What is competition flying?
As in most sports there is a way that you can compete against other balloons in a test of skill. Ballooning is a little different in that it does not rely on speed like most other aircraft. Balloons travel at the same speed as the wind, therefore all balloons travel at approximately the same speed. If there was to be a competition based on airspeed alone, it would be a draw between all competitors.
It is still, however, not that simple. The target is usually identified by a large cross with 10 metre arms. Balloons are approximately 17metres tall, 12 metres in diameter, and there can be up to 100 in a competition. Now basic maths says it is impossible to fit that many balloons at a single target. Because of this, weighted streamers (markers) are used as a substitute for landing. These markers are thrown at the target from any height and the closest marker to the target wins that task. One flight can have up to 4 tasks, which means the pilots and their teams are working overtime to complete the flight with a good point score.
So how do you compete?
Balloon pilots compete against each other based on accuracy. the object is to get the closest to a target set by a third party, in this case, the competition director. The closest to the target gets the most points and over several flights this leads to an overall winner.
If you can't steer a balloon, how accurate can you be?
Balloons are amazingly agile aircraft for their size. Although you can't steer them in the conventional manner, you can "steer" them by using different wind directions at different altitudes. Wind direction in not exactly the same as you go up, sometimes there can be minor deviations in direction, at other times there is considerable "steerage" available for the pilot to use. Pilots ascertain this direction through a device called a "windreader" which uses a theodolite hooked to a computer to track the climb rate and direction change of a small helium filled balloon.
By using the different directions, top level pilots are amazingly accurate and it is not uncommon to have 20-30 pilots closer than 1 metre from the centre of the target from distances as far as 10km away.
What types of competition are there?
In the same way that most sports operate, there are different levels of competition to suit ability. Regional clubs such as BAV, have their own interclub championship. This is the entry level to competition.
From there the next step is the National Championships which are held every two years. This is where the cream of Australias' pilots competed for the right to represent Australia at the World Championships.
The World Championships is the blue ribbon ballooning event in the World They are held every two years in different locations around the planet. BAV had two pilots representing Australia at the World Championships in France in 2002. An excellent result as there were only three places on offer.
Australia hosted the 2004 world championships in Mildura. This was be the first time the event has ever been held in Southern Hemisphere. The next World Championships will be held in Motegi, Japan in November 2006. Several BAV members will be attending this event as Officials or Crew. The following World Championships will be held in Austria in 2008.
