1. Just fly the balloon. Think of nothing else but what I want to do and how I want to do it. Feel the rise and fall as directions are changed and speed is handled.... feel the sheer at 200 feet while cutting through it at 700 feet per minute...feel the wind hit your face as you descend into a stronger then lighter wind and listen to the flames of the burner wicker around... feel the catch as you know you have the shift from down to sideways and ground tracking flight....
2. In the basket taking pictures of everything possible.. the balloons laid out below and those in the air ahead of you. The couple who are beside following the winds South Southwest. Knowing you are in the same track as you've come up to their altitude... The balloon stops exactly at the height you want to get that little tickle westerly...shooting down at the other balloons still inflating, across at your friends cutting down to route, each of us at slightly different areas of wind and going in directions just off each other.. blowing through hundreds of shots just because, knowing you are going to look through every one for that great shot...
3. On the ground with the chase crew, photographing your balloon as it goes around and in and out and chases rabbits while tracking in to land. Getting ahead of the balloon so you can be there to catch it before it can touch the ground and knowing you can think so far ahead that the Pilot just has to sit back and enjoy the ride.
With a good crew a Pilots job is so much better. Like this morning. It was a total breeze. We had not flown the Lindstrand Racer since day 6 of Fiesta. She needed some air. We had a good bunch of crew to heft her out. We get so very comfortable with the Kennedy 90 Soarcoat, super lightweight envelope that we make excuses...but it is when you have the Lindstrand standing up... Can have the crew hold on while you temp up the racer, have the crew release you and you zip upwards at 700fpm while spinning that gives you a super rush... The turning vents are super reactive and spin you around very quickly... then a short grab on the reverse line stops you cold, another tug on the red line and you stop you ascent in seconds. So very responsive it kind of makes you just smile a little hidden smile.
We did all that and even did a quick descent into the large arroyo South of the launch field, Dropping in through a small sheer and landing, taking some pictures, then busting back up through the same sheer to get back up to the winds going SW. Riding those until you get past all the houses then dropping back down, the wind rushing past your face coolly, burners above wicker and roar, tapping a few times on the squeeze burners stops you about 20 feet up to curl ( turn left ) around and over Paseo and then Unser where they cross, drop a little lower and play around the bushes and see the rabbits run... then getting caught by the crew...whew... what a rush!
With all the crew it was easy to get her strapped up and packed up and put away. She didn't want to fit in the envelope bag but we got her in at last. A quick drive back to the field and some talk about the flight with other crews and pilots and we can call that a perfect day.
If you cant take pictures all through the flight ( like me ) you clip from the GoPro cameras.
Launching as fast as we did you have to make sure the airspace above is completely clear. Mo did this. We were close to the Dead Cat so we also made sure we wouldn't move towards them but with the speed we launched that was a moose point. Moose point.. get it........never mind.
Stopped on a dime both rotation and height. Lovely Lindstrand workmanship makes for a super awesome ride. She did exactly what I wanted when I wanted.
Back out of the arroyo with Trenton down below us doing the same thing we did. Loads of fun to dip into that spot.
Chatting with the chase crew and relaxing through the ride Southwest.
Down over Paseo and taking a left turn as we shift from the higher SW to the lower East wind.
Crew catch!
Laying down on the job is also a good bit of fun.
So now the trailer and the envelopes and the basket are resting in the side yard. I have to refill one tank. I only used 75% of that one tank and nothing off the others. I need to get some more conditioner on my leather as it is super dry here now. Its amazing how little humidity there is and how quickly it leaches out of everything.
Next flight will be day one of the Red Rock Rally in Gallup NM on the 1st of December.
So, now onto the Sony RX0V4 camera on its second week.....
Smashing!
Lets just put this down..I tested most of the settings except the video portion. Really no time. Everything is cool. Menus once you grasp the layout are quick and easy to go through. A few things I need to continue to play with just to get comfortable for on the fly changes but its pretty quick and easy.
Ill post the shots below I took ( not a lot ) and explain myself.
Playing with Shutter priority, Aperture priority. Slowing things right down and keeping everything in focus. Fantastic and easy to adjust.
600mm shot through a roiling and dusty morning at a Rainbow Ryders balloon flight across the valley. Volcano in the background.
Illustration mode. Three types. This is the high setting. Izzy in repose ( as usual ). Nifty.
Isabella questioning my need to take another shot of her. Shes loves to lay on the back of the couch like a cat and dares anyone to tell her that she is really a dog.
Into the sun. So many balloons out and everyone laying in all different directions as the winds were almost nonexistent on launch. Been a while since we had that nice of a launch.
Off to the South looking North and seven more balloons getting ready to go. The winds did come up a bit, then went back down and then up again. Still an awesome day.
Sun Dagger way out there. Shot at 600mm with a massive amount of shake. The quick shutter and compensation made it almost perfect.
Crop of about 1/3rd and its clear but a little fuzzy if you zoom in farther, My fault and, well, the basket isn't really stable shooting that distance.. but Ill bet if I had gotten myself more stable first it would have been crisp. My Nikon cant do this and does not have the reach either.
Sharing the levels with some pretty balloons. All heading somewhat South. Choices were there. A good 90 degrees of direction in this area and a good 180 if you went high.
Crop of 1/2 and retains the crispness.
Follow the leader here. A very bright balloon .. Pilot of whom I need to say is having as much fun as I am.
Sitting on the ground in the arroyo and taking more pics.
Partial crop of the shot. Lots of wiggle room for re-composure of the shot.
Here you can tell the difference between the Nikon 18-200mm lens and the Sony 24 to 600mm lens. 6mm cuts the edges of the envelope off the sides. Still a great shot and gosh....6mm hurts nothing at all when you have 400mm on the other end. My problem with this was I had to move the camera to clear the cross bar of the burners and then recompose with my finger half way down on the shutter to hold the focus. I know I could have used the lock but.......
Super fun day. Felt great to have my Lindstrand Racer do exactly what I wanted when I wanted and do it with panache to boot. Response times are ridiculously silly and it gives you the exhilaration of power too. Yep. This Lindstrand envelope and the Jetstream Series 2 Double Burners kick proverbial Arse!
Almost 7 and a half years old and looks like new. Cant beat it. You can scope out the options at the Lindstrand USA web site here..... http://lindstrand.com/
More videos are posted at my web site here.... http://InvisibleBlack.zenfolio.com/p715442282/e9c2715ee
Thanksgiving coming up and the Grandaughter is coming. Lots of fun with her and the camera coming up. I will set up for eye tracking, fast movement ( sports mode ), and antics.. lots of antics. Ill see what other settings I can try on the fly to show you the cameras abilities.
So far though.. Its staying...
I didnt even tell you how it felt hanging from my neck while flying. Didn't notice the weight at all. Unlike my Nikon D300 and D7100 this is a feather.
Onward!!!! Enjoy your week upcoming. Eat a lot, Enjoy the family, Take pictures, share them!
