ca-balloon-pilot cheat sheet

Canadian Aviation Regulations Part III covers personnel licensing; a student pilot permit for balloons requires a Category 4 medical and a minimum age of 14 (verify current CAR 401).

Balloon pilot licence privileges: private licence holders may not fly for hire; a commercial balloon licence requires 35 hours total flight time including 20 hours as pilot-in-command (verify current CAR 421 standard).

Pilot-in-command responsibility: the PIC has final authority over the aircraft and may deviate from regulations to the extent necessary in an emergency, and must report the deviation if it affects safety.

Fuel and ballast records: commercial balloon operations must keep journey logs; the PIC must carry licence, medical certificate, and aircraft documents (certificate of registration and airworthiness) on board.

Airspace: Class C and D require a clearance; Class E requires a transponder in many cases; Class F advisory airspace is not controlled; Class G is uncontrolled. Balloons without transponders must avoid transponder-required airspace.

Right-of-way: balloons have right-of-way over all other aircraft except those in distress; between balloons, the lower one has right-of-way, and the overtaking balloon must give way.

NOTAM and pre-flight: pilots must check NOTAMs and weather before flight; a flight plan or itinerary is required for flights beyond 25 nm from the point of departure (verify CAR 602.73).

Incident reporting: reportable aviation incidents (e.g., collision, injury, forced landing) must be reported to the Transportation Safety Board; accidents require immediate notification.

Standard lapse rates: dry adiabatic ~3.0°C/1000 ft; saturated adiabatic ~1.5°C/1000 ft; environmental average ~2°C/1000 ft in the standard atmosphere.

Dew point spread: when temperature and dew point converge (spread ≤2°C), fog and low cloud become likely; radiation fog forms on clear, calm nights with a small spread.

Inversions: temperature increases with height; balloons in an inversion experience stable air and poor mixing, often with haze trapped below; shear at the inversion top can affect ascent.

Wind gradient: surface friction reduces wind speed near the ground; wind backs and decreases near the surface, and veers and increases with height in the Northern Hemisphere.

Thunderstorms: require moisture, instability, and a lifting trigger; avoid flying near cumulonimbus due to severe turbulence, hail, lightning, and strong downdrafts.

Pressure systems: low pressure brings converging, rising air and unsettled weather; high pressure brings diverging, subsiding air and generally clear, stable conditions.

Cloud types: cumulus indicates instability; stratus indicates stable, moist air; lenticular clouds indicate strong winds aloft and mountain wave turbulence.

METAR/TAF decode: METAR reports current conditions; TAF is a forecast valid for a specified period; both use wind direction/speed, visibility, cloud height in hundreds of feet AGL.

True vs magnetic: variation is the angle between true north and magnetic north; convert with 'east is least, west is best' (subtract easterly variation from true to get magnetic).

Compass deviation: caused by aircraft magnetic fields; deviation is specific to each heading and must be applied after variation to obtain compass heading.

Wind triangle: heading and airspeed combined with wind velocity determine track and groundspeed; drift angle = track minus heading.

1-in-60 rule: a 1° error over 60 nm results in 1 nm off track; useful for estimating drift and correction.

Time en route: time = distance ÷ groundspeed; fuel needed = time × hourly consumption; always compute groundspeed from wind, not airspeed.

Position fixing: use ground features, GPS, and dead reckoning; pilotage relies on visual landmarks; dead reckoning uses heading, time, and speed.

Latitude/longitude: 1 minute of latitude = 1 nautical mile; longitude spacing decreases with latitude (cosine of latitude).

Altimeter setting: setting the altimeter to the local pressure setting gives indicated altitude; balloonists use AGL awareness and visual references for landing decisions.

Buoyancy: lift = (density of displaced air − density of heated air) × volume; heating the envelope lowers its density and produces lift.

Envelope temperature control: the burner heats the envelope; the parachute valve at the crown vents hot air to control ascent and descent; descent is achieved by allowing cooling or venting.

Fuel system: propane is stored in pressure cylinders; the burner vaporizes liquid propane; fuel consumption depends on ambient temperature, wind, and load; plan reserves of at least 30 minutes (verify operator standard).

Ballast: sandbags add weight to slow ascent and stabilize; ballast is dropped to arrest an unwanted descent or to extend flight.

Pre-flight inspection: check envelope fabric, load tapes, burner, fuel lines, cylinders, basket, and instruments; verify fuel quantity and pressure, and check the crown line and parachute.

Inflation and launch: cold inflation with a fan, then hot inflation with the burner; the crew holds the crown line until the envelope is upright; launch only when the envelope is stable and clear of obstacles.

Landing: approach with a controlled descent; the pilot briefs passengers to assume the landing position (facing direction of travel, holding handles, knees bent); deflate the envelope after landing by opening the parachute valve.

Emergency procedures: a burner failure requires using the backup burner or landing; a fuel leak requires shutting off the valve; an envelope tear requires controlled descent and landing; always maintain a clear landing area.