Virgin Challenger?

Dear balloonists:

Although I'm sure that it wasn't expected this way, the unmanned flight of the Virgin Challenger envelope has given one of the worse images for the ballooning community in his history. Unfortunatelly, this throws away the hi-tech environment the teams are trying to show, and it's hard to understand how this kind of mistakes (not the first one, I can remember) can happen into such a populated and paid team.

Best wishes for all the RTW teams, incluiding the Virgin Challenger.

Anulfo Gonzalez Flying Circus, Spain.

On your points about that this kind of 'error' should not happen to such a well paid team is nonsense. I think that NASA are a pretty well funded organisation yet they still have accidents remember.

Mistakes and accidents will always plauge people trying to push the limits of technology and man. Otherwise everyone would be doing this and the records set at the moment would of already been broken

regards

Your head is in the sand, Peter. IMHO, this team has had more than it's share of 'errors'. Tanks dropped on takeoff, jettison wiring that doesn't work, pilots inadventantly left in the sea, safety locks not removed, and now a runaway envelope? Their record is more like MIR than NASA. Someone responsible for the technical end should be held accountable, before one of these fine gentlemen get hurt, or worse.

Mark Schilling Moorestown, NJ USA

Sorry, Peter, but inflating a gas balloon is not 'pushing the limits of technology and man'. It is done hundreds of times a year, both by sport balloonists and by government agencies doing high altitude research. It's an unfortunate fact that the Virgin team has had more than their share of mistakes (trans Pacific, Trans Atlantic, RTW). It looks to me like someone should be put in charge who knows ballooning. Per Linstrand would be a good choice if he was allowed to do it HIS way, instead of the money way.

trans atlantic: world distance record, world duration record, fastest speed in a manned balloon

trans pacific: world distance record, world duration record, fastest speed in a manned balloon (again)

RTW: pending

regards

Peter wrote re previous Virgin flights -

Not absolute distance and duration ballooning records, but for hot-air only. Not absolute distance and duration ballooning records, but for hot-air only.

Not at the moment.

As for the fastest speed, there is no such record.

I think Peter has been listening to the pr machine rather than reading the FAI record books. I'm not knocking Per Lindstrand's achievements, but so far as I am aware he doesn't hold and never has held any absolute world records.

Bruce does have a point about the catalogue of disasters that have attended the virgin flights, but as I'm presently in the proverbial Breitling glass house I'm not going to throw any stones.

Well, the only problem I have seen so far with Cameron balloons was was Steve Fosset's problems the first time. His later attempt seemed to go OK as did his previous Pacific flight. And that's coming from a dedicated Aerostar fan!!!

It just seems as though the Virgin atitude is 'We can do it, We're Virgin!' with little regard for well estabished procedures.

not as a ballonist, but as an experienced pilot, in most forms of aviation, the person in the Virgin team who calls himself the 'met' man ought to have pre-warned the team about this little 'wind' problem that occurs in Morroco, all the signs were there, but someone chose to ignore the fact,

It seems to me for someone to do it properly, they need to have a gigantic inflatable hangar in which to inflate the balloon first, and when ready just pull the clam shell halves open and off you trot!

But then again I am not an engineer, so some smart alec will probably say it cannot be done, or it will cost too much, but think of the commercial advertising space that it would create.

Oh well, ! best of luck anyway, to anyone that tries.

: pre-warned the team about this little 'wind' problem that occurs in : Morroco, all the signs were there, but someone chose to ignore the fact,

I thought that the wind gust might have been caused by a landing transport plane. That would excuse the meteorologist.

We also have to realize that inflating such a large balloon is not an easy task. When the US weather services or NASA send off balloons with scientific payloads, there is some likelyhood (I think it is rather high) that the launch will have to be aborted because the envelope cannot be properly inflated. And Scientific balloonists certainly have more practice in launching big balloons than the Virgin or any other RTW team. A RTW balloon flight is a big feat and maybe we, the spectators, are a little too impatient and mankind is taking this adventure a little bit too lightly. On the other hand it can and will be done, sooner or later.

Regards, Roland

From what I recall the EarthWinds team tried this method by having a huge inflatable dome with a rope attaching the two fabric clam shells. The balloon would be inflated inside and when the time was right a car would pull the rope and the dome would collapse and the balloon would be released from the ground by whatever means...I proved however, expensive and a project in itself

regards

I do not believe that their is a well established procedure for flying around the world seeing as the various teams are using different technologies, methods and launch sites.

regards