Flight Preparation Boulder Ballooning Workshop 2006 BOREALIS Montana State University

Keys to a Successful Flight  Check Lists  System Tests  Ready Team  Know the Weather

Check Lists  Keep them simple and up to date  Have a check list for everything –Flight Preparation Timeline –Hardware List –Systems Setup –Batteries List  Use them!

System Tests  Do a full system test –Test all equipment  Leave time to fix problems  Test with the same configuration that will fly  Have backup equipment –Batteries, radios, etc.

Ready Team  Make sure at least one person knows how to use each system for the flight  Check schedules in advance  Keep good documentation

Know the Weather  Use predictions of surface winds and weather at launch site  Do a flight prediction –Use Balloon Track –Available from –Uses a vertical wind profile to simulate a flight path –Landing site correct to within a few miles  Make sure the predicted landing site is free of hazards: –Trees, water, cities, foreign countries, etc.

The Text Sounding Machine  stsound.html stsound.html stsound.html  Data is in standard text format  Just save and enter into Balloon Track  Data only goes to 100 mbar (~60,000 ft)

University of Wyoming   Data is pictorial –Wind vectors on maps  Data must be reformatted into text –Use a protractor to find direction –Wind barbs are marked with speed –Altitude information is available on contours  Data is available to 10 mbar (~110,000 ft) –High altitude data only in GFS model

University of Wyoming

Reading Wind Barbs   Wind from the southwest at 65 knots   Direction is in bearing (225°)   Speed is given by the marks on the tail: – –Triangle is 50 knots – –Long Line is 10 knots – –Short Line is 5 knots

Balloon Track Output A full description of using Balloon Track is in the Workshop Handbook is in the Workshop Handbook

Keys to a Successful Flight  Check Lists  System Tests  Ready Team  Know the Weather