Patturns Of Highperactivity: Lindstrand's.....

A short blast out to Lindstrand USA for making me a very pretty and beautifully built Racing balloon.

Stating that.. I designed the fabric pattern for the envelope. I selected the colors for every single thing on it. So if you think .. what the hell? with all that its my fault. The only changes were due to clashes which the good people at the factory in Galena Ill. pointed out were.... sad. The fit, manufacture, build, ect. ect were all them.. and they did a fine job.

Here is from bottom to top. I asked a lot of Pilots a lot of questions to decide what I should select and why. Here is what I came up with after months of talking.

Solid floor.. I chose this because in Albuquerque where I do most of my flying there is a lot of volcanic rock. Volcanic rock is brittle and sharp. Dropping wicker bottomed baskets on these rocks caused damage. Cuts, scrapes and breaks. I didn't want that so I went solid. Scratches I may have but this is one strong bottom. The Runners have a Mylar strip so it slides in and out of your recovery vehicle easier ( not so good landing on tarmac...you slide a lot easier ).

The bottom black is a bottom heavy layer kick pad. Its thick and strong to save your bottom and wicker from damage on the ground and curbs or other hard nasty things. The two black strips running down from the edge are there to protect the support cables as they cross the underside of the basket.

You can see two of six thick rope handles. Makes it very easy to hold, pick up, and move the basket. They are much nicer than regular old rope you see on some baskets. They fill your hands. The other black band about the top of the balloon is the bolster.

.Its also made of Leather. you can see in this picture that it is stitched on sections as it goes around the corners. Normally this would be smooth softer leather than the kick pad on the bottom. This leather is a premium grade. I was asked if I would like it as it was ordered for someone who didn't like it. I love it. Its supple and has a texture that looks great. I have to clean and condition it a lot but that because of where I live not anything else. Guess what... the upgrade was free! Cant beat that. It looks as good today, almost three years later that it did when I picked it up at the shipping company. If I get a scrape on it from a shoe or brush hitting it it only takes a little wipe and the mark is gone.