Missing Balloon and crew

[QD MBE]

http://www.gordonbennett2010.com/tracking?page=1

Been awake for 36 hours, assisting with the above, started on Friday with safety stuff, then 'janitor' duties sortingout tech problems.

Basically the 20- 2 man gas balloons took off one bt one late last night early this morning, and some are about to, or have made landfall France.  These balloons take about 3 hours to rig  and fill with gas (Hydrogen) and then wait until they are all ready and draw lots to launch. They launch at night because the balloon is cooler and they can get more hydrogen in.

Used to use helium, but that is too scarce and expensive, so NO SMOKING!

They will live in their 2 man baskets for up to 4 days, and it is the furthest straight line distance which wins.

This is the 'bag of sand' type of ballooning! David Hempleman Adams is flying GB1 and won it last time. It is the first time in UK since it started! Has to be done on private land, not enough sponsorship and security issues !

Pics to follow, all very erie at night with no noise of burners etc!

[QD MBE]

Ps the 12 BOC hydrogen wagons are not harder to drive on the way home empty! We wound the BOC boss man up with that yesterday!
 
 

[QD MBE]

Hempleman Adams is in GBR 3- not 1! Bit tired here!

[BeezerDiesel]

I was watching a bit about the balloon race last night and wondered if you were there. Didn't see you on the BBC news anyway!

[QD MBE]

The race has finished, unfortunately one of the balloons, USA2 is missing.  Last tracked mid-Adriatic.  Not good.  Thoughts are with the family.

http://www.gordonbennett2010.com/stories

  

[vRStu]

Not good news mate.

Hope it all comes good.

[SteveP]

^^^x 2 

[Greeners]

That doesn't sound good at all. Very dangerous form of ballooning by all accounts!

[Rich]

If they've lost track the balloon must have come down...  ?

R.I.P

[QD MBE]

They seem to think the balloon has got caught in a thunderstorm cell, and may have been hit by lightening.

Still no news at all.

[DaveB@Vagbremtechnic]

Some nasty weather down there, quick forming too...Got battered on a balcony in Dubrovnik once by Hurricane force winds, it was calm and sunny 15 mins earlier

Do you have transponders or anything similar on these machines for these kind of trips Dave? you got handhelds marine freqs 108-136?

Hope they find the crew - whats the drill for wx avoidance just descend as required even a forced landing?

[QD MBE]

Some nasty weather down there, quick forming too...Got battered on a balcony in Dubrovnik once by Hurricane force winds, it was calm and sunny 15 mins earlier

Do you have transponders or anything similar on these machines for these kind of trips Dave? you got handhelds marine freqs 108-136?

Hope they find the crew - whats the drill for wx avoidance just descend as required even a forced landing?

if you look at the track page of the website, their track is all over the place, lots of winds from various directions.

They have Mode S transponders, and satphones etc.

if caught up in bad weather over the sea, descend to a lower level, but it will not have been a nice descent.  The shear winds will have been tremendous.

part of the official statement, has a telling point........

At 05.58Z this morning (29th September) we received the last signal from the tracker device, which normally gives us the balloon position every 15 minutes. This position is shown on the web site www.gordonbennett2010.com. We were contacted around that time also by Brindisi Air Traffic Control who had lost contact with the balloon. Mr. Luc Trullemans, meteorologist, has had a conversation with one of the pilots at 06.05Z. No contact has been established since. The balloon is equipped with satellite telephone, VHF radios, radar transponder and two mobile telephones. It has not been possible to make contact on any of these. Thunderstorms were present in the area.

A search and rescue operation has been launched by the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) involving several aircraft and a fast
patrol boat. The Croatian authorities and all shipping in the area have also been notified. Nothing has been found so far and no signal has been detected
from the Emergency Location Transmitter, which should activate on contact with water. We have been able to supply the MRCC with some information on
the safety equipment carried and technical aspects of the balloon. The balloon is equipped with survival suits, lifejackets and two single-person life rafts.

Still hoping though.

[QD MBE]

Not good at all.

Latest news was in the form of some radar plots from Zagreb Radar, and they showed a speed of descent of over 50mph.  In a open basket balloon.  If they carried it on to the surface very pessimistic was the official line.

[Greeners]

 

[chungster]

They've been found in the Adriatic sea this morning by a shipping vessel.