 1998
BFA Long Jump Winner, Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell's BFA Long Jump
Flight 1/10/1998
If at first you don't succeed, quit, well for a few years at
least! I last tried to do a BFA Long Jump in 1994 with a distance
of 167.3 miles. I thought that was to be my personal best. After
all, my previous best was in 1992 with a distance of 97.3 miles.
Unheard of, then! People were amazed at the distance then. This
time I am the one that was amazed that we flew 501.1 Kilometers
. I somewhat disappointed when comparing it to Bruce Comstock's
record distance of 645 Miles. But hey, I'll take it!
The BFA Long Jump actually began when I was having a new National
105,000 being built. I retained the black top third to retain
the heat better as well as the black lower third and the use of
a "Chute" instead of a skirt. I also used Silicone Coated
Ripstop Nylon fabric for better fabric life and to make the balloon
less porous. So even a year ago, I was in the planning stages.
The next thing I needed was a sponsor, United Parcel Service
called and wanted on board! I didn't contact them, they called
me!! Hey, this whole ballooning thing is getting easier! Not really,
but I thought so for the minute!
I then needed some people that were into weather, knew weather,
and had flown in weather, and knew what I wanted and when I wanted
it. Who to contact, hmmm. How about the guy that beat everyone
else? So I first contacted Bruce Comstock and he was very informative
and helpful and more than willing to help.
I also contacted Jim Pearson, another balloon pilot, and he
watched the weather from his vantage point. I still don't know
where Jim comes up with some of the weather information he finds!
Maybe I don't want to know!
The amazing thing was that the great weather information Bruce
and Jim was almost identical. giving me great weather information.
It almost was identical! That gave me some relief that they both
agreed on the same thing!
After conferring with National Ballooning, LTD and Phil Gray,
we discussed the danger of taking off in light winds, and landing
mid day with low or no fuel, high winds, and thermal activity.
It was decided to inflate at 10AM and fly until sunset was the
safest option available to us. It would allow us to land in 15
to 20MPH winds and with nearly empty tanks yet still be in a controlled
situation. I would be traveling at higher altitudes and should
be able to stay above the thermals. I now had all the information
I needed and the best ground support, the best weather information
and the best balloon equipment. All I had to do now was to get
the weather to cooperate.
On January 7th 1998 we started watching the weather closer than
usual. We saw what we were waiting for! Now if it would just keeps
developing! It does! Friday January, 9th we agree that the day
to fly is Saturday the 10th, with a backup day of Sunday. Forecast
is for light winds on the surface and 80 MPH at 9,000 feet AGL.
Friday PM, I shrink wrap my basket with "Pallet Wrap"
and store the burners indoors. Finally getting to sleep at 3AM
on Saturday AM. I was back up at 6:30 AM watching the weather,
making the calls and triple checking everything. Everything is
a "Go"! Unbelievable!
The Crew assembles at my place at 8:30AM. We are aiming for
a 10 AM launch. The basket is put together slowly and deliberately.
No mistakes. Mistakes could be very costly and dangerous.
At 9 AM we initiate nitrogen pressurization and top the pressure
to 180 lbs. Checking all tanks and hoses again for leaks. All
is well! We load up the support team and take 2 vehicles to the
launch site!
Our launch site was in Waterworks Park in Des Moines, down in
a hole, sheltered by trees and a mile before anything but more
trees. A perfect place for a balloon launch. Temperature is 5
degrees F. above zero and the winds are 5 to 7mph. Perfect!!
At 10:10 AM we abort the first inflation. A thermal hits the
UPS Balloon before any heat is added to the envelope. Regroup
and reinflate! At 10:20 AM we stand up the UPS Balloon and disconnect
our inflator tank and at 10:25 AM we lift off. I had been listening
to ATIS and knew it was getting windier by the moment. That and
I knew just by looking around at the trees it was getting worse
by the minute. ATIS was reporting winds 15 gusting to 22mph. A
little more than I wanted, but I have done 15mph inflation's before.
It was the gusts that bothered me!
After getting an all clear from my crew chief, Mark Clifford,
I pulled the Quick Release and was airborne! I initiated a planned
500 feet per minute ascent rate to 5,000 feet AGL. I immediately
contacted the Des Moines tower to advise them of my heading and
speed. I was amazed at 800 feet AGL I was traveling at 32 mph.
At 2,000 feet I again checked my speed and I was really amazed
at my speed, 54MPH!! Wow! This is great! Then it dawns on me,
I have never landed a 105 by myself before. I have always had
at least 4 people flying with me. Now I would have to land a nearly
empty balloon by myself in a strange area. I love a challenge.
But with over 1100 flights to my credit, I felt I could handle
any situation that could arise. I had taken every precaution and
planned every move. Nothing was to chance. I informed the support
team that the flight was a "Go" and all was well and
according to plan.
At 50 minutes into the flight at 8,000 feet AGL and 62 MPH I
experienced a cold feeling on my hand. I looked at my glove. Propane!
So I shut down that burner and continued on my other burner. At
this point Bill Murtorff's voice popped into my head and said
"The nice thing about an O-Ring leak is that if it catches
on fire, it usually warms the O-Ring up and stops the leak!".
Thanks Bill! I was to have 3 more O-Ring leaks, they were not
failures. Leaks is a better word for them. We had lubed them and
kept them warm the night before, yet in adverse conditions, I
guarantee you will have problems. I was flying in -10 degree F.
weather.
The flight continues on to 10,900 feet AGL and maintained on
track. At 11:45 AM I was moving at 73.8 MPH. Not bad! A personal
best! I love it! At that point I remembered I was hungry and it
was time to eat the snacks that my fiancé Karen had packed.
This produced the frozen Diet Coke and the frozen Orange Juice
and the frozen brownies that was to be my nutrition. I tried drinking
a Diet Coke, but it was to frozen. And besides, I didn't really
want the metal can froze to my lip for the rest of the flight.
I guess food is out for now.
The rest of the trip was pretty standard except when I contacted
the Moline Tower in Illinois and advised them I was in their area.
They granted clearance. Then a minute later they came back with
"UPS Balloon, do you know a guy named Jim Pearson?"
I replied that I did. They then said "He just called right
before you contacted the tower wanting to know if I had been through
yet!" Not bad Jim! He didn't even know I was late on my takeoff
and yet he was on top of my position! I am impressed!
At 7,700 feet AGL was where I obtained my maximum speed of 79.8
MPH. I reached a maximum of 11,500 feet AGL. All personal bests.
At a little past 3 PM at 8,600 feet AGL I advised my ground
support that I was descending to 5,000 feet AGL to stabilize and
check and stow everything for my final descent. I determined from
the local ATIS that surface winds were 15 MPH gusting to 20 MPH.
Time to put on the full face crash helmet! I began a 400 foot
per minute descent. I would add a 2 second burn to keep the balloon
rounded out and slow the descent. It would actually stop my descent
and place me into a 100 foot per minute climb! This was going
to take forever at this rate. And I was getting concerned with
wind shears.
I actually picked my landing spot from 20 miles away. It was
the only green spot I could see and it was REAL LONG!!! It took
me 30 minutes to descend down to 2000 feet AGL and a speed of
40 MPH. The last 2000 feet was going to be the fun part! I was
still stair stepping down slowly and surely until I arrived at
500 feet AGL where I noticed a planned left hand turn. It also
slowed me down to 23 mph. Still on approach for my intended wheat
field. I dropped slowly down and cleared the powerlines by 100
feet. At this point the neighboring town was on the chase!! I
descended down to 20 feet AGL. I shut down the remaining burner
and pilot light and pulled the top. I looked at my speed, 17MPH.
Not bad. Better than I thought it was going to be!
The landing actually was smooth. I set it down gently yet firmly.
I skidded in the upright position while the balloon started to
go downwind. At that point I hit a frozen chunk of earth and was
flipped up in the air about 10 feet and was now dragging on the
narrow side of my basket. That was only the third time I have
ever landed on the narrow side. A personal best? After only 150
feet from the first touchdown the UPS Balloon was stopped and
everything was great and all in one piece! No damages and a personal
best! My Eagle Accunav GPS was reading 317.6 miles!
I crawled from the basket with a headache from not eating and
was very cold all of a sudden. I had been to busy to notice earlier.
As I walked to the highway I must have had 30 cars on the side
of the road. As some folks were walking out to me, I started to
cramp up from being cold and not moving a lot and then pulling
a 70 LB parachute top out and keeping it pulled out. I was walking
but very slowly. The farmer across the street had me come into
their house to warm up and to contact the recovery team. The first
thing I did was ask where I was at. They looked at me kind of
funny. I said I knew I was on the ground, but am I in Indiana?
Sadly I was 6 miles short. In my hurry to land I had put the maps
up and was guessing. Now I wished I would have stayed up a few
minutes longer. But my lack of fuel would not allow it. After
15 minutes inside the farmer's house, I was back in great shape.
I went back over to pack up and secure the UPS Balloon and equipment.
A couple of Sheriff's cars pulled in to check on me. They had
reports of a balloon "crash" and thought I may have
been one that was trying to fly around the world. I told them
I wasn't and that all was well and they left after I gave them
some Balloon Trading Cards.
About 45 minutes from touchdown I once again had radio contact
with my recovery team consisting of chase driver Rick Nelson and
my fiancé Karen Palmer handling logistics. I shot an Aerial
Flare up 400 feet to help them find me. They saw it and were there
in 5 minutes. We slowly packed a cold balloon into a bag that
seemed two sizes to small. Actually at that point all I could
think of was food!
We found a restaurant in the closest town and I ordered Prime
Rib with everything! I actually was stealing food from Rick's
plate as well as Karen's! My headache quickly left and I was stuffed
and happy once again. All is good, except we now have a 6 1/2
hour drive ahead of us to get back home. That is when it finally
dawned on me the distance that the UPS Balloon and I flew. We
arrived home at 2:30 AM. What a day and what a flight. The support
team was elated and I was also. (Although I was disappointed that
I did not land in Indiana!)
Once again I would like to thank a few people, Bruce Comstock,
Jim Pearson, Rick Nelson, Karen Palmer-(Campbell now!), Ron Dahleen,
Mark Clifford, Ferrellgas and UPS and
National Ballooning,
LTD. It takes more than a pilot! I couldn't have done it safely
without you!
A BFA Long Jump is something that should be taken very seriously.
Extra care and precaution should be used at all times. Make a
check list and follow it! Make a list of the things you might
need and start compiling them. It will take a lot more time because
a lot of items are non-stock ballooning items. If anyone needs
a copy of my list feel free to mail me or e-mail me at balloon@dwx.com
and I will be happy to send you a copy! It is to large to post
here!
Call us at 515-265-2402
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