2007 Saga International Balloon Fiesta
Period: October, 31th - November, 4th, 2007
Glossary of Balloon
Glossary of Balloon
- Approach
- To come near a target set on the ground.
- Anchor
- An object which is used to hold the balloon with a rope. A car or a tree is often used.
- Examiner
- A person with a license for flight-testing who is selected from instructor pilots.
- Instruments
- Devices such as an altimeter, elevator or parograph, which are used to record altitude automatically.
- Instructor
- An experienced pilot with an instructor’s license certified by the Japan Ballooning Federation. An instructor is qualified to train an applicant to become a pilot.
- Inflation
- The process of filling the balloon envelope with air or gas.
- Inflator
- A piece of equipment with an engine which sends air into the envelope.
- Wind sheer
- The circumstance in which wind zones of different velocity and direction mix, causing turbulence.
- Wind shadow
- An area where ballooning is not affected by a strong wind.
- Envelope
- The part of the balloon which is inflated with hot air or gas. Mainly made of nylon or polyester. Its diameter is usually between 15m and 18m and it is usually 18m to 20m high.
- Observer
- A person who officially judges a ballooning contest. An observer accompanies a team to observe that nothing is unfair or unsafe. An observer reports their records to the operation office after an event.
- Observer briefing
- A short meeting in which the observers are given an explanation of the ballooning event.
- Outer temperature
- The temperature outside the envelope during a flight.
- Mouth
- The open part of the envelope into which hot air is blown. Located close to the burner, it is made of fire-resistant cloth.
- Carabiner
- An oblong metal ring with a spring clip. It is used to attach such things as a burner, basket and tethering rope to the envelope.
- Actual weight
- The weight of a fully equipped balloon without the fuel, vessels, pilot or passengers.
- Controlled zone
- A area 200 meters above the ground, designated by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation.
- Controlled area
- A sky area directly above and within a radius of 9km of an airport set by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation. In the case of a private airport it is up to 3000ft above the ground and for an airport under control of the Ministry of Defence, it is up to 6000ft. NB. The controlled area for Ariake-Saga Airport is 9km.
- Key grab race
- An attraction game from the United States. In Saga, large car keys are hung from five 10m high poles. Prizes are awarded to those pilots who catch a key. If you are able to catch the central key, you will be presented a HONDA car!
- Game map
- A map designed for a ballooning contest. Usually maps are on a scale of 1:50,000. A dotted line is drawn every 1 km horizontally and vertically, and North, South, East, and West are shown as 4-digit numbers.
- Temperature inside the envelope
- The highest temperature is near the top of the envelope.
- Deterioration
- The process by which balloons become weak in strength and air- proofness. Use in bad conditions like strong wind and rain accelerates deterioration.
- Quick release
- A device which unfastens a rope instantly.
- Crown
- The topmost part of the envelope.
- Crown ring
- A metal ring attached to the crown to serve as a terminal unit of the load tape.
- Crown rope
- A rope extending from the crown to the basket. It is used in inflating and deflating the envelope.
- Crew
- A team that flies a balloon. They work together with the pilot to inflate / deflate the envelope and communicate with him/her in flight by giving navigational information. The crew can be said to hold the key to victory in a contest.
- Cross wind
- The intertwined wind a pilot passes through between two different layers of wind.
- Cross country A long-distance flight.
- Tethered ballooning
- Flying a balloon up to 20 to 30 meters by fastening it with a rope to three or four points, usually done for demonstration or entertainment.
- Tethering rope
- A rope used to fasten a balloon.
- Gore
- A piece of cloth used to form an envelope. Each piece of gore is spindle-shaped and is called a panel.
- Coil
- The coiled pipe on the top of the burner. When the blast bulb is opened, liquid propane gas (LPG) passes through the pipe, vaporizes and ignites the pilot burner.
- Tracing chart
- A chart used to record the balloon’s flight path on the map.
- Altimeter
- An instrument used to determine the altitude of a balloon. It is required that these be attached to every balloon.
- Conex
- A type of fire-resistant cloth used at the opening of a balloon. Conex is the Japanese name. Foreign-made cloth is sold under the name Nomex.
- Goal
- The spot a pilot declares in a pilot-declared game, usually the center of a crossroads or three or more intersections.
- Gondola
- The basket attached to a balloon.
- Compass
- A device used to determine geographic direction.
- Suspension cable
- A cable used to connect the envelope to the basket, usually made of stainless wire.
- Thermal
- Vertical air currents caused by ground heating that make it more difficult to control the balloon. In the extreme, the downdrafts associated with strong thermals can exceed the ability of a balloon to climb and can thus force a balloon into the ground.
- Shaped balloon
- A balloon envelope in a non-standard shape e.g. an animal or a commercial product. Interesting to see but weak for a flying, compared with ordinary balloons.
- Shroud line
- A unit of lines used to pull down the parachute panel
- Elevator
- A machine used to measure the speed a balloon’s ascent and descent.
- Signal Flags
- Flags set up at the launch site. Each one has a different colour and meaning:
Red for forbidden departure
Green for permission for all the balloons to be inflated
Blue for permission for odd-numbered balloons to be inflated
White for even-numbered balloons to be inflated
Yellow for warning 5 minutes before inflation
Black for a cancelled task
Purple is explained at the task briefing in terms of its meaning.
- Cylinder
- A container for LPG exclusively used for ballooning, made of aluminium and nearly 90 cm high. A single cylinder is filled with 20kg liquid propane gas weighing about 35kg.
- Cylinder jacket
- A cover for the cylinder used for protecting passengers and keeping the gas from getting cold in the wintertime.
- Cylinder belt
- A belt used to fasten the container to the basket.
- Skirt
- A cylindrical wind breaker put on the bottom of the envelope, made of fire-resistant cloth.
- Scoop
- A triangular windbreaker.
- Sporting license
- A license for a pilot issued by FAI
- Smooth
- A balloon with a smooth-surfaced envelope.
- Setting
- Preparation before making a flight such as setting the burner and unfolding the envelope.
- Soft landing
- To land on the ground safe and smoothly.
- Target
- A spot for dropping a marker, set by the operation committee near the goal or at the launch site. Usually a cross-shaped mark 10 m in length. A pilot drops his/her marker toward the target. A pilot’s score is decided by the proximity of this dropped marker to the center of the target.
- Task
- An event of a ballooning contest.
- Task sheet
- A record sheet given to each pilot at the briefing. Events, procedures, and regulations are shown on it.
- Turbulence
- Sudden strong movements of air.
- Chase
- To follow a balloon until the crew fold it at the landing spot.
- Chase car
- A car which is used to chase a balloon for the purpose of collection. Large trucks or vans are often used as they can transport a lot of items. A van has the benefit of a roof but you must separate the burner from the basket. On the other hand, the truck has no problem height-wise but is limited in the number of passengers it can carry.
- Take-off
- To depart
- Digit code
- A code showing an optional point on the map with a 4-digit number. North, South, East and West can be shown with it.
- Debriefing
- The time when an observer reports his/her recording to the operation committee after the contest is over.
- Deflation
- To let out air from the envelope.
- Drop line
- A handling line
- Hard landing
- To land on the ground suddenly or under a strong wind. Sometimes the balloon will be pulled by the wind with the basket bouncing.
- Nozzle
- The most important part of a burner from which vaporized gas is emitted to burn
- Pi-bal
- A small balloon used by a pilot to get information about wind.
- Pi-bal data
- A sheet to show information like velocity and direction of the wind by flying a pilot balloon. It is recorded on a concentric circle to show the four directions.
- Burner
- Burns gas and sends hot air into the envelope to raise the temperature and pressure, make the balloon take shape, and elevate the balloon. A pilot operates his/her balloon by turning the burner on and off in order to make it catch the wind to fly.
- Burner check
- Making sure there are no problems with the burner in terms of leakage and pressure, after attaching the basket to the envelope.
- Pilot
- A person who flies a balloon. He/She is required to have a license. It is not always necessary for a pilot to operate the balloon as an amateur can operate it under a pilot’s instruction. However, all responsibilities are on the shoulder of the pilot in charge.
- Pilot burner
- A device which makes a spark to ignite the main burner
- Pilot balloon
- A small balloon flown before take-off in order to observe weather conditions like the velocity and direction of the wind. It is filled with helium.
- Basket
- Also called a gondola, it is made of wicker.
- Basket cable
- Cables/wires used to sustain all the weight of the basket. Two wires are stretched under the basket and their ends connected to the burner and the envelope.
- Panel
- A sheet of cloth used for an envelope. An ordinary balloon is made of approximately 400 panels sewn together
- Parachute lip panel
- A parachute-shaped exhaust valve
- Handling line
- A rope dropped by the pilot before landing so the crew can hold onto or fasten the balloon
- Hands off
- When several crew members remove their hands at the same time
- Hands on
- When several crew members hold the balloon steady
- Pumpkin
- A pumpkin-shaped balloon with each load tape raised
- Heating tape
- An electric device used to maintain the temperature and internal pressure of the cylinder
- Flight distance
- The straight-line distance on a map between the departure point and the landing point
- Flight time
- The time a balloon takes from leaving the ground completely till it lands again after losing its buoyancy with its lip line pulled and stops as a result of having the air inside the envelope removed.
- Flight bag
- A bag containing utensils necessary for flying e.g. igniter, map, wireless set, distinguisher, whistle.
- Briefing
- A meeting before a flight. In the case of a contest, this is when the event director explains everything to the pilots. Also called a task briefing
- Flex rigid
- One of the ways to connect the burner to the basket. Nowadays, the burner is usually fixed to the basket in the shape of a tower using a nylon rope.
- Flame out
- When the fire of a burner is extinguished
- Floating
- One of the ways to connect the burner to the basket. The burner is suspended in the basket using a cable. In a rough landing, this can be dangerous as the burner may fall on the pilot so nowadays, the flex rigid method is more popular.
- Marker
- A 70g bag used in a contest. It is made from nylon cloth and is 180cm long and 10cm wide. A pilot drops it at the target and the distance from the center of the target to the dropped point is measured to decide the point or score.
- Landing
- To arrive at the ground
- Launch site
- The departure area. In Saga it is the launch site at the Kase River.
- Launch point
- The same as the launch site, but sometimes the term is used to show a pilot-declared point of departure
- Rip valve
- An exhaust valve on top of the envelope, usually called a rip. During flight a pilot operates his/her balloon by opening and closing the rip valve to go up and down. Upon landing and tilting the balloon, air is removed in a burst by opening the valve.
- Rip line
- A line to open and close the rip valve. It is used inside the basket.
- Layout
- The position in which a balloon is laid down. The basket is placed on the windward side, and the crown on the lee side
- Regulator
- A device used to adjust the pressure of gas supply to the pilot burner.
- Rozier balloon
- A high-end balloon with the features of both a hot-air balloon and a gas balloon. Buoyancy is achieved with helium gas, while elevation is adjusted by controlling the burner.
- Road chart
- A graph to indicate buoyancy in terms of the temperature inside and outside the envelope and its altitude.
- Load tape
- A cloth tape sewn into the envelope to sustain the weight charged???
- CLP Common Launch Point.
- A central point inside the launch site or its vicinity from which things such as flight distance, angles and direction are measured.
- GPS Global Positioning System.
- A device used to gauge position, velocity, and direction of a balloon in flight via satellite. Inputting a destination enables you to see the lag by an indicated angle.
- GMD Gravity Marker Drop.
- To drop a marker by removing your hand, not by throwing it down.
- C.I.A.
- Committee International Aerostatique
- F.A.I.
- Federation Aeronautique International
- N.A.C.
- National Aeronautic Association
- J.A.A.
- Japan Aeronautic Association
- N.K.R.
- Nippon Kikyu Renmei
- NOTAM Notice To Air Men.
- According to the laws set by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, you are required to report an intended flight which might influence other aircraft. Failure of a balloon pilot to inform airplane pilots of his/her flight, might cause an accident. Forbidden areas for balloons to fly include airports, glider ports, and aircraft pilot ports. Only after reporting your flight schedule to the person in charge of these ports can you fly in the sky area. Your flight schedule is sent to all the other aircraft pilots and is called NOTAM.
- PIC Pilot In Command
- A pilot in charge of an aircraft.
- PUT Pilot Under Training
- A person being trained to become a pilot
- PZ Prohibited Zone
- An area in which flight is limited or prohibited. In every contest the event director indicates prohibited zones on the map for pilots. There are three types of PZ:
Red PZ is area where there may be domestic animals, etc. A maximum altitude is also set.
Yellow PZ is an area in which taking off and landing are prohibited.
Blue PZ is an area where a minimum altitude is set.
