Joining the Team

We are always looking for people who would be interested in joining our team. To be part of our flight crew, you only need to possess a fun sense of adventure, a love of the great Arizona outdoors, be an early morning person (!) and have an occasional weekend morning or day free!

Summary

What the Roping the Wind Adventure Flight Team partakes in is a bit different than what you may have visualized hot air ballooning to be. If you have been around ballooning before, this may be a new and exciting opportunity! To many, ballooning is perhaps seen as a commercial operation, where balloons take fare paying passengers up on one hour sightseeing tours. But, ballooning is also a recreational sport. Many pilots just go out on the weekends to enjoy their hobby and share this experience with their family and friends (herein referred to as 'crew'!). Although, I fly balloons commercially, I also enjoy going ballooning on a  recreational level. Most pilots, however, enjoy their hobby in one given locale where they meet and fly every weekend. Not us! The Roping The Wind Adventure Flight Team takes ballooning to a whole nuther' level! Arizona is a beautiful state with some of the most spectacular and awesome scenery. Much of Arizona is very rugged and wilderness areas take up many square miles of Arizona. Many of these areas are inaccessible to motor vehicles and some can even be difficult to hike into. What better way to take in these scenic vistas than from the basket of a hot air balloon! Unfortunately, ballooning in remote areas has its challenges. This is where the adventure, a team of several ground crew, and a pilot with a sense of adventure come in! Of course, not all our flights are all that challenging. Sometimes, just flying in a different place we have never flown is an adventure. A goal of mine is to fly from every Arizona city and town. A goal that will take me most of my lifetime! A goal that I will slowly work toward accomplishing. As I also fly commercially (business before pleasure!) and due to financial reasons, adventure ballooning isn't something I do every weekend. We typically try and get together once a month or so. Sometimes we may do a couple flights a month and sometimes we might only get out once every couple of months. This is a great opportunity for you to get out and enjoy the outdoors and make some new friends. Ballooning is a great way to meet people. Whether within the team or all the friendly, smiling folks we meet upon our every landing.

Overview of the typical flight experience

Hot air ballooning is generally a very relaxing experience, but, before the flight and after the flight there is a little 'work' involved. This is were our flight crew comes in! Here is a little overview of what all takes place during one of our 'adventure flights'.

A typical flight will have us all assembling at my East Mesa home early in the AM on a weekend morning. Typically, this can range from as early as perhaps 4:30am to as late as perhaps 7:00am. Depends upon sunrise time and where we are going to fly. Sometimes we make what we call 'balloon camping trips' and actually go up to a flight location on a Friday or Saturday night and camp out and enjoy an evening in the pines amongst the stars and breathing a fresh, pine aroma filled air or telling stories (not all balloon related!) around a warm and cozy campfire. Then the next morning go ballooning. A flight location could be less than an hour away or more than a few hours. Usually, if it is several hours driving, we like to head up the night before and camp out. This is all depending on the flexibility of the available crew that morning. Some of my crew prefer to camp out as it provides for a later wake up call!

When we get out to the flight location about 30-45 minutes before sunrise, the pilot will take some wind readings to determine wind speed and direction and then determine a launch area and then perhaps a short drive to a suitable launch site. Upon arrival at our launch site, we begin pre-flight rigging. Along with the pilot, the crew helps assemble and inflate the giant, almost seven story tall balloon. A process that normally takes about 15-20 minutes. Although it is possible to inflate a balloon with only a pilot and one crew member, the work is evenly distributed to 3 or 4 or more crew members to make the experience a fun and relaxing one for all involved.

One a launch site is chosen, the chase vehicle and crew move into position and begin the unloading of the equiptment off the truck.

Next, a large inflation fan is turned up and begins to fill the envelope (balloon) with air to pressurize the balloon. Generally two crew members will hold the 'throat' of the envelope open to allow the air to be pushed into the balloon. A third (and sometimes fourth) crew member will be positioned at the top of the balloon to help keep the balloon stable (to keep it from rolling around in a breeze) by keeping a tight pull on a rope called a crown line.

As outside air continues to be pushed into the envelope, the balloon begins to come to life...

... and take shape. The crew members shown below are 'tabbing' in the top. Velcro tabs are used to temporarily hold the vent (the large circular fabric disc used to release air for maneuvering in flight) closed until the balloon is inflated, at which time the hot air inside the envelope will keep it sealed.

The pilot will then get in the basket, fire up the 17 million BTU burner (feels nice and cozy on a cold winter morning!) and stands the balloon upright. Of course, hot air rises and as the hot air fills the envelope, the balloon will slowly rise to an upright position.

At this time, the pilot will invite a lucky crew member or two to hop on board to experience all this beauty that Arizona has to offer!

At this time, the pilot and lucky crew member(s) are up, up and away and the rest of the flight crew are packing the ground equipment away securely in the chase vehicle(s) and preparing to 'hit the road'. This is where the challenge comes in! For pilot and crew! The crew plays a very important role here! The ground crews job is to track the balloon and follow below or ahead of the balloons path and anticipate where the balloon might end up landing. Radio communication is utilized. The pilot also has radio communication with other aircraft and with any controlling agencies of the airspace we may be flying in. Having good map reading skills (road maps and topographic maps) are important to a successful 'chase'. Many of the roads you will chase on may be forest routes (dirt roads) desert trails, or state routes and highways. Also, knowledge of GPS use is helpful. Of course, you need have none of this experience at all to participate! You will gain this knowledge each and every time you participate. An experienced Crew Chief will always be on the ground with the chase team. Arriving successfully at the balloons landing is always a wonderfully rewarding feeling!

Upon the landing and the chase crews arrival, the balloon is then deflated and brought to rest. Another successful voyage! Most landings are uneventful and pack up usually takes about 20 minutes.

However, on a rare occasion, the balloon may 'land out' somewhere that is fairly inaccessible and may require a lengthy retrieval. Although, this has never happened, this type of flying can result in a landing that requires a retrieval that can take several hours and require some carrying of the equipment. This is where having a large flight crew of several comes in handy!

This is also why we may not fly if we don't have a given number of crew. Being prepared when something doesn't go quite to plan, continues to allow for a fun and enjoyable morning/day. Sometimes we may not have radio communication and the chase crew must work as a team to try and locate the balloon. The crew member(s) who get the chance to fly that day, would then help in the deflation and securing of the balloon until the ground crew can arrive. (A lost balloon phone number is always on hand). After the flight... we will all head for breakfast at a local cafe and partake in some 'hangar flying' and to relive the experience that was enjoyed by all that morning!

The typical flight crew member

To be a part of the adventure flight crew, one should be in good physical condition (notice, I didn't say excellent!). A bit of lifting is required on occasion. The more crew, the easier and most enjoyable it is (so, bring your friends along!). Also, some hiking may be necessary on a rare occasion if the balloon should 'land out' (again, this has never happened... but, feel it is proper to inform you of this!). Those that enjoy the outdoors- hiking, exploring, camping,  etc. will truly enjoy the ballooning experience as only the Roping The Wind Adventure Flight Team can provide! Age is not really important. Ballooning is very much a family affair. Flight Crew members are welcome to bring their significant others along as well as their children. Hot air ballooning is a sport that almost any age can enjoy!

We welcome team members from around the state of Arizona. As we typically fly outside the Phoenix area any ways, 'local' crew with knowledge of the local areas we may fly in is very helpful and you will immediately have a greater role in the success of the flight. For those wishing to join us more often, we are based in the East Mesa area. As it is an early wakeup call, living in the east valley is a plus! But, certainly not a necessity. If you live elsewhere in Arizona and want to be a part of the team when we come to your area... welcome aboard! While most of my team is local to the east valley, I currently have team members in the Show Low, Globe/Miami, and Winslow areas.

If you are interested in joining.... we welcome you aboard! If this is something you would like to learn more about and would be interested in participating... we would like to welcome you out on a flight sometime. If you are then 'hooked', we will welcome you as an 'official' team member!

As this is something that I only do on occasion (once or twice a month or less), I am looking for individuals who are likely to want to participate often. I don't expect you to come out every time... we all have other hobbies as well... but, would like to have you become experienced in time. There is no limit to the number of persons who can join the team! This way, there is always an abundance of team members available for a given flight. I like to have, at minimum, 3-4 team members present on a given flight. Sometimes more if the flight location is more challenging. Generally I ask that you come out a few times before you can get the opportunity to fly. Everyone would like to fly each time out! However, there is limited room in the basket! So, by coming out and helping crew a flight for a fellow team member to fly... they will do the same when it comes time for you to get that always exciting moment to hop in and fly! This can only happen with the continued support of each team member.

If you just want to fly with us... there are a couple of ways this can be accomplished. 1.) you can come out and crew on a minimum of 3 adventure flights to earn your ticket to fly, or 2.) you can call Roping The Wind Hot Air Balloon Company at (480) 807-0001 (my commercial ballooning biz!) and for $375 I will take you up on a flight! :).

Competition Ballooning

In addition to the Adventure flights we do.. the Roping The Wind Adventure Flight Team also occasionally competes in sanctioned ballooning competitions. These competitions are held locally as well as on a national level. I travel to several competitions each year (in the summertime, mainly). In 2001, we placed 20th in the overall final national rankings! One crew member will gain status as 'Crew Chief' and can accommodate the pilot on a trip to a competition. I cover all your primary expenses (hotels, meals, etc.) so you can enjoy a fun, free, and relaxing getaway! Of course, this is competition... and the ballooning is on a more 'serious' level than is the typical adventure flights we do (where we are just generally a bunch of goofs out having a good time!). The pilot and the crew chief each have a role in the overall success of a competitive flight. Competition ballooning is not for everyone and is not always the relaxed environment that our adventure flights take place in.  But, for those that enjoy competition and have a winning attitude and marvel at the site of dozens and dozens of hot air balloons dotting the sky, a schedule of competitions is available and updated on the web site and if you are interested in attending a particular event and I am still in need of a crew chief... you are welcome to participate. Although I have a very experienced flight crew chief that typically travels to competitions with me... occasionally, I am in need of another to take his place.

If you have any other questions you would like answered or to 'officially' join the team... Please email me at the link below! We look forward to meeting you and introducing you to the sport of adventure ballooning!