Winter - Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society

Winter 2016
Next CLAS Meeting—Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 7:30PM at
Plainville Police Department, 19 Neal Court, Plainville, CT
UPCOMING EVENTS 2016
CLAS OFFICERS 2016
CLAS Winter Dinner
January 23, 2016
Baci Grill, Cromwell @ 6:30 pm
(details below)
Reserve now!
PRESIDENT
Mark Sand
860-389-6778 (H)
mdsand@snet.net
VICE PRESIDENT
Garry Guertin
860-919-4175 (C)
CLAS Annual Safety Seminar
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT
(details & photos of 2015 safety seminar &
registration for included below)
SIGN UP NOW!
860-621-9945(H)
gguertin@cox.net
SECRETARY
Penny Christy
2016 CLAS monthly meetings:
Jan 21
Feb 18
Mar 17
Apr 21
May 19
Jun 16
No July meeting
Aug - No meeting – CLAS summer picnic
Sep 15
Oct 20 – CLAS photo contest
Nov. 17 – Purchase 2017 CLAS calendars
Dec. 15
860-638-3803 (H)
pmchristy@comcast.net
TREASURER
Robert Zirpolo
860-620-3754 (H)
robertzirpolo@comcast.net
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
Arlene Storrs - Unionville
Janet Storrs - Unionville
Bobbie Petitti - Unionville
Suzie Phalstaf – Ellington
Adelaide Whitman-Arel - Torrington
COME JOIN US –
IT TAKES A VILLAGE!
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Winter 2016
2016 CLAS Winter Dinner Fast Approaching
by Mark Sand
The C.L.A.S. Winter Dinner will be held on Saturday, Januaray 23, 2016 at the Baci Grill, 134 Berlin
Rd., Cromwell, CT 08616. Their phone number is: 860-613-2224. There will be a buffet menu, with
a cash bar and an appetizer hour, starting at 6:30 PM. The menu is not set at this time but there will be
an ample choice of entrees available. Gluten and sugar free meals are available with prior notice. The
price will be $38/person. C.L.A.S. will put up $3/person, which drops the price to $35. You can send
your payment to me at: 142 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic, CT 06355. You can also pay at the door but
please reserve a place (email, mail, or call to me) at least one week prior to the event since the
restaurant requires a final count and any special meal requests at that time. In addition to “snail mail”
you can reach me at 860-389-6778 and at mdsand@snet.net.
We need nominations for our annual awards. Nominee names are due by the end of the day on
Saturday, January 16th to allow time for engraving the plaques prior to the dinner. Awards are:
1. The Judith Ushchak Crew Award
2015 winner: Deb Guertin
2. The Art Laliberte Crew Award
2015 winner: Bobbi Barber
3. The S**t Happens Award
No nominees in 2015
4. The Mike Bollea Spirit Award
2015 winner: Robert Zirpolo
Ellen Dressel has again graciously agreed to head up the award selection process. Please forward your
nominations for these awards to Ellen at edressel@cox.net . Whoever has the Judith Ushchak Award
plaque, please make arrangements to get it to Ellen so the 2015 winner's name can be engraved on it.
Along with your nominations, please include a brief description of why you chose your nominee.
Also, please bring any landowner cards you may have to the dinner for the landowner card drawings.
We need some fun items for the door prize drawings. Donations will be greatly accepted.
2016 DUES ARE NOW DUE!
When you pay your dues, please file out a membership application (on our
web site: www.lighterthanair.org We are attempting to edit our
membership data base and the application forms will help. You can bring
your dues to the dinner, send it to any of the C.L.A.S. officers, or send it
to CLAS, PO Box 53, Southbury, CT 06488-0053
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Winter 2016
Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society
A Note From the Editor
This past year has been a busy year for me personally – planning a wedding, getting married to my
new husband, CLAS President Mark Sand(!), transplanting hundreds, possibly thousands of daffodil
bulbs and plants before the ground froze, packing up one house and putting it on the market while
trying to condense two homes into one, the holidays – all between April & December! Phew! I have
been distracted resulting in being very lax in my duties since becoming Editor of The Scoop early in
2015. I say this not to make excuses but to say I am finally on track with The Scoop! My sincere
apologies for the delay! Mark and I are beginning to settle into daily routines so please don’t hesitate
to contact me if you have any articles or photos you’d like me to include in the next issue. As this
edition of The Scoop is the first in some time, I am anxious to get this to your inbox before the fast
approaching Winter Dinner and Safety Seminar. Upcoming newsletters will include updates, minutes
from each meeting, a series of informative articles for crew members by Gordon Schwontkowski and
more. If you have any ideas or suggestions for The Scoop please let me know. I can be reached by
email at: jamiewhitman3@gmail.com
Also, many thanks to our previous Editor, Libby Richardson, for all of her time and
dedication in doing such a great job with The Scoop! We appreciate your time and
commitment, Libby!
Thanks for the Contributions for this edition of the Scoop: Mark Sand, Matt
Dutkiewicz, and Adelaide Whitman-Arel, and Janet Storrs.
Publishing Information
The Scoop is published quarterly by the third Thursday of every third month. Submissions for The
Scoop are preferred by email to Editor Jamie Whitman at jamiewhitman3@gmail.com. Photos,
articles, and ideas are always welcome. Information may be mailed to 142 Greenmanville Avenue,
Mystic, CT 06355 or can be brought to any CLAS meeting and given to the President, Mark Sand. All
materials should be received by the Editor at least two weeks prior to the third Thursday of every third
month for inclusion.
The Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society publishes this newsletter for its members and interested parties. Portions of this newsletter may be
reprinted if credit is given to the writer and to CLAS. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the organization or members of
this organization. For more information contact: Editor, Jamie Whitman, 142 Greenmanville Avenue, Mystic, CT 06355 Email
jamiewhitman3@gmail.com; Phone: 860-917-7634
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Winter 2016
Congratulations to Rick Silva!
Rick is now officially a commercial pilot! He passed his test for his commercial pilot’s certificate
in July 2015. He is a member of CLAS and pilots his balloon, High at Last. Congratulations on a
job well done, Rick! We wish you gentle winds, lots of blue sky, and soft landings!
Rick & Carol Silva, Poughkeepsie, NY 2013
“High at Last” Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
CONGRATULATIONS
RICK!
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Winter 2016
2015 ANNUAL RUTH SALZBERG MEMORIAL SAFETY SEMINAR & PHOTOS
By Penny Christy
Photos by Rob McFarlane
The 12th Annual Ruth Salzberg Memorial 2015 CLAS Safety Seminar was held on March 28th
at the beautiful Yale Divinity School and it snowed all day! The audience was split evenly
between pilots and crew. Thanks go to Veneziano’s Catering from Wolcott who provided our
breakfast, mid-morning break refreshments, a delicious lunch and even mid-afternoon
snacks. CLAS matched the amount collected for the BFA Junior Balloonists Camp scheduled
in Millersville, PA later this year. We sent the BFA a check for $142 earmarked for this event.
A variety of door prizes were awarded near the end of the seminar. Brian Nilson is a new
CLAS member and new owner of a hot air balloon. He designed and hand made a beautiful
balloon pin and a pair of balloon earrings at his 4 Corners Jewelry Store in Storrs, CT. He
generously donated these pieces of jewelry for door prizes at this seminar. There was a
Gordon Schwontkowski Crewing Essentials book awarded to the youngest attendee. Tyler,
Brian’s son, promised he would read it cover to cover. He will be attending Junior Balloonist’s
Camp in PA this year. Another one of these books and several copies of Gordon’s 200 item
check lists, a first aid kit, packages of fresh pibals and several other items were awarded with
the winning tickets.
Warren Rogers from Eversource (CL&P) was back by popular demand again this year. He
presented his Electrical System Awareness with humor and valuable information about a very
serious topic: LIFE or DEATH! He related it to balloonists as he told his critical examples of
“What not to do.” If we don’t remember anything else from his presentation, for any accident
involving power poles or lines, “STAY IN THE VEHICLE!” As a spectator or Good Samaritan,
stay at least 2 power poles away and tell the people to “STAY IN THE VEHICLE” until utilities
staff say that the power has been turned off! High voltage lines can arc 30 feet and
distribution lines can arc 10 feet. He showed us pictures where fatalities occurred when
people didn’t adhere to this rule would have lived if they had stayed in their vehicles. If you
have to leave a charged vehicle or balloon, keep your feet together and HOP at least 3 times
then shuffle “past the people watching you.”
There was an excellent presentation by Daryl Smith about accidents that included graphic
audience participation. Go to ECFR, FAA and NTSB Part 830 for the latest information.
Remember to preserve the wreckage, get names, take pictures and be careful what you say
since there are cell phones everywhere that can be recording you. Daryl showed three
YouTube videos. One had a transformer flash and a broken wire flash. Darald Young
described what actually happened - and didn’t happen, even though his pink, purple and
white checkered balloon was widely publicized as having severe damage after the powerline
strike. Three passengers experienced burns. Depending on the angle, photographs can have
us make inaccurate conclusions. His balloon was not damaged.
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Winter 2016
Jim O’Brien refreshed our knowledge of and practices using propane. His graphs explained
the temperature and pressure transitions for liquid, solid and vapor states of propane. We
saw how hazardous it is to overfill tanks, not to wear gloves, and the effect of static electricity
from clothing in the right conditions. Use our senses when we are around propane since it is
odorless without the smelling agent added to it. The acronym, BLEVE, is easy to remember:
Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. Also, look for the two holes in the collar of a tank
to determine the side toward which the nozzle at the bottom of the tank is the closest.
FARs were presented by Daryl Smith. This applied to pilots since the pilot certificates say “I
am still proficient and can fly to my certificate level” and is effective for 24 calendar months.
The Biennial Flight Review (BFR) is now called the Flight Review (FR). This review includes
an hour of ground school training from Part 91 (to be noted separately in the logbook) and a
flight review of maneuvers and procedures necessary for safe flight operations. This review
can contain The Practical Rest Standards (PTS) activities, HISARM acronym for what must
be in the basket, normal flight maneuvering, distractions, instrument operation, several “What
if?” scenarios like “What if you have 20 minutes of fuel left?”, post flight review, weather
briefings and more! Enroll in WINGS! It is a valuable resource of the FAA and is free! View
the online document AC61-91J for the WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program Users Guide.
Penny Christy and Santo Galatioto moderated the Weather segment that included
experiences from many pilots. Kevin Brielmann told us about some of his Gas Ballooning
Flights out of Albuquerque and hot air ballooning during the US Nationals. We learned about
gas ballooning flight situations that hot air balloonists do not encounter. Bill Costen told us
about an experience he had in Philadelphia 35 years ago. Other experiences were also
described and most of these included “surprise” inaccessible landing sites, fog and high wind
landings.
Daryl Smith presented the Aeronautical Decision Making process which describes that the
PIC has the final authority and is directly responsible for the flight. This includes risk
management, resource management, and crew resource management. Risk management:
Use the IM SAFE acronym: (Illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, eating). Evaluate the
environment including weather at launch and landing, airspace and obstructions. For
operations, evaluate the purpose of the flight. Is it the $$$? Have situational awareness: other
balloons, fuel, control of your own aircraft, etc. DECIDE acronym: Detect (a change),
Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, and Evaluate. Limit distractions, use knowledgeable crew,
use checklists, do your own reality check: “I don’t have to go.” Risk Management FAA-H8083-2 and Balloon Flying Handbook FAA-8083-11 manuals are valuable resources.
The last session was, “How does your pilot treat you?” Many crew contributed to this
discussion and brought up many topics for pilots to think about. These include: radios turned
on, crew trained on radios, radio check, balloon call sign, value of being on one frequency,
communications succinct, general communication during set up, crew check lists and check it
arriving at launch field-before fan on-before flight, assign and rotate tasks, who’s doing what
task, chase vehicle familiarity, chase vehicle keys, ask questions if you don’t know, picturesof
balloon in chase vehicle, gloves, breakfast, pilot remembering the wallet for breakfast, current
in CPR and First Aid Kit location in chase vehicle.
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Winter 2016
Yale Divinity School
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Winter 2016
Lunch serving line
Lunch dining lounge
Slide introducing Warren Rogers from
Eversource. Very entertaining and back by
popular request
Warren Rogers (Eversource) “Electrical System
Awareness” and Kevin Brielmann during a
break
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Winter 2016
Daryl Smith and his goodie bag waiting
for the correct answer to one of the
questions he asked in his presentation
Daryl Smith and Darald Young during the Balloon
accidents session clarifying his profusely
publicized accident that was sensationalized by `
photographs that gave the incorrect impression
Dr. James O'Brien presented Propane Safety and
showed us why we need to comply with the safety
handling rules we have been taught
Santo Galatioto, our resident FAA flight
examiner
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Winter 2016
"How does your pilot treat you?" interactive session:
Carol Silva and Bobbi Barber
Lisa Huck during the “How does
your pilot treat you?” session
Pam Bogart-Macfarlane during the "How does your
pilot treat you?" session
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Winter 2016
FUN FLIGHT
Farmington, CT Saturday, October 31, 2015
L-R Crew members Adrian Whitman, Suzie Phalstaf, Janet Storrs, Jamie Whitman, Pilot Mark
Sand, Bobby Petitti, Farmington, CT October 31, 2015
photo by Adelaide Whitman-Arel
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Winter 2016
High at Last and Mystical Flyer, Fun Flight, Farmington, October 31, 2015
photo by Matt Dutkiewicz
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Winter 2016
THE MIKE BOLLEA SANTA FLIGHT 2015
Southington, CT Saturday, December 12th
High at Last at The Mike Bollea Santa Flight 2015, Southington, CT
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Photo by Mark Sand
Winter 2016
Upcoming 2016 Balloon Festivals
Adirondack Balloon Festival
Crandall Park Glens Falls and Floyd Bennett Memorial
Airport
Queensbury, NY
September 22 - 25, 2016
37th Annual Quechee Hot Air Balloon Craft and Music
Festival
Quechee, VT
June 17th, 18th, 19th, 2016
Plainville Fire Company Hot Air Balloon Festival
Norton Park
Plainville, CT
August 26, 27 & 28, 2016
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Balloon Festival
Poughkeepsie, NY
July 8-10, 2016
Albuquerque, NM International Balloon Fiesta
Albuquerque, NM
Oct 1-9, 2016
Letchworth Annual Red, White & Blue
Balloon Rally
Letchworth State Park
Castile, NY
May 27-30, 2016
38th Annual South County Hot Air Balloon Festival
URI Athletic Fields
Kingston, RI
July 22-24, 2016
NJ Festival of Ballooning
Solberg-Hunterdon Airport
Whitehouse Station, NJ
Jul 29-31, 2016
Glens Falls, NY 2015, photo by Janet Storrs
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Winter 2016
ADIRONDACK BALLOON FESTIVAL 2015
By Mark Sand
Mark Sand, pilot of Mystical Flyer & crew attended the Adirondack Balloon Festival. Weather was
not very cooperative as we only flew once. Saturday evening provided an opportunity for a candle
glow.
Looks like a great day for flying! Glens Falls, NY 2015
photo by Mark Sand
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Winter 2016
A great turn out! Glens Falls, NY 2015
photo by Mark Sand
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Winter 2016
Candle glow, Glens Falls, NY 2015
photo by Janet Storrs
Any other news? Tell me about it—Jamie (jamiewhitman3@gmail.com)
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Winter 2016
Candle glow, Glens Falls, NY 2015
photo by Janet Storrs
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Winter 2016
Pilot of Mystical
Flyer, Mark Sand, and
“co-pilot” Bobby
Petitti
Glens Falls, NY 2015
Photo by Janet Storrs
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Winter 2016
Mystical Flyer sticks a soft landing
Photo by Janet Storrs
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Winter 2016
Poughkeepsie Pilots, Crew, Family and Friends
All photos by Jamie Whitman unless otherwise specified
Pilots Mark Sand & Charlie Perreault setting up for a flight, Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Flight over Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
“Damn it! Where’s my cell phone…”
Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
photo by Janet Storrs
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Winter 2016
“High at Last, clear to land on Runway 23, Right”, Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Pilot Charlie & Karen Perreault crewing for Mystical Flyer at Poughkeepise, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Deflating Mystical Flyer after landing, Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
We get by with a little help from our little friends. Packing up Mystical Flyer after a great day of flying!
Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Pilot Charlie Perreault with friends, Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Cold inflation of High at Last by Pilot Rick Silva and crew member Bobbi Barber along the Hudson River
Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Start ‘em young! Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Sky Petals Pilot Penny Christy (center) & crew inflating along the Hudson, Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
Inflating Pilot Penny Christy’s balloon Sky Petals, Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
You need directions to where??? Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
L-R Mystical Flyer Pilot Mark Sand, Karen & Pilot Charlie Perreault, setting up for flight along the Hudson River
Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
L-R Pilot Charlie Perreault, Mystical Flyer Pilot Mark Sand, sponsorship passengers, & Karen Perreault,
Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
A view of Mystical Flyer from the end of the crown line, Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
He said to put it where?!!!??!!!
L-R Mystical Flyer Pilot Mark Sand and crew members Bobby Petitti, Janet Storrs, & Suzie Phalstaf,
Poughkeepsie, NY 2015
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Winter 2016
CLAS Safety Seminar 27Feb2016
2016 Ruth Salzberg Memorial Safety Seminar
Registration Form
This year the club has organized its 13th annual 1-day Safety Seminar on Saturday, February 27, 2016. We honor
Ruth Salzberg, a vital member of this organization who passed away in 2006.
The seminar will be held at the Yale Divinity School at 409 Prospect St, New Haven, CT.
From I91 S, take Exit 4 and turn R (West) onto Humphrey St. Go 0.5 mi, then take R onto Whitney Ave for
0.25 mi, 1st L onto Edwards and R onto Prospect St. Go 0.25 mi and turn right into the One-Way driveway
on the far side of the Divinity School. The parking lot will be on your left at the top of the hill.
From I95 N take Exit 3. Go straight through the Orange St light for 0.3 mi and turn Rt onto Prospect for 0.75
mi. Turn right into the One-Way driveway on the far side of the Divinity School. The parking lot will be on
your left at the top of the hill.
Sessions start at 8AM and end by 6:00PM. Breakfast and Check-In at 7:30AM, lunch, mid-morning and midafternoon snacks, meeting the presenters after, and informal dinner out with those who are interested.
To qualify for having attended this BFA Safety Seminar you must attend the entire seminar.
This will be a CORE subject seminar focusing on improving piloting and crew skills by refreshing the
basics we know so well (and may not have reviewed for a while.)
Topics:
Weather
Maintenance and Equipment Repair
Pilot and Crew Safety
Aeronautical and Pilot Decision Making
Balloon Accidents
FARS
Open #1 –
Open #2 –
To register please contact Penny Christy, CLAS Safety Seminar Chairperson,
at 860-857-8757 or by e-mail at pmchristy@comcast.net. A registration form is also available on the
CLAS website, www.lighterthanair.org
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Winter 2016
2016 CLAS SAFETY SEMINAR
DATE ( MO/DA/YR)
NAME
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone
E-mail
BFA Member Number
Balloon N#
Insurance Company
CLAS Member?
Current? Yes_______ No________ New_______
Pilot Certificate Number
Rating or Crew Designation
(Circle only one)
CP - Commercial Pilot PP – Private Pilot
SP – Student Pilot CR – Crew Person
NOTES:
If you miss any of this seminar, you will not meet the BFA’s education requirements to qualify as having attended
this safety seminar. Make-up classes may, or may not be available. If you have any questions please contact Penny
Christy, CLAS Safety Seminar Chairperson, at 860-857-8757 or by e-mail at pmchristy@comcast.net
For BFA Members and Pilots, Your BFA #, Balloon N#, and Pilot Certificate # are required information that must be
submitted with your application. Without this information your application can not be processed by the BFA. Please,
look them up NOW and insert them above.
The cost of the club’s BFA Safety seminar is $60 Pilots ($70 for non-members of CLAS) $30 Crew ($40 for nonmembers)
2016 CLAS membership is $20 for one vote and $25 Family with 2 votes.
(Your $20 CLAS membership includes those family members living at home with you.)
Become a NEW first-time member for an additional $10 to the non-member price of the CLAS Safety Seminar
registration.
Registration Fee Options
$60 = Pilot CLAS Member paid up for 2016
$80 = Pilot CLAS Member $60 + 2016 Membership $20 or Pilot Non-Member $70 + NEW 2016 Membership $10
$70 = Pilot Non-Member
$30 = Crew CLAS Member paid up for 2016
$50 = Crew CLAS Member $30 + 2016 Individual Membership $20
$40 = Crew Non-member
Make Checks payable to CLAS and return them with a copy of page 2 of this application to:
CLAS, C/O Penny Christy, 12 Blue Grass Dr., Middletown CT 06457
This application will also be accepted at the Jan. 21st or Feb. 18th, 2016 CLAS meetings. This registration form must
be received by the education committee before the start of the FAA Safety Seminar on February 27, 2016.
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Winter 2016
If you have any questions please contact Penny Christy, CLAS Safety Seminar Chairperson, at 860-857-8757
(cell) or 860-638-3803 (home) or by e-mail at pmchristy@comcast.net or Mark Sand at 860-389-6778.


Contact me if you plan to stay overnight. We will look for economy accommodations for you near the
university.
Bring your pilot logbooks for endorsement for the ground school portion of the Wings Program.
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Winter 2016
The Connecticut Lighter Than Air Society is a club for anyone interested in learning about, participating in, and improving the sport of
ballooning. Pilots, crew, and enthusiasts alike are welcome and ALL can contribute to the safety, enjoyment and education of the sport.
rd
Meetings are scheduled monthly on the 3 Thursday of the month at the Plainville Police Department, 17 Neal Court, Plainville, CT.) at 7:30
PM. For more information, contact any of the officers listed in this newsletter.
CLAS DUES $20 include membership privileges and newsletter.
Extra voting family member add $5
CLAS Member Pins $5 ($3 members)
Decals $2 ($1 members) Landowner Pins $4 ($3 members – limited quantity)
NAME _______________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________
CITY_______________________________STATE______________ZIP___________
TELEPHONE (Home) ______________(Work)____________________(Cell)________________
E-Mail______________________________
CLAS Membership Info:
Single ($20)___ Family ($20)___ Extra Vote ($5) Name: _________________________________
New _____ Renewing _____
Crew_____ Student Pilot _____Private Pilot_____ Commercial Pilot_____ N#_________
BFA #__________________ BFA CAAP Level ________ BFA PAAP Level ________
FAA Wings Level Completed________
Pilot Certificate # __________________Type(s) of Certificate(s) _________________________
Make Checks payable to CLAS and mail to: CLAS PO Box 53, Southbury, CT 06488-0053
The Scoop/ CLAS
PO Box 53
Southbury, CT 06488-0053
www.lighterthanair.org
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