world championship
Battle creek, mi USA
2012

Award Ceremony

After a long week of intense flying and competition the event was concluded with a Closing Award Ceremonies.  The almost four hour long ceremony featured a local concert band set, recognition of well deserved event committee staff, the passing of the FAI flag to the Brazilian hosts of the 2014 Championship, and finally the presentation to top ten competitors.  

See everyone in Brazil 2014!

Friday Morning - Flight #10

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BalloonPong Headquarters
Three tasks for the final flight of the 20th FAI World Hot Air Balloon Champioship: Fly In, Hesitation Waltz, Hesitation Waltz.  Competitors saw the most speed they have had throughout the weeklong competition, but a weak inversion kept most of the speed above the surface level allowing for some great winds for competition.

The first task was at a local church commonly used for targets in Battle Creek over the years, the second was just at the top of a hill where competitors had to fly in to the target blind before being able to dip down low to drop at the "X".  The third target of the morning, and 30th of this Championship, was at CLA-4, which was used for a takeoff site and target area throughout the week so competitors were familiar with this area.

Quick winds with reliable steerage made it very competitive this morning for tasks and to move up pilots had to take dead aim at the targets.  All three were "free drops", meaning they could wind up baggies and throw them as far as they like.  We are still waiting on scores for all three targets, but for the most part tasks one and two saw very good scores.  The third task proved to be more difficult for pilots to reach, but there were still some good scores.  Most of the field, however, was outside the MMA of 100 meters.  At this point all complaint and protest periods have been suspended until 8:00 AM tomorrow morning.

Results through 27 tasks have been posted and Nick Donner has the lead.  After a strong showing again Friday morning it seems as if he will retain the lead and win his first World Championship.  We'll update you as more scores become available.




Thursday Evening - Flight #9

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Event Director, David Levin, called two tasks for competitors this evening; a Hesitation Waltz and Pilot Declared Goal.  Pilots were instructed to head towards the common launch area to begin preparations for flight and to make their declarations at the appropriate signal point.  

Once on-site, at CLA-8, a supplemental briefing was called where Levin amended the task sheet to make task 26 a Pilot Declared Goal rather than a Hesitation Waltz.  In sum, competitors had two PDG's to fly Thursday evening.  On the first pilots were only allowed one goal to choose from and at the second they could declare two goals and throw within 100 meters of the center to whichever one they ended up closer to.

Fickle winds made it difficult early to determine how to approach the first PDG, but prevailing upper level winds finally proved to allow for plenty of Easterly winds and some steerage came into play.  The only issue was that to find the right hand (Easterly) turn pilots had to climb to almost 5,000 ft MSL - typically within a close distance to their goal.

With a 100 balloon field it always is amazing how many pilots were able to place their baggies close to these goals.  Thursday evening was no different as there were lots of good results on each task.  It sounds like Nick Donner will likely maintain his lead atop the field and Yudai Fujita should be close behind.

Weather Officer, Brad Temeyer, gave a rough forecast of Friday morning and cautioned that a low level jet could develop that might put the flight in jeopardy.  Stay tuned to see the conclusion of the event.

Thursday Morning - Flight #8

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Andrew Robertson with empty tanks!
The flights are really starting to pile up.  We flew another four tasks this morning, bringing the total to 25 tasks with two scheduled flights remaining.  We look almost certain to end the Championship at or near the 30 task mark.  Through 21 tasks Nick Donner of the USA has taken the overall lead.

Four tasks this morning included a Fly-In, Judge Declared Goal, Judge Declared Goal, and Land Run.  Winds were more brisk this morning than they have been at any other point during the Championship.  Pilots saw speeds in excess of 30 kilometers an hour above 1,400 ft MSL.  Pilots flew into roughly the same target area as Wednesday night, but a slight change was used to place pilots in the front field of the complex.  It looks as if the first of three gravity drops was the toughest.  There were a bunch of good scores and a bad result on the Fly-In could prove to be costly.  After dropping at the first target pilots then ascended to 5,000+ ft. MSL in search of winds that would take them to the South. This cycle would continue throughout the flight two more times.  Judging at what point to descend from altitude was difficult but again lots of great scores were seen on the first Judge Declared Goal of the morning.

The last Judge Declared Goal was a bit more difficult to hit because of the angle needed to be obtained to get from the 2nd to the 3rd target of the morning. Scores were noticeably worse on the last gravity marker drop when compared to the others, but still there were a handful of baggies within the legs of the "x".  After the third task pilots had to fly a Land Run.  For this task the rules called for pilots to declare their center point to their observer before take-off along gridline 6000.  The object of a Land Run task is to create a triangle with the largest area possible.  In this case pilots were restricted to a three kilometer ring around their center point.  Once a pilot entered the ring, they established point A.  Point B was the greatest difference in track between Point A and the pilot's exit, Point C.

Wednesday Evening - Flight #7

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The great weather continued tonight for the 20th World Championship.  Two more tasks were called: Hesitation Waltz and Hesitation Waltz.  These were the more traditional style HWZ's as there were two measuring areas in one of the common launch areas just a few hundred meters apart and the second set of HWZ's were located almost two kilometers from the first and in different fields.

Many competitors took off in a large field just to the Southwest of the first HWZ and fly in relying on lower level winds at just over a kilometer out.  This made it difficult to maneuver and those pilots were more subject to surface level winds.  Earlier balloons seemed to be able to take advantage of higher winds at about 5,000 ft MSL and get close to the second set of HWZ goals, while later balloons didn't seem to have as much turn.

At the end of the night it was pretty hard to tell who and how many pilots did well.  There were roughly 20 baggies scored in the MMA on the first set of HWZ goals and less on the second set of goals.  We are now waiting to see results on 7 more tasks so stay tuned to see how things are panning out.

Wednesday Morning - Flight #6

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MNDD from 600ft
Five tasks for competitors this morning in Battle Creek.  Tasks were a Pilot Declared Goal, Judge Declared Goal, Minimum Distance Double Drop, Elbow, and finally a Fly-On.  Weather conditions were pretty good for the tasks called, but maximum speed of 15 kilometers an hour made it a bit difficult for pilots to reach all the goals in the 3 hour flight window.  Winds flowed generally from the Southwest to Northeast and pilots took off with almost 100 degrees of steerage in the bottom 1,000 feet above ground level.

Scores were pretty tight at task 15 (PDG) but it was fairly difficult to judge just how much right turn was to be had along the tree-top level winds.  In the end, it took a score of under a meter to wind the task.  Low and slow winds made the trip to the Judge Declared goal (only 4 kilometers away) take about 25-30 minutes and once there pilots had the option, depending on their approach, to play in the surface winds or set up for a more direct approach to the gravity marker drop.  Again, good scores were seen at this goal but typically by the pilots who were later in the flight as there was a surface left that developed and, although slow, aided pilots in getting very close.

By the time pilots made the move towards the Minimum Distance Double Drop (located at CLA-5) it was apparent that time could become an issue with two more tasks still to complete.  Even still, many balloons hung low searching for just the correct wind to take them over the Minimum Distance at the center point so they could obtain the best result possible.  Lots of great scores were recorded at the Minimum Distance but it will prove to be very important to just have a result regardless of whether or not you recorded perfect scores.

Task 18, an Elbow, required pilots to fly two kilometers from point A, which was the crossing of East-West gridline 8800, to establish point B.  Point C, was the point where competitors reached two kilometers from point B.  A perfect result would be to have Point C cross directly over Point A.  It turns out the best strategy was to travel roughly two kilometers to the North from Point A and then to climb to 8,000 ft. MSL to carry out the last two kilometers at altitude.  Pilots were challenged with time and the last thirty or so balloons in the field had to quit on the Elbow to try and get somewhere close to the final task, a Fly-On.

The Fly-On was a race again the clock for most.  All scoring ended at 10:00 local time and many pilots were still hundreds of meters, if not kilometers from their goals.  A clear advantage was to those pilots that were out early as they had more time to complete their tasks.

Five tasks should mean another significant shake up in the standings but it looks to be Americans Johnny Petrehn and Nick Donner starting to rise to the top.   

Tuesday Evening - Flight #5

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Another evening at the World Championships and another two tasks for competitors.  Event Director, David Levin, initially called a 3DT (Donut Shape) and a HWZ.  The 3DT was changed to a Pilot Declared Goal at the Common Launch point via a supplemental briefing.  Brisk winds challenged competitors a bit when inflating at the W.K. Kellogg airport on the West side of Battle Creek.  

The PDG had to be along gridline 8200 and the point was located at 2,000' MSL.  There are potential issues any time you call a virtual task with as many balloons as we have flying this week in Battle Creek and this evening's flight was no exception.  Much like Monday evening's congestion, pilots were again flying recklessly in an effort to make drastic maneuvers in a short time frame to get to the 2,000' MSL mark.  Results will vary based upon altitude and track but several good results have been reported.

The Hesitation Waltz, like this morning, again wasn't your traditional Hesitation Waltz.  Pilots were allowed to select any of the valid intersections goals South of I-94 (freeway) and as long as they flew within 100 meters of any goal they could achieve a direct measure result.  I'm officially dubbing this task the "blind squirrel" task.  In America we have a saying that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while and having this type of task allows pilots that might not have otherwise made a goal the opportunity to achieve a good result by accidentally flying over a valid intersection.  These "blind squirrel" tasks are not competitive and have no place in a World Championship, but they now make up more than 20% of all tasks called to this point.  There are surely great scores on this task.

Until next time...

Tuesday Morning - Flight #4

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Three tasks this morning in Battle Creek, MI (well really it was nearby Marshal, MI).  Levin called a CRAT, Hesitation Waltz, and Hesitation Waltz.  The CRAT is an oft unused task but always provides great challenges for competitors. Winds were out of the Northeast turning more out of the North as pilots ascended through the first 1,000 feet above ground level.  

The CRAT featured three scoring areas: A, B, and C.  Each scoring area had point where a pilot could achieve the best result and win the task, but the scoring areas changed every ten minutes.  The challenge was to make an approach on an area that you felt that you would definitely be able to get a score in.  Several pilots were caught making an approach to an area that closed before they could get a marker on the ground.  In the end, numerous baggies were placed close to the pavement in all scoring areas so results should be tight.

After the CRAT, pilots had the use of the entire competition area West of the 6800 gridline to find a valid goal and place a baggie within 100 meters.  This repeated for the final task (12) of the flight as well, needing just 1 kilometer in between goals.  Pilots were able to treat this essentially as a Fly-On, Fly-On scenario and as a result scores were very good at most intersections.

It is still too early to tell how the scores are going to shake out through 12 tasks as scoring has been lagging behind task calling.  Just this morning the Official results through task 7 were released and the top six spots were held by Americans.  Look for a shakeup in the standings as last night's flight (tasks 8 and 9) have yet to be included in the overall scores as well as 10, 11, and 12.  Scores should likely be up to date by the time the evening briefing rolls around because all the scoring this morning was limited, meaning no GPS logger results were made.  


Monday Evening - Flight #3

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6,000 FT above Battle Creek, MI
Monday evening brought two more tasks for the 20th World Championship in Battle Creek, MI.  Event Director, David Levin called two tasks - Pilot Declared Goal and a 3D Task.  Both the PDG and 3DT declarations were due to the signals point before the green flag was displayed.  The yellow flag signaled to competitors at Common Launch Area 4 (CLA4) that they had 10 minutes to get their declarations in to either the North or South signal points.  

Light and reasonably variable winds dominated the skies as upwards of 100 balloons aimed to take off as quickly as possible following the raising of the green flag.  Pilots exercised caution when climbing out of the CLA, but major congestion resulted for the first 20-30 minutes of the flight. After the early part of the flight competitors tended to spread out as they pursued differing goals.  The 3DT was a birthday cake shape where competitors could accumulate distance between track points in any of the three layers, with a multiplier making the top level worth three times as much distance as the bottom layer and the middle level two times.

There were a number of different strategies employed on the two tasks; some pilots chose to fly the PDG before the 3DT and others did them concurrently. It sounds like any number of flight plans could have received strong results as good reports from the German National Team indicated they did well this evening.  Also, one of the American subgroups seemed to do very well on the PDG and should have strong results on the 3DT.

In all, we are just now getting more clarity on scores from this morning's flight and it looks like American, Johnny Petrehn leads the field through 7 tasks by roughly 500 points.  We won't speculate any more on the scores, but hope to have more information by the morning briefing.

Monday Morning - Flight #2

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Competitors rushed through the doorway promptly at 6:00 AM to get a glimpse of the second task sheet of this 20th World Championship.  Four baggies and four tasks greeted pilots when they made their way to their assigned table.  Tasks #4-7 were in this order: Gordon Bennett Memorial, Hesitation Waltz, Fly-On, Fly-On.  Light winds littered the weather sheet and generally came from the North at all levels, swinging from Northeast to Northwest depending on altitude.

The Gordon Bennett shape was two triangles, one East of an "X" and one West, with the skinniest point (best result) facing the "X".  Essentially pilots could miss the "X" either left or right and still have a chance to achieve the best result for the task.  Lots of great scores were recorded and several pilots were able to place their markers very close to the point on both the Eastern and Western triangles, as pilots were approaching from the North.  Rhett Heartsill, of the USA looks to have had the best result on the GBM, although no tabulated results have been released.

The Hesitation Waltz featured two targets, one to the Southeast of the Gordon Bennett, and one to the Southwest.  This is where the field seemed to take on two different strategies as most (roughly 75) balloons attempted to try for the target to the Southwest, while the remainder of the field changed directions and climbed to 4,000 feet to head to the Southeast.  The entire American contingent chose the Southeast target and results at both HWZ goals weren't very good.  The Southeast MMA (Marker Measuring Area) was a bit narrow which forced pilots to navigate with a bit more precision.  In all, this gravity marker task saw some decent scores, but certainly not the precise ones measured on Task 4 at the GBM.

Next up was the first of two Fly-On's which pilots either declared before take off to their observers or on the tail of their marker on Task 5.  The intersections for this task was for the most part to the South-Southwest of Task 5 goals and pilots really honed their skills and recorded good results.  It would take under a meter to win this task for sure, although results have not yet been released.

Task 7, a Fly-on, required pilots to declare their goals again either to their observer before take off or on the tail of the marker on Task 6.  The low level winds proved fickle as pilots had steerage but it wasn't always consistent at any certain altitude.  Still, very good results were achieved on Task 7 and should be visible shortly when the scores are released.  

After one flight the scores were very tight with Marc Blaser of Sweden was leading the field, but that looks to get shaken up as four more tasks were added to the results today.  We'll post scores as we get them.  This evening's forecast is looking good so be sure to check back as we will post updates as soon as we can.


Sunday Evening - Flight Canceled

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Hopes of an improved forecast for Sunday evening were fueled by updated observations throughout the day on Sunday, but in the end Mother Nature won out as a group storms near the Grand Rapids, MI are approximately 50 miles North of Battle Creek scuttled any flying attempts for the evening.  Event Director, David Levin, called a two part task for the evening.  Tasks four and five were to be a Hesitation Waltz and Fly-On, respectively.  

In the end, pilots arrived at the common launch area to the Northeast of town (CLA-4) to find some mild outflows prior to the black flag being posted.  Once the black flag was posted, canceling the tasks, and crews began disassembling their balloons more and more outflows were observed.  Ultimately, with a great outlook for the week, the call was made to scrap the flight for Sunday evening.  Crews took the opportunity to grab a nice dinner on the town and get in bed early.  Lots of flying to come, so stay tuned.

Sunday Morning - Flight #1

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Three tasks and light winds got the World Championship kicked off this morning in Battle Creek.  Event Director, David Levin, got things going with a Fly-In, Fly-On, and 3D Task.  This first task sheet of the Championship looked extremely similar to the Saturday morning practice flight.  Officials seemed to make note of the variable winds and essentially allowed competitors to pick their own flight paths from a common launch area (Sunshine Gardens).  The Fly-In gave pilots four options to choose from - in every direction from the field.  The majority of the field opted to head to the Southwest of CLA-3 and in all an impressive 72 pilots scored with in 100 meters of their selected Fly-In - with a gravity drop.  

There was plenty of steering to be had this morning but it seemed as if just a slight change in altitude could result in a significant change in direction and all the while the surface winds flopped back and forth from south to west and anywhere in between.  Challenging but steerable winds led to the second target of the morning, a Fly-On.  It appeared most of the field chose one intersection (809 on the competition map).  The center of the intersection was highlighted with florescent colored paint as again many pilots were able to achieve results under a few meters in this free marker drop.

The third and final task of the day was a 3D task, but as you may be familiar with a 3D task is often run concurrently throughout a flight or several tasks.  It appeared this is what many of the pilots chose to do this morning as well.  In the end, a pilot could set their center point in such a way to be in the shape at take-off, when they dropped their Fly-In baggie, and when they dropped their Fly-On baggie.  That left the final part of the flight up to trying to rotate back around the circular donut shape task accumulating as much distance between track points as possible along the way.

At this point it's too early to tell as quite a few pilots have reported having good mornings and there are even rumors that there were some exceptional mornings out there too.  Plenty of flying to come as the storms have been removed from the forecast for this evening so it's looking like pilots and crews will be busy in the coming days.

BalloonPong Party and Saturday Recap

BalloonPong Party

Members of more than thirty nations joined together for some food, beer, and comrodarie Friday evening at one of the local favorites, The Cricket Club.  Hosts were gracious to Pongers as they opened their new upstairs venue for the first time, just in time for our event.  More than four hundred gathered to celebrate the website's success and relax a bit before the World Championship swings into high gear.

We went through one hundred pizzas, three full sheet cakes, and countless drinks.  A special thanks to all the volunteers that helped in serving food and making sure the event was enjoyable for all.  

Saturday AM Practice Flight 

Gorgeous weather and three tasks greeted pilots and as many as 86 competitors took the final opportunity to get organized in the Battle Creek skies before the 20th FAI World Hot Air Balloon Championship gets under way Sunday morning.  The tasks were a Fly-In, Fly-On, and 3-D Task.  The Fly-In required pilots to use a gravity drop and was won by Joe Heartsill of the USA.  Next up was a Fly-On and many pilots took the opportunity to fly this free marker drop task.  The event did not score this task as there weren't enough observers present to complete all the measurements, but reports from pilots in the field concluded that scoring would have been very tight.  A few centimeters would likely have won the task, if not closer.  

After about 8:30 AM winds began to grow more fickle as a low southerly wind would come and go and make it difficult to get to further goals in a timely fashion.  Upper level winds also began to shift and pilots who were still flying their 3-D tasks saw winds swing more to the west by anywhere from 20 to 30 degrees from what they were seeing earlier in the flight.  Changing winds led many pilots to cut the practice flight short of the 3-D task and make it back to the McCamly Plaza Hotel in a timely manner.

Plenty of first time observers were on crews this morning getting some experience so they can provide assistance to pilots throughout the week.  Their availability should give Event Director, David Levin, the means to call any type of task he should like throughout the week long event.  

General Briefing Notes

The General Briefing went a bit quicker than scheduled with only a few minor issues being raised by competitors to Event Officials - like a questionable intersection, FAA air laws, and altitude restrictions.  Competitors should receive a summary of those questions and their respective answers on their tables in the morning.  At this point the field of pilots should be comfortable with the Dakota 10 loggers beings used at this World Championship as they have been afforded an opportunity to get hands on experience with them during a guided tutorial and Q & A session by Paul Petrehn.  No major concerns were raised around the loggers and it looks like their strong track record should hold up this week as well.

Opening Ceremonies

The opening ceremonies officially kicked off the event tonight in Kellogg Arena with plenty of food and festivities.  Executive Director, Derrick Jones and his staff didn't disappoint as their lineup of food vendors, spirits, presentations, entertainment was top notch.  Of special note was a presentation made by the Holiday BalloonFest to Alan Blount's family formally dedicating this World Championship to his remembrance.  Alan was a former World Champion, BFA President, and clearly beloved by the balloon community.  Other highlights from the opening ceremonies included the oaths of both the competitors and officials, parade of pilots, and an intricate trapeze demonstration to cap the evening off.

Pilots are making final last minute preparations with their teams for the 20th World Championship.  The winds look to be a bit calm for the morning so it looks as if David Levin will have his hands full in selecting the first tasks of this Championship.  

Live Opening Ceremony



http://www.zoovision.com/worldballoonchampionship


World Championships - Battle Creek, MI

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The 20th World Hot Air Balloon Championship starts Saturday morning August 18 with a practice flight in Battle Creek, MI in the USA. It has been 17 years since the World Championship was hosted in North America. This year the Holiday Balloon Fest organization is playing host and has a whole week planned with events every day including the opening and closing ceremonies. 

Event Director David Levin is calling the tasks for his second World Championship.  Assisting Levin will be Maury Sullivan who will be directing an international event for the first time, although he has directed the US National Championship in the past.  Pilots should expect a healthy number of 3D tasks as well as Pilot Declared Goals and Fly-on tasks which are more typical with having observers.  Common Launch areas are numerous on the map but so are the number of individual launch areas that pilots can use for takeoff.

Long range weather forecasts show much cooler conditions to start the weekend but warming up should begin on Monday. Winds should be brisk each day which is very typical for Battle Creek.  Also typical are steerable afternoon flights and low level jets with fast winds between 800 and 2000 feet. With 103 balloons in the air this should be very exciting.

The big talk of the week though might be who is actually going to win.  John Petrehn is looking to defend his World Championship title on his home turf and won last week in Kansas City in preparation for the event.  Nick Donner, the 2010 second place winner has not won a balloon event this year but has been in the mix of things a few times but won each of the last three National Championships held in Battle Creek. Third place from 2010 was Stefan Zerberli and he had a strong showing in winning the Swiss Nationals in May.

Perhaps the Donner to watch this week is Chase Donner, who just won his first US National Championship the last week of July.  All of the Americans look to do well as they all qualified for the Championship based on their finishes on the same turf in 2010 and 2011had to finish well in Battle Creek during 2010 and 2011.  The nine member team they will be tough.

Other countries will be looking hard to spoil the homecoming for the US Team including Japan. Yudai Fujita, who has been in the USA since June, has been practicing at events around the country and looked more than ready last week in Kansas City with a 4th place finish. He is also the current Japanese National Champ.

Germany will be bringing seven pilots to the big show this year and Uwe Schneider will lead the team as they try to win their first World Championship since 2004 in Australia. 

We will be providing updates all week to include pictures, video and articles as we fly. The less flying we do the more intricate our website will be. Please be flexible with us as we try to compete and update the world on what is happening.  We would like to add your pictures everyday also.  Please send them with your name to [email protected]. 

The poll below will close Monday and results published. A new poll with the top five will go up on Wednesday until Thursday evening. Please participate!

For a full list of competitors click here.

For the updated schedule click here.

Links

Results

World Rankings

Past Champions

FAA doesn't allow Japanese pilots to fly JA registered balloons

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Monday the FAA made the final, final determination that they would not be allowing JA (Japanese) registered balloons to fly in the United States back pedaling from a previous agreement that would have allowed for an exemption for both the pilots and balloons to fly in Battle Creek this next week.

The fix for the problem has been BalloonPong Enterprises, LLC purchasing all five balloons the Japanese have shipped over and registering them in the United States. These balloons are receiving an FAA inspection to guarantee airworthiness and N-numbers after countless hours of paperwork by Maury Sullivan and his group in Battle Creek. The pilots will also require a US student pilot certificate so that they are legally able to fly US registered balloons and fly in the US. 

This has been a long process that is coming to the final hour. The FAA still must approve the paperwork that is being overnighted to Oklahoma City for their oversight. Though the registration office has cooperated and promises a quick process in their office this entire ordeal should never have happened. 

Admittedly this is both the fault of the US FAA and the Japan Balloon Association. The JBA is not recognized in Japan or ICAO and therefore Hot Air Balloons are not technically recognized as aircraft in Japan. Because of this even though the balloons are maintained per the flight manuals for the individual balloons the FAA was not willing to fulfill their end of things and grant the waiver for the pilots and balloons. 

BalloonPong was happy to help and think that had the roles been reversed in any country the host would have done anything possible to allow our fellow competitors to fly. Hopefully the last remaining issue concerning the Japanese being required to fly solo will be worked out so that all flights are solo flights and no competitive advantage is given to anyone.

For more information please read Trace Christenson's article here.