Introduction
Flight planning starts long in advance of the few hours before the launch. Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) part 91, section 91.103 states: “Each pilot in command (PIC) shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with
all available information concerning that flight…(to include) weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements…(and)
other reliable information appropriate to the aircraft, relating to aircraft performance under expected values of airport
elevation,…aircraft gross weight, and wind and temperature.”
The practical test standards (PTS), for both Private and Commercial certificates, indicate a number of items that must be
considered, evaluated, and planned in the execution of a safe flight. Some of these items are the use and interpretation of
weather data to plan a flight, the use and interpretation of aeronautical charts and local area maps, and performance and
limitation of the balloon.
Weather Theory and Reports will be covered in some detail in Chapter 4 and The National Airspace System (NAS) will
be reviewed in Chapter 5. The following discussions assume familiarity with both subjects, and will introduce a number
of other new subjects.
Purpose of Flight
Preflight planning will vary according to the flight’s purpose. For example, if a training flight is planned, more detailed
attention to map work and performance planning may be appropriate. If a passenger-carrying flight is being undertaken,
a meeting point for the passengers and crew will need to be designated, and refreshments will need to be planned. If the
flight is to participate in an organized rally, particular attention must be paid to weather trends and wind plotting, to ensure
the pilot is able to reach the intended target or landing area. These type of considerations are part of the initial balloon
preflight planning process.
Weather
A good balloon pilot studies the weather several days before the day of the flight in order to understand the weather trends,
cycles, and the correlation of weather report information with the actual weather in a particular flying area. Most, if not all,
weather reporting information is computed for a large regional area, whereas balloon flying is generally conducted in an
area about 15 square miles. When a balloon pilot makes the correlation between the weather outlooks and forecasts, and
how that will impact winds and environment in the local flying area, they are well on the way to understanding the effects
of weather on preflight planning, as well as the balloon flight.
Particular attention should be paid to the location and movement of pressure systems and the jet stream, frontal activity,
temperatures in front of and behind frontal zones, and winds. As the proposed flight date draws closer, a reasonable
prediction of possible weather can be forecast, but a pilot must remember that a weather forecast more than 72 hours
prior to a flight is not an absolute. It is also worthwhile to watch local and nationally televised weather broadcasts to gain
insights on the weather systems that may be affecting the desired flying area at the time of the flight.
Unofficial sources of weather information can also prove helpful for obtaining weather information about a particular area.
It is beneficial to contact balloon pilots who fly in the area of intended flight to learn of nuances in the weather patterns,
especially during initial training or when flying in a new area. Another source of information for weather is pilots who fly
other types of aircraft in the proposed flight area. They can be located through the local airport’s fixed base operator (FBO).
People who make their living outside, particularly farmers, have a unique perspective on local weather. They often offer
weather information on local weather that is unavailable through a commercial source.
Chapter 3: Preflight Planning
When possible, it is valuable for a balloon pilot to visit the local National Weather Service (NWS) office. [ Figure 3-1]
NWS provides information and sources for a number of weather products, which must be considered in the weather
planning process. A visit to the NWS office also gives a balloonist the opportunity to talk with the individuals who provide
the weather information used in the briefings. NWS can provide the balloonist with a clear explanation of what products
and information are required to make an intelligent flight decision.
Figure 3-1. National Weather Service Office, Falcon Field, Peachtree City, Georgia.
The night before a flight is anticipated (or in the morning, in the event of an afternoon flight), a call should be made to the
Flight Service Station (FSS) for an outlook briefing. These are generally available 6 hours or more before a specific flight
period. (There are three different types of briefings available: standard, abbreviated, and outlook. They will be discussed
in more detail in Chapter 4, Weather Theory and Reports). This briefing information is used to make tentative decisions
regarding the flight, such as go/no-go, and potential directions of travel. Additionally, a pilot should pay particular attention
to local and regional forecasts in the media, as they may provide information specific to the area of flight.
Prior to flight, a standard briefing should be obtained from the FSS. This briefing will contain the most recent weather
information and data, and will serve either to verify information obtained through other sources, or validate the possibility
of a go/no-go decision. It is also helpful to check one or more automated weather reporting sites, such as the Automatic
Terminal Information Service (ATIS) or Automatic Weather Observing System (AWOS) that are close to the intended
flying area. ATIS and AWOS provide the advantage of a real-time, immediate information source. They may be contacted
by telephone, or often monitored by aviation radio. Phone numbers for the ATIS and AWOS systems may be found in the
Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD). Radio frequencies for the ATIS and AWOS are shown on aviation sectional charts.
Gathering weather information en route to the launch site can be done by searching for indications of current winds. For
example, observe how the leaves on a tree move, track the smoke from a factory smokestack, or notice the direction a flag
blows. All of these signs give good indications of the current winds, both on the ground and at low altitude. Once at the
launch site, or possible launch site, most experienced pilots inflate and release a pibal (pilot balloon) to assess on site wind
speeds and direction. [Figure 3-2]
Figure 3-2. Preparing to release a pibal.
Many pilots develop historical data on weather conditions in their home flying areas. When shared with the beginning
pilot, this weather data provides a wealth of information on trends and cycles. The comparison of individual predictions
with actual weather experienced offers understanding and insight into micro-area weather conditions. Comparison of
weather reports from nearby weather reporting stations with the actual weather experienced is also be an excellent learning
tool. This exercise provides insight into the weather patterns common in a particular flying area. See Appendix A for a
sample weather briefing checklist that may be used as a guide to develop personal forms for recording weather briefings.
There are numerous sources of weather information available on the Internet. These include but are not limited to websites
operated by the NWS, Intellicast, and Unisys. Other websites devoted to weather and ballooning include but are not limited
to Blastvalve, Air Sports Net, the Balloon Federation of America, and Vermillion Regional Airport.
Some weather related tips are:
• Forecasts are a good place to start, but are not the end of weather planning. Unforecast events happen continuously.
Proficiency in understanding small area weather is necessary, and can only be developed with practice and experience.
• Balloons generally fly early in the morning, within the first two hours after sunrise, to avoid unstable conditions,
which may prove to be hazardous to balloon flights and operations. It may be possible to fly in the late afternoon,
within an hour or two of sunset, when thermal effects are calming down and winds are usually decreasing.
• Almost all balloon flying is done in relatively benign weather conditions and mild winds. Most pilots prefer to
launch and fly in winds less than 7 knots. While balloon flying is performed in higher winds, pilots accept that the
faster the winds, the more they are exposed to risk and injury. Balloon flight manuals list the maximum launch winds
for a particular balloon; this information, as well as personal limitations, are considerations for any pilot.
• Balloons do not fly in significant (or unstable) weather. A balloon should not be launched in the face of a squall line,
or during a tornado warning or watch.
• Flying in precipitation is a bad practice. Rainwater (or any frozen precipitation) on the balloon causes it to get
wet and become heavier, often to the point of being unable to maintain altitude without exceeding temperature
limitations of the envelope. A wet envelope heated to flight temperatures can be seriously damaged because the
heat often causes fabric coatings and treatments to degrade, decreasing the life of the fabric. If a balloon gets wet, it
should never be dried out by the application of heat to the point of equilibrium, or neutral buoyancy.
• Precipitation also often causes the atmosphere to become increasingly unstable. Downdrafts, wind gusts, and the
possibility of hail and lightning follow. The pilot may be the last one to know that it is raining because the balloon
will shield them from the precipitation. Ground crew can detect the slightest trace of precipitation before a pilot
does, and need to communicate this information immediately to the pilot. In the face of possible precipitation,
cancellation of the flight is the best plan.
Navigation
Navigation of a balloon is unlike that of any other aircraft because it cannot be steered in the conventional sense. Directional
control is achieved through the use of differing wind directions at different altitudes. With effort, study, and some practice,
it is possible for a balloon pilot to determine a point on the ground at some distance, and fly to it with relative ease and
accuracy.
The first step in learning balloon navigation is understanding the maps used in balloon flight. Two types of maps are
used: sectional aeronautical charts and local topographical maps. Both have their uses and each has advantages and
disadvantages. Another type of map may be available to the balloon pilot. This is a local area map developed by the local
balloon club which shows prohibited zones and sensitive areas.
Sectional aeronautical charts (or sectionals) are published on a routine basis by the National Aeronautical Charting Office
(NACO), a division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). [Figure 3-3] These charts are at a scale of 1:500,000
(one inch representing 500,000 inches on the ground, or about 7.9 miles), are similar to an automobile road map, and
provide useful information to a balloon pilot flying under visual flight rules (VFR). Charts are generally named for the
most prominent city contained within the area of the sectional chart.
Figure 3-3. Sectional chart depicting the Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Class B airspace.
There are also sectional charts with a smaller scale, 1:250,000, to represent the areas immediately surrounding Class B
airspace, which is the airspace surrounding major air traffic facilities in the United States. Airspace is discussed in detail in
Chapter 5, The National Airspace System. These charts (commonly referred to as terminal area charts) show a significantly
increased level of detail, and, if available, may be of more value than a standard sectional.
Sectionals depict many different things, including controlled and uncontrolled airspace, airports, major roads and highways,
cities and small towns, etc. They also indicate obstacles to flight, such as major transmission lines, radio, TV , and water
towers, smokestacks, and other items. The legend of the sectional provides a means to identify these landmarks. A more
detailed explanation of sectionals and the information they contain, is found in the FAA Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide.
This publication may be found at many pilot supply stores where sectionals are sold, or may be purchased online, along
with the maps themselves. In addition to purchasing sectional maps or topographic maps, that downloadable programs for
visual media such as tablets, phones or other portable media, that have subscriptions available with updates are becoming
more popular and integrate the maps with GPS real time flight tracking.
Pilots review the sectional chart and familiarize themselves with the airspace they may be using when flying in a new area
or refreshing their memory of a frequently flown area. The sectional helps a pilot determine obstacles to flight (towers,
powerlines, etc), as well as locating landmarks for use during the flight. While sectionals offer much valuable information
on an area, their lack of resolution on a small scale means they do not provide enough information for a balloon flight. The
length of the average balloon flight is 6 to 8 miles. On the sectional, this equates to the distance between the first joint and
tip of one’s thumb. This lack of significant detail is a disadvantage for navigation in a balloon, but sectionals are useful as
a source of general information about a given area.
A good topographic chart, such as the commercially available United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps offer more
value to the balloon pilot. These maps depict information on a relatively small scale and are more useful to the balloon
pilot. They show individual terrain features such as roads and road networks, built up areas, schools and churches, and will
indicate wooded areas, as well as open pasture land. [Figure 3-4]
Figure 3-4. Detailed topological map.
With any map, it is important to insure the map is current and has an accurate depiction of north. To check the orientation
of a map, select one particular road or feature with a specific directional orientation. Then orient the map to that feature,
matching the direction of the road with the map. Place a compass (preferably a sighting compass) on the map to determine
the azimuth. Use the same compass that will be used for computing the flight path. Ensure that nothing is affecting the
compass reading. It is important to distinguish “true north,” used by most cartographers, and “magnetic north,” as indicated
on the compass. Once the azimuth is established, sketch a compass rose, or place a “stick-on” type compass rose on the
map.
Once the map is oriented and aligned to north, fill in other information as necessary as reminders. For example, airspace
that may preclude balloon operations, local no-fly areas, or areas with potential landowner relations problems should be
marked. If the pilot is flying competitively, they may elect to mark designated “targets” on the map for ease in identifying
them at a later time.
Perhaps the most underutilized use of maps is predicting likely flight paths, landmarks, and potential landing sites. Using
the simple technique outlined below, this field technique allows pilots accurate real time and on-site weather data for flight
planning information. A pilot needs to know where they are going in order to plan how to get there. This is a necessary
part of flight planning, and learning the basic skills and knowledge required to plot this information improves the flight
experience.
Pat Cannon, a former BFA National Champion and competitive pilot, developed a technique derived from a NWS procedure
(that was later modified) to plot the information obtained from a pibal reading. This procedure requires a pencil, large
square graph paper, an aviation plotter, pibals, the compass used to calibrate the map, and a watch with a sweep second
hand. Two assumptions are made with this procedure. First, most pibals rise at an average rate of 300 feet per minute (fpm).
(A chart of pibal climb rates can be found in Appendix B.) Therefore, after 30 seconds, a pibal will be approximately 150
feet above ground level (AGL).
Second, for the purposes of this exercise, the winds do not have any significant speed changes.
Prior to starting the plot, a scale depicting the wind speed must be established. In this example illustrated, two squares on
the graph paper will represent a wind speed of 5 miles per hour (mph). In the absence of a wind meter, or other accurate
wind reading, a rough estimate of the wind speed may be made using the technique shown in Figure 3-5.
inds m
ore than 5 kts. Winds less than 5 kts.
0° to 45°
45° to 90°
Figure 3-5. A method for determining wind speed
To begin plotting the pibal recording information, release the pibal and track it with the compass. After 30 seconds, take
a reading and make a mark on the graph paper to represent the start point. Make a second mark to represent the direction
plotted. In Figure 3-6, a track of 300° at 5 mph is depicted. Label the first two points “A” and “B.” For wind speeds that