Irish National Hot Air Ballooning Championships

Aquos76

Trotter, whats the "Fly in task" on Friday evening, All the other events have a launch location, but nothing is listed for this one.

Dub13

Trotter wrote: »

Weather is glorious.. slightly cloudy but lots of sun. Slightly on the windy side for the balloons but we expect that to drop off around 6pm.. The weather Gods seem to be smiling on us. The drop off in the wind speed is supposed to happen tomorrow also its all looking good.

Sounds like its all setting up nicely for you all,I hope it goes well and we have some good pics here over the next few days.

Trotter

Aquos76 wrote: »

Trotter, whats the "Fly in task" on Friday evening, All the other events have a launch location, but nothing is listed for this one.

Ah yes.. the oul fly in. I love this one.

"Fly-in task - The launch field becomes the goal and the pilots are dispatched to take-off from a launch point of their choice a minimum distance away. A large target is laid out on the launch field."

Basically its a map and wind management exercise.. You have a designated landing field which is given to the pilots on the morning (co-ordinates / grid ref etc). They take off from wherever they like once its outside the distance set by the officials.

They then have to fly in and try to drop the balloon in the landing zone. The craic comes in when you take off because balloons can't steer!!

The good fly in pilot picks a point that he knows the wind direction will blow the balloon right across the landing zone.. maybe 8 - 10km away.

Closest to the zone wins!

SO.. I won't be telling anyone the landing zone for that one because its top secret. So much so that I havent been told yet either.

There's no official mass launch site because all the pilots will be trying to outwit each other and take off from places where they think they'll pick up the right wind to take them over the landing zone.

Many will get it wrong and head off all over the place! Once you're wrong, theres no point worrying about it, ya can't really steer back!

Last time I did the navigation for it, I was absolutely sure I was on a winner and the spot I'd chosen would lift us into the right wind direction and we'd go NW right into the zone 10km away. I even put up helium balloons (the little ones!) and watched them sail off in the direction of the zone. We inflated the balloon in a field behind a chaps house. The pilot said to me.. "Are you sure this is the right place now?".. I said I was and off we went....

.. in the opposite direction :rolleyes:

chickenhawk

Trotter wrote: »

.. in the opposite direction :rolleyes:

Brilliant!!

Can't wait for it. Hope the weather holds out!!

I'll also have to remember that ye have right of way!

Trotter

chickenhawk wrote: »

I'll also have to remember that ye have right of way!

Hehe.. Are you a pilot yourself?

chickenhawk

Trotter wrote: »

Hehe.. Are you a pilot yourself?

CPL at the moment. Everyone I've been talking to is looking forward to some air to air shots. But don't worry we'll stay well out of your way.

Trotter

Just to all the lads who are taking photos at the event, I'll have my camera too but I'll be seriously busy at the launches.

Could I ask for a few photos to be sent my way? The last time I had no chance to take photos and I was the only fella in Waterford who had none, and I'd spent my days workin on the flippin thing.

kensutz

I'll sort you out as promised

kazper

hi guys, was just out the front chatting to neighbour when 2 hot air baloons passed over us , castlecomer co. kk, was this just a test thing or what? a blue one and a smart telecom balloon, looked cool, got some pics byut have to find camera lead

Trotter

Yeah that was just a few of us making the best of the weather! It was excellent flying weather this evening.

kazper

yeah it was very cool to watch, will ye be heading this direction again in the championship, would love to see some more and my daughter was amazed, she thought it was a giant parachute, never heard of a hot air balloon, bless her.

Sully

Trotter: Those pictures you included, are they yours?

Trotter

kazper wrote: »

yeah it was very cool to watch, will ye be heading this direction again in the championship, would love to see some more and my daughter was amazed, she thought it was a giant parachute, never heard of a hot air balloon, bless her.

Theres going to be a mass launch from Belline Equestrian Centre on Thursday night. Thats where we took off from this evening. You can expect a whole lot of parachutes in the sky that night There was lots of spectators there this evening too! Maybe you could take your daughter on Thursday night to watch the launch?

Sully wrote: »

Trotter: Those pictures you included, are they yours?

I didnt take them but I got them from a friend of the family who was there last time. Why do you ask?

Sully

Trotter wrote: »

I didnt take them but I got them from a friend of the family who was there last time. Why do you ask?

I'm doing the detailed page for the event on Discover Tramore (the brief one is already up) which I hoped to include pictures of previous events but I dont use photos without permission from the copyright holder.

Trotter

Sully wrote: »

I'm doing the detailed page for the event on Discover Tramore (the brief one is already up) which I hoped to include pictures of previous events but I dont use photos without permission from the copyright holder.

None of those are in Tramore Thats like doing the Discover Waterford site and putting the Pyramids on it!




In terms of copyright, I'm not actually sure who took the photos. I just asked a friend if there was any around. I suspect they came from a few different people. Sorry I'm not much help on that front.

Sully

Trotter wrote: »

None of those are in Tramore Thats like doing the Discover Waterford site and putting the Pyramids on it!

I put some Waterford City events on the Events Guide also, as a lot of tourists like to move around a bit between the different places surrounding Tramore. This would be an event a lot of tourists would love to go see so I have it listed.

In terms of copyright, I'm not actually sure who took the photos. I just asked a friend if there was any around. I suspect they came from a few different people. Sorry I'm not much help on that front.

Its okay, I can work around it

Trotter

Sully wrote: »

Its okay, I can work around it

Fingers crossed there'll be plenty of better ballooning ones around this time next week anyway!

mike65

I just drove around the Smartcastle area and its going to be shouded in fog I'd say, there is no local high point to get above it for pix either.

Mike.

Trotter

mike65 wrote: »

I just drove around the Smartcastle area and its going to be shouded in fog I'd say, there is no local high point to get above it for pix either.

Mike.

Have faith young Michael.. haven't the people we ordered the weather from today done the business?

Trotter

To answer my own question there, our weather producing people may not have been so spectacular at all!

The forecast is for no rain this evening but the wind speed and direction is not looking helpful.

Fajitas!

Will be heading in in a bit, Roen will be in too, and I think Kensutz.

We'll be the chaps with big cameras...

Come over and chat if you want!

muffler

Fajitas! wrote: »

Will be heading in in a bit, Roen will be in too, and I think Kensutz.

We'll be the chaps with big cameras flashers...

Come over and chat if you want!

Fixed that for you Fajitas!

kensutz

Decent enough turn out, thought a bigger crowd would've been there. Looks like the whole week will be a good spectacle.

Trotter

Well Im glad to be here with a mug off tea after an afternoon of stress!! I must have run 50 laps of the park. It was great to see them go. I was looking after the launch area and I spotted a few photographers so I wasn't sure which were boardees. Fingers crossed you all had enough freedom to move around ok?

We had expected the flight to go towards Fenor but the winds swung around and sent the flight towards South KK. They should be landing around now.

Hope you all enjoyed it anyway.

Fajitas!

Got some good snaps, was no hassle moving around, thanks Trotter!

Poor bastards, landing in KK :pac:

kensutz

They'll need their shots now before they come back across the border.

Trotter

Fajitas! wrote: »

Got some good snaps, was no hassle moving around, thanks Trotter!

No bother.. I left the photographers wander anyway because there was nobody getting in the pilots' way.

I'll be looking after the launches from the park (well the crowd organisation bit anyway) tomorrow night, Tuesday night and Friday morning. Thursday night will be going from the equestrian centre in Piltown so I'd really recommend the photographers to come to that one, because the crowd will be much further back. Its in the Belline Equestrian Centre.

Aquos76

Here are a few shoots from the park.












These two landed in Waterford Golf Club

Trotter

Aquos76 wrote: »

These two landed in Waterford Golf Club

DOH!

abouttobebanned

Great shots Aquos