observers was 70,000 yen. You also get a hotel room, parties, a bento box for lunch, etc. With the short days at the end of October, the afternoon briefing was at 2 PM. I typically was through the morning debriefing by 10 AM. Next year they will have transport from the remote Competition Headquarters back to the hotel for that break. In previous years we had gone straight from morning Debriefing to afternoon Briefing. The 2015 Pre Worlds will be Oct 28 to Nov 4 and the 2016 Worlds will be Oct 30 to Nov 7 in Saga. I think the current Saga site will get you to information about those races, when it becomes available. info/ Anyone interested in providing a camp demonstration? My name is Amber and I run a youth summer day camp for individuals with disabilities. I was just wondering if you had any information in regards to having a hot air balloon come visit our program. I am not sure if this is something that our area offers but I'm always looking for new and exciting things to add to our summer! If you could feel free to me back or forward my on to someone that may know some more information, I would greatly appreciate it. Just a little bit more information, we are located in Belvidere, Illinois. Our summer day camp program serves over 40 children every summer in offers one of a kind experiences that they may not ever get to participate in otherwise. We would just be searching for someone who would be interested in bringing a hot air balloon, explaining the functions of the hot air balloon, and allowing them to take a picture. Thank you for your time and consideration, Amber Eck x 35 NASR Belvidere Park District

6 Page Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony by Debbie Spaeth On Sunday, July 26, 2015, the National Balloon Museum (NBM) will host the 2015 Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. Candidates are chosen annually by the BFA Board from a slate researched and recommended by the BFA/NBM Hall of Fame committee. The criteria for Hall of Fame consideration is: To recognize individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the history, development or growth of ballooning in the United States. The selection of an inductee to the United States Ballooning Hall of Fame is a merit based selection. Those who will be inducted for 2015 are: Dodds Meddock ( ) His contributions to the sport as a longtime BFA Board Member, officer in The Balloon Works, and early modern pilot touch on many areas. Meddock was the first to fly all four major balloon types: hot air, solar, gas, and smoke balloons. His first ballooning student, Peter Kreig, was the second (and possibly the only other pilot) to have flown all four balloon fuel types. His enthusiasm, love of sharing the history and beauty of ballooning, and his barnstorming outreach in the early days of the modern sport make him an important figure in ballooning. Connie Wolfe ( ) 1952, Founding Member of Balloon Club of America 1955, Advisor for the film "Around the World in 80 Days" 1961, Established woman s endurance record in yellow Wolf" (40 hours, 8 minutes from Big Springs, Texas) 1962, Crossed Swiss Alps by balloon on August 20th (Brissago to Lake Maggiore) 1962 Montgolfier Diploma 1987, Flew "Liberty Bell" over Philadelphia The Alfred L. and Constance Wolf Aviation Fund was established in 1986 "to support scientific research and educational programs in matters relating to the use of aircraft as a means of transportation". To promote ideas that make general aviation safer, less expensive, more fun and more useful, the Wolf Fund awards a $10,000 annual prize. The Balloon Federation of America was awarded a partial WOLF Grant to support and grow the balloon camps. Their marvelous pioneering spirit, love of aviation, and concern for the flying rights of the individual will be preserved and reflected in the people and works supported by the Wolf Aviation Fund. The ceremony is held annually on the 1st Sunday of the National Balloon Classic event in Indianola, Iowa. Plan to attend. It is a great way to learn about some of the marvelous people who have helped to make ballooning a vibrant sport over the years. Thank You!! Thanks to those that contributed to this issue of the Ventline. Debbie Spaeth, Jim Diebal l If you have something to contribute please send it to John Swartz.

7 Page 7 BFA Convention The Balloon Federation of America (BFA) and the Sierra Nevada Balloon Association (SNBA) will be hosting the "Spirit of the West" national balloon convention April 16 19th, 2015, at the Silver Legacy Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada. The keynote speaker will be Dick Rutan. Dick Rutan made history in December 1986 after completing a nine day, three minute and forty four second non stop and non refueled flight around the world, setting records that remain unchallenged today. The BFA will also be broadcasting their online Continuing Education Seminar from the BFA Convention this year on Saturday, April 18th. Please see for more infromation. Landowner Certificates Are Due! With the upcoming WBG Winter Social comes the drawing for the 2014 landowner raffle. Hopefully everyone was able to get in a lot of flights and had the opportunity to thank their landowners with a certificate of appreciation. Please submit those names/addresses to Ken Walter by February 14th.

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10 Page 10 Two Eagles Balloon Team has launched from Saga, Japan for Pacific Crossing Two Eagles Balloon Team has launched from Saga, Japan for their Pacific Crossing. Their objective of completing a gas balloon crossing of the Pacific, breaking the distance record set by Double Eagle V in 1981 of 5,208 miles. If possible, pilots Leonid Tiukhtyaev and Troy Bradley would also like to break the duration record of about 137 hours, which was set by Double Eagle II back in As of publishing time they have been aloft for 31 hours and have traveled a distance of 1612 miles. Check out the website It includes a lot more information on the flight, live streaming from the launch site, and will have live tracking of the balloon's position after launch. The team also has multiple social media sites Facebook, Twitter, et. al. where you can follow the flight. Tentative 2015 Events by WindDancer Balloon Promotions Waukesha County Airport Fly out & Pancake Breakfast Waukesha, WI June 13 14, 2015 Crossing County Lines Balloon Rally Waukesha & Waterford July 15 19, 2015 Colors Aloft Grayslake, IL August 29, 2015 Contact WindDancer Balloon Promotions winddancerballoons@gmail.com

11 Page 11 A word from the editor Surprise! Here s the winter Ventline, right on schedule. A bit thin, perhaps, but come on, it s the middle of winter! If your favorite event wasn t covered, it s most likely because you, or anyone attending the event didn t send us anything to publish. I won t make stuff up, so the worst that could happen is that I get two articles for the same event, which, to the best of my knowledge, has never occurred. Also, bear in mind that pictures are most appreciated. My thanks to all who did contribute to this issue, especially Debbie Spaaeth, along with Jim Dieball & Georgene Voutila. Mark Naber has done his usual excellent job of putting everything together and making it look great. Deadline for the Spring Ventline is April 30th. Stay warm, John

12 Page 12 WBG Membership Application Pilot $20.00 Additional pilots in household $10.00 each Crew $15.00 (per household) Event Official $15.00 (per household) Business / Corporate add $50.00 Life Membership $200 New Member Renewing Member Name(s): For new members and renewing members with changes, please complete the following. Address: City, State, Zip: Phone: ( ) Secondary Phone: ( ) E:Mail: Balloon Owner: No/Yes N# Balloon name: N# Balloon name: Preferred communication: E:Mail Surface mail: Please check box if you would like your information withheld from the membership roster. [ ] Note: The Wisconsin Balloon Group does not publish the contact information of its members. Related Memberships: [Circle and/or complete] BFA No/Yes # EAA No/Yes # AOPA No/Yes # Other: Please complete the following information. Check all that apply. [ ] Pilot [ ] Crew [ ] Observer Student ( ) BFA Crew Achievement BFA Observer Achievement Private ( ) Level: Level: Commercial ( ) Primary Pilot(s) Crewed: ( ) Hot Air [ ] Sport [ ] Competition ( ) Gas [ ] Rides [ ] Promotion ( ) CIA RegisteredObserver [ ] Instruction / Accept Students BFA Pilot Achievement Level: [ ] Event official Ratings: Hot Air Gas Other Role(s): Indicate areas where you would consider volunteering, to advance ballooning and the WBG: Ventline Reporter Social Events Membership Special Events Land Owner Relations Safety Seminar Other: Send application form and dues to: Pete Asp, WBG Membership Director W1341 County Road B Sullivan, WI wisaero@live.com

13 Wisconsin Balloon Group Leadership Executive Director Pete Asp W1341 County Road B Sullivan, WI Landowner Program Director winddancerballoons@gmail.com Ken Walter W241 S4115 Pine Hollow Court Waukesha, WI Membership Director wisaero@live.com Pete Asp W1341 County Road B Sullivan, WI Newsletter Editor jswartz@mhtc.net John Swartz 3142 K and R Road Mt. Horeb, WI Original Member Advisor dasdeb@sbcglobal.net Debbie Spaeth P.O. Box 674 West Bend, WI Past Executive Director gary.britton@uwc.edu Gary Britton 4458 Summit Ridge Slinger, WI Central Regional Director (Vacant) Fox Valley Regional Director jtrzeblta@gmail.com Jeff Trzebiatowski 1619 East Pershing St. Appleton, WI Illinois Regional Director Kim Neil kimcreative@hotmail.com Shawnee Riverwoods, IL Southern Regional Director n1965n@ticon.net Jim Bushelle 4042 Saratoga Janesville, WI Social Director twogoebels@yahoo.com Corey Goebel 2108 N 51st St. Milwaukee, WI Website Director mark@howdynaber.com Mark Naber S89 W22570 Loretto Lane Big Bend, WI Page 13