COPYRIGHT FIREFLY HOT AIR BALLOON TEAM 2008
Rules of the air for balloonists
A rather tongue in cheek, but equally serious look at flight safety by Crispin Williams (chairman of BBAC)
Every take off is optional. Every landing is mandatory.
There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing, unfortunately, no one knows what they are.
The only time you have too much fuel is when you are on fire.
A 'good' landing is one you can walk away from. A 'great' landing is one which leaves the balloon flyable.
It's always better to be on the ground wishing you were up there, than to be up there wishing you were on the ground.
Keep looking around, there is always something you missed.
There are two groups of pilots, those who have hit power lines and those who will hit power lines.
Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
Good judgement comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgement.
A superior pilot is one who uses their superior judgement to avoid using their superior skills.
You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
Never let your balloon take you somewhere that your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.
