This blog section is a vestige of the old bard.ca website which has now been reborn into Bard Balloons. This old section has been retained because of some popular articles written in the past still need a place to live on the web. Bard Balloons Bard Balloons is a custom… Read More »OLD BLOG
2017 has been a busy and productive year. Hendrick’s Gin I launched a new corporate balloon – the Hendrick’s Gin Canada Hot Air Balloon. It has full digital print coverage – and is one of the most spectacular round balloons ever built. It was built by Kubicek Balloons – one… Read More »2017 Wrap up
I just finished my latest project. A special shape hot air balloon in the form of an Alien Rocket. Follow all its adventures on its own Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/alienrocket The rocket is available for bookings worldwide.
Jumping 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… Read More »Skydiving from Hot Air Balloons
Last 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… Read More »XLTA 2013 Rally – Flying in the mist
The Whelan shop has been building two Special Shape Balloons here in the Ottawa, Canada area. See the http://ncballoonclub.ca blog for 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… Read More »Queen Bee Special Shape Balloon
In 2007, I built my first Eel. Since then I’ve build almost a dozen of them. 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… Read More »Building an Eel: A very long banner
We are helping our friend in the Whelan shop, who 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… Here’s a 3D render… Read More »Bunch of Bees Special Shape Hot Air Balloon
This 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… Read More »Want to buy a skydiving rig? Do it this way!
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… Read More »President of the National Capital Balloon Club (NCBC)
