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Duration and distance attempt for the BBAC Silver Award East Midlands Balloon Group Long Jump attempt Pilot Ian Lloyd Date Sunday 18 October 1998 Launch location Homesford Cottage, Derbyshire SK3235 5555 Landing location Louth, Lincolnshire grid ref. TF 3464 8874 Take off time 1018 Landing time 1454 Flight duration 4 hours 36 minutes Distance flown 107.4 km Observer Andrew Evans Crew Helen Evans Balloon G-OAWS Auto Windscreens TnC 77 Flight flown solo On the very windy Saturday evening of 17 Oct Andy telephoned to suggest that Sunday was looking like a long jump flight, did I want to have a go, he and Helen would crew, Alison had to work. Andy thought there might be several other pilots interested in having a go and offered to phone around. Saturday the winds at East Midlands airport had been 25kts gusting 35kts so few of the pilots had even considered looking at Sunday, however, Helen had seen a forecast which looked OK. Sunday at 0800 the forecast from airmet was 1000’ 250 10kts, 3000’ 270 15kts, 6000’ 290 15kts becoming 240 40kts by 1700hrs. With the 9 hour TAF from East Midlands suggesting a 210 5kt surface, and the 18 hr TAF 170 8kts. The Bracknell charts downloaded from the Internet, also confirmed it was on. Meet at launch site 0930. Dave Ling flying Ladybird was seen over Ripley on my way to the Homesford Cottage launch site, he did not appear to be moving very quickly. was this long jump weather? I wanted to do three hours towards my silver badge award, the 100km distance had been hoped for but it was not looking quick enough. At the launch field Ray Hunt decided to attempt his flight for the East Midlands Balloon Group short jump, while I was still wanting to do three hours and 100km. Ray took off ten minutes before me as I had a fuel leak on one of the 60 litre tanks which required an 'O' ring to be replaced, thanks Andy for doing it so quickly. At take off I had five 60 litre tanks giving me an estimated 5 hour duration. I climbed gradually up to 4000’ noting the wind speed and direction at various heights. It appeared to be getting slower the higher I went, at 4000 ’ it was less than 10kph but 24kph at 1800’. It took me until Alfreton before I decided to come down lower to pick up the higher speed, this also gave me a track of 070-080 slightly further north but away from 'the pig country' around Farnsfield! I gradually came lower and found at 1400 I had 29 kph this was better, but I had already been in the air for an hour. At 1125 the first tank ran dry, I was over Mansfield doing 31kph, I watched the Lasers sailing on the lake at Kingsmill, they appeared to moving fairly briskly. I overheard on the radio Steve Hurst saying he had just landed at 14 kts, so it was getting quicker down below as well! At 1140 I was overhead Centre Parks and could see people swimming in the outdoor swimming pool and slides, I was still having problems with my toes being frozen. There had been a hard frost the night before, I had to scrap the ice off the car windows. The flags were standing straight out from their poles at Centre Parks. Looking back I saw Ray had come up out of the valley and was now at 4000’, still doing the short jump? At 1200 I was crossing the A1 and River Trent near to Weston so had lunch and coffee. The retrieve informed me they had stopped to go to the loo, thanks! So there is an advantage being tall in a low sided basket, and feeling exposed. At 1228 I passed the 50km distance, could I make the 100km? Or would the surface wind pick up too much before I flew for another 2 hrs. I was approaching Lincoln and needed to thread the needle between the RAF bases to the south and the Red Arrows training ground to the north, there is just a 2 km wide gap. The wind direction shifted and I swung to 065 too much north it just kept on swinging left. Climb, climb right with height, eventually at 4000’ I got 080 as a track, which would take me over the centre of Lincoln with a great view of the Cathedral. It was 1309 just 9 more minutes for the three hours, the retrieve crew wanted to know what I was intending to do after Lincoln, land or fly on to try for the 100km. Back to the GPS to check distance from Homesford Cottage 71km, my speed was 30kph. What did we do before GPS, it started to bleep warning low battery, I need about another hour to do the 100km I still had two full tanks having changed onto the third one at 1248, two and a half hours on 2 tanks, so fuel was not a problem. The surface wind had picked up as the smoke from various bonfires indicated, and a message from the retrieve crew confirmed that the wind was increasing on the surface. I decided to go for the distance and land ASAP afterwards. A quick change of batteries in the GPS, thanks to Andy for the spare ones. Working out on the map where I would be when the 100km came up showed that Cadwell race circuit would be it, should be easy to spot and I could always watch a bit of the racing. The speed suddenly dropped to 14kph I was not racing along, up or down I was still at 3000’ it was quicker lower earlier so lets try that, down to 1500’ no difference still 14kph. Back up to 3000’ speed up to 19kph, at 4200’ speed about 20kph, but I had noticed 26 slightly lower at 3800’. Cadwell park was clearly visible and only a couple of k to go. So I dropped down to 1500’ to prepare to land in some stubble fields just past the race circuit. It also allowed the spectators at the circuit to see the sponsors name, Auto Windscreens. 'There is a lot of left low down' came over the radio, yes there was 035 as a track but not in the direction of the stubble fields and the GPS was now showing 99km not the 100 the lower wind direction was not taking me away from Homesford, so climb back up to ensure I had 100km. Fly on over Louth, the church spire is one of the tallest in the country, I can see my brother in laws house and can see the in laws farm right on the coast, I shall miss it by about 2 miles to the north. The beach is mentioned over the radio but its shown as a danger area on the air chart. The RAF use it for live bombing practice. There are two stubble fields just after Louth, I spot the retrieve heading south out of Louth but I will be to the north east. I know the town well but decide I cannot try to explain how to find the right road. It is only a small back lane anyway, and if I can land there, I can walk to the brother in laws. At 1454 I finally touch down east of Louth at a speed of 26kph, the basket lands on one end, the rapid deceleration throws me forward, and I feel that I may get tossed out. A gust of wind from the left suddenly twisted the basket right, to be on the front and I am thrown out of the basket side ways to the left. The field is very wet and muddy, but I hang on to the red tri vent line. The red line is wrapped around my left leg, so I am staying with the balloon whether I like it or not, the basket is ten feet in front of me! It was a very strange feeling being outside of the basket watching the balloon slide long slowly deflating, a bit like the view on computer driving games. The slide is only 20 yards, but my flying suit is thick in mud, I remove handfuls from the rear! I had a pilot restraint harness in my flight bag, why was I not wearing it? The local children arrived to help pack up, one of them was the son of the farm worker, who rushes off to find his dad to ask for permission. I would like to thank Helen Evans for spotting the weather and retrieving, Andy Evans for the encouragement, help and retrieving. Also for all the messages of encouragement that the retrieve relayed to me through out the flight, from so many of the East Midlands Balloon Group members.
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