Alain Bard . Air ← Stilt-Walking & Airsports: Up in the air!

Skydiving from Hot Air Balloons

Oct

2014

ShareJumping from a hot air balloon is quite a treat for skydivers. Balloon jumps are unusual because there is no “relative” wind as you exit the aircraft. In a normal aircraft jump, when a skydiver exits, the airspeed of the aircraft is quite high, so a skydiver can immediately maneouver through the sky as soon ...

XLTA 2013 Rally – Flying in the mist

Sep

2013

ShareLast weekend I drove 800km down to Connecticut for the XLTA 2013 Rally. XLTA stands for Xperimental Lighter Than Air. XLTA members are basically a group of like-minded Hot Air Balloon homebuilders that gather every year to fly their creations together. This was the third year I attended the annual event, but the first year ...

Hot Air Balloon Festival Season

Jun

2013

ShareSummer is finally here, and that means the Hot Air Balloon Festival Season is upon us. This year, I’ll be attending at least 2 local Hot Air Balloon Festivals. The first one, Festivent is close to Quebec city and I’ll be attending with my Hot Air Ballon from July 30 to Aug 5. The second ...

Queen Bee Special Shape Balloon

May

2013

ShareBill Whelan has been building two Special Shape Balloons here in the Ottawa, Canada area. I’ve been keeping the http://ncballoonclub.ca blog up to date with information on that Balloon. If you’ve been following that blog, the first of the two, named “Bunch of Bees” or BoB has recently been completed. BoB is a tribute to Bees, being ...

Building an Eel: A very long banner

Apr

2013

ShareIn 2007, I built my first Eel. An Eel is a very long banner, 60 feet long in fact. The original Skydiving Eels are a concept born out of Burning Man, a huge yearly festival in the middle of the Nevada desert. The eels of Burning Man become a giant, moving, art-installation in the sky. The skydivers ...

Racer Embroidery

Mar

2013

ShareUpdate! The Racer embroidery mentioned in this post is now available as a free option on both sidewalls. It seems some Parachute Labs customers are liking the embroidery I designed for my own custom Racer Tandem and Racer 2k3 harness/containers. I designed this embroidery with a few things in mind. I wanted something that evoked ...

Bunch of Bees Special Shape Hot Air Balloon

Mar

2013

ShareMy friend Bill Whelan is in the process of building 2 Special Shape Balloons. The first of the two is what has been called “Bunch of Bees”. Lots of names have been thrown around for what to call this Balloon, I think Bill said it was going to be called “Billy’s Bees” today… Here’s a ...

Want to buy a skydiving rig? Do it this way!

Feb

2013

ShareThis advice is meant as a general guide. Always consult your local rigger and instructor. In the years I’ve been a rigger, I’ve often seen the results of skydivers’ gear buying experiences. Most experiences go well, but some do not. In this article, I am going to try to lay down some advice on how ...

President of the National Capital Balloon Club (NCBC)

Feb

2013

Share So I just came back from attending the 2013 National Capital Balloon Club Annual General Meeting, and I just got voted President of the club. Just call me Pres First order of business – a new website for the club. On it! Update March 3rd, 2013 – here’s the new website: ncballoonclub.ca — ...

Am I ready to downsize my skydiving canopy?

Jan

2013

ShareIn a word, no! If you’re asking the question, then the answer is obvious, you are not ready. That’s really not the answer you were looking for, is it? I’m not going to go into the WHY. It simply does not matter. (but it mostly has to do with broken backs, femurs & pelvises…) What ...