Balloon Jumping

[dhr18 0]

Is there a recommendation on the number of jumps before jumping from a balloon or helicopter? If not how is it different from a normal jump?

[Bodhisattva420 0]

I think it depends on the DZ. You have to have a B license where I jump.

[NWFlyer 2]

For both: The loading process is different, but you should get a good briefing from the pilot and/or whoever is organizing the jumps. If you don't, ask for one.

For both: The exit is different, but you should get a good briefing from the pilot and/or whoever is organizing the jumps. If you don't, ask for one. There are important exit safety considerations that the briefing should cover.

For both: The exit feels very different because you're exiting into dead air rather than the relative wind. It's a cool feeling, but just something to be aware of as your usual "get stable" tricks won't work the same.

For balloons: Your chances of an off-field landing are high given that balloons will go where they go and you may or may not be over the DZ when you exit. You should be comfortable enough with landings in general that the idea of an off landing is something you can handle, and you should be comfortable enough in assessing an exit point to say "Yeah, I can get to a reasonable landing area" or "Nope, this isn't good because there's major hazards in every direction."

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[Scrumpot 1]

Feel free to take a few moments to also read through THIS thread, before you go forth and just blithely flitter thineself from a heat-inflated aeronautical envelope.

Balloon jumps are not just a "routine" - go on out there and "just do it" type of jump. They certainly CAN be a blast, and are well worth the experience. Be sure you are in a position (and prepared) to fully enjoy and appreciate that experience - before you "just do it" is all.

coitus non circum - Moab Stone

[jclalor 12]

Outside of boogies and the random DZ that offers balloon jumps, Do you know if it's possible just to hire one for a jump?

[mjosparky 3]

Quote

Outside of boogies and the random DZ that offers balloon jumps, Do you know if it's possible just to hire one for a jump?

You can usually arrange for anything if you through enough money at it. Just make sure the balloon pilot understands what happens when jumpers use his basket for jumping.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[grannyinthesky 0]

Yep, off landings are definitely something to take into consideration. I've done 4 balloon jumps. I only got to land at the dz one of the 4 times. The other two landings were wheat fields twice and a sugar beet field. Wheat is definitely preferable!

"safety first... and What the hell.....
safety second, Too!!! " ~~jmy

POPS #10490

[virgin-burner 1]

here, usually 200 jumps are recommended and enforced..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[MikeJD 0]

Every balloon jump I've done has resulted in an off-landing. In addition to being aware of hazards, make sure you know the landing direction in relation to something (like the sun!) that you can still see when you're well away from the DZ. Chances are there'll be nothing to indicate the wind on the ground once you get under canopy, and it may well be different from the direction of the balloon drift.

Assuming you have a chase vehicle, the balloon pilot might indicate to you a good place to land so that you can be picked up easily, but remember that your prime objective is to land safely. There are often high tension lines running alongside roads, for example.

Speaking of pilots, I've no idea whether there's training or qualification involved in being able to drop jumpers. Certainly in the UK you'd need something like a demo license for people to deliberately exit away from the regular PLA and it surely isn't trivial for a balloon pilot to have people leaving the basket in mid-flight. Aside from any stability issues, losing that weight will make the balloon go up - I think it's normal for an experienced pilot to put it into a gradual descent just before jumpers exit.

Don't forget to have a good look around for air traffic before you exit. There's still plenty of opportunity for an aircraft to get between you and the ground, especially if you're lucky enough to leave at 5K or more as I normally have. And away from the PLA, the last thing another pilot will be expecting from a balloon is for people to fall out of it!

Watch your handles when you're climbing in, climbing out and moving around mid-flight.

If you're not wearing a helmet then take a hat to wear on the flight, because the heat from the burner is, well, hot!

Um, that's about all I can think of. Hope you get to do it at some point, and have fun. It's a truly intense, exhilarating experience!

Edited to add: you'll almost certainly feel apprehensive about exiting into still, quiet air. Just remember that within a few seconds everything will be business as usual!