BALLOON COMPETITION
Pilot skills are on full display as they navigate their balloons to precise locations.
Overview
A balloon competition is actually a navigation contest—a competition to determine who can best navigate their balloon to one or more locations. Hot Air for Hope will have two days of competition, Saturday and Sunday, using traditional and virtual targets. In addition to competing for prize money and awards, our event will be part of a tri-event competition for the Nevada State Championship. The Nevada State Championship is open to Nevada residents only and will be awarded on a cumulative score of Hot Air for Hope, Lovers Aloft in Lovelock and the Great Reno Balloon Race.
Duration
A competitive balloon flight is usually about an hour or two long, during which the participants compete to see who most accurately completes one or more tasks.
Awarding Points
The competitor achieving the best result in a task receives 1,000 points, and all other competitors receive between 1,000 and 0 points, based on their performance compared to the winner.
The Winner Is
The champion is the competitor who accumulates the most points over the event. To declare a champion, there usually has to be at least two (2) flights and three (3) tasks completed.
Competition Factors
Balloons can only go where the wind takes them—they cannot go against or into the wind. The speed and direction of the wind usually varies, often significantly, with altitude and time. Pilots must accurately gauge the speed and direction of the winds at various altitudes, and be able to predict changes.
Reading a Map
Balloon competitions take place over a wide area—an area about 50 km x 50 km. Pilots must have a good understanding of the competition area and must be able to gauge the effect of topographical features on the wind drafts resulting.
Teamwork
A hot air balloon flight requires the coordination of a team. Without their teammates, the pilot could not freely practice their sport. The retrieve crew helps with balloon setup and inflation. Once the balloon has taken off, the teammates maintain visual and/or radio contact with the pilot and follow the balloon up to where it lands. Once the hot air balloon has landed, the retrieve crew obtains landowner permission prior to entering private property, proceeds to the balloon and helps with the pack-up and recovery.
Pushing the Envelope
Balloon competitions can be very demanding and exciting to be involved in. They add a completely new aspect to balloon flying. Many competitors work as teams and use apps to help them forecast and plan their flights. The use of a GPS (Global Positioning System) to assist with navigation and goal selection is now very common in competitions at all levels. Balloon competitions have now come a long way—competitors must often have to drop a marker within 1 or 2 meters from the center of a target to be the winner. Virtual targets are also now common, where pilots have to drop a marker on their mobile device to aim for a designated target in 2D (on the ground) or 3D (in the sky).
Task Types
Different skills are tested with different types of tasks. These can vary depending on the level of competition you are in but most countries now use the same set of formally recognized tasks, which are set by the FAI/CIA. Listed below are many of the more common tasks currently being used by the world ballooning competition organizations:
Judge Declared Goal (JDG)
The Judge will place a target then the Competitors will attempt to drop a marker close to the goal as possible. This target can be on the ground as an X or a GPS coordinate in the sky. The result is the distance from the mark to the target. Smallest result is best.
Multiple Judge Declared Goal (MJDG) or Hesitation Waltz (HWZ)
The Judge will place two or more targets where Competitors will attempt to drop a single marker or GPS mark as close as possible to whichever goal the pilot chooses. These targets can be on the ground as an X or a GPS coordinate in the sky. The result is the distance from the mark to the target. Smallest result is best.
Pilot Declared Goal (PDG)
The Pilot will choose his own goal and declare it to the Judge. The declaration is usually done electronically. The Competitors will attempt to drop a marker as close to the goal as possible. The target can be on the ground or a GPS coordinate in the sky. The result is the distance from the mark to the target. Smallest result is best.
Fly In (FIN)
This is the same as a Judge Declared Goal (JDG), but the target is placed at the event field. The Competitors will fly into the field where they attempt to drop a marker as close to the goal as possible. This target will be on the ground as an X. The result is the distance from the mark to the target. Smallest result is best.
Fly On (FON)
This contest is the same as Pilot Declared Goal (PDG), but usually follows a Fly In (FIN) task. The Pilot will choose his own goal and declare it to the Judge. The declaration is usually made electronically and usually done while in flight. The Competitors will attempt to drop an electronic mark as close to the goal as possible. The target is almost always a GPS coordinate in the sky. The result is the distance from the mark to the target. Smallest result is best.
Hare and Hounds (HNH)
A hare balloon launches first. After a delay, the hounds (Competitors) launch and chase after the hare. When the hare lands they place a target on the ground at the spot of landing. The Competitors then attempt to drop a marker close to a target as possible. The result is the distance from the mark to the target. Smallest result is best.
For more information on Balloon Competition
Balloon Federation of America - Competition Division
FAI - FÉDÉRATION AÉRONAUTIQUE INTERNATIONALE
Thank you to Heritage Inn International Balloon Festival for sharing the written information on this page.