A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ALBUQUERQUE AEROSTAT ASCENSION ASSOCIATION & EDUCATION
AAAA Board of Directors Meeting Minutes AAAA Board Meeting, Monday January 15, 2018 President (Elisa) called the meeting to order at 5:32 PM Members present: President (Elisa); Vice President (Frank); Treasurer (Dick); Secretary (Sue); Education (Don); Special Events (Charity); Ways & Means (Caryn); Flying Events (Tim); Crew Development (Larry); Community Relations (Jason). Members absent: None. Review of Board Minutes from Monday December 18, 2017. Motion to approve the minutes as written was made by Dick, seconded by Charity. Minutes approved as written. VP (Frank) – January’s “Toast and Roast” will spotlight Dr. Thomas McConnell. The program portion will feature David Craft, the Aviation Program Leader for the National Weather Service Office in Albuquerque. For the 2018 season, five programs have been set, suggestions for future programs should be forwarded to Frank at [email protected] for consideration. Treasurer (Dick) – Pie Charts will be in the Cloudbouncer. Overall picture for the Club and Education Foundation is good. Secretary (Sue) – New members for approval are Kristin Romer, Kentwood, MI; R. Jeff Duff and family, Albuquerque; KellyLynne Forest, Albuquerque; Jan and Joe Gilles, Albuquerque; Shane Richardson, Albuquerque; Chris van Dyck and family, Albuquerque. Motion to approve was made by Charity, seconded by Frank. New members approved. Committee reports were presented at this time. Following discussion, all reports were approved for the Cloudbouncer. Old Business: Top Gun – Moved to February. Donated Balloon – Ownership paperwork is still being dealt with. Need to discuss usage and liability expenses as a Budget line item. Discussion to continue. Nominations – Currently each position has a nominee. Treasurer: Dick Rice; Education: Don Boyer; Crew Development: Sue Palmer; Flying Events: Zerek Welz; President: Caryn Welz. Bios for nominated persons need to be submitted as soon as possible. Website – The site is open. Friends and Lovers registration as well as Ground School Registration is available. Discussion regarding Calendar, Home Page links, and other ease of use guidelines will be discussed at the February Board meeting with Zerek.
New Business: PayPal – Credit card fraud has been brought up by the use through PayPal. Extensive discussion has put at ease concerns with using PayPal through the AAAA website. A 6:50 Dick made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Frank. Meeting adjourned. Flying Events Flying events had 53 pilots sign in for the January flying event. The event was held on January 14th at Balloon Fiesta Park. The morning winds did not cooperate and the flying task was cancelled with the field still open for fun flights at pilot discretion. The winds picked up a bit more after and no pilots chose to fly. Our next Flying Event will be held in connection with the Friends and Lovers Rally. Flying Events will hold a competition on the first flyable day of the two day event. Crew D Community Relations Community Relations does not have any new requests. At the general meeting I made an announcement about placing a business card ad in the roster and those names being passed on to businesses interested in hiring a balloon for grand openings and other promotional affairs. These requests are often received by my committee and I would like to pass on the names of commercial pilots who support the club and are interested in having a opportunity to work with these businesses. Education We have 24 students registered for the Private Pilot Ground School for Feb. 23-25. 24 students is our ideal number. All further students will be put on the waitlist with the option to attend a school in June 1-3. We plan to video tape at least some parts of the private ground school to test the viability of videotaping all AAAA ground schools and seminars in the future. These videos will be offered online possibly with a fee attached to view them. The Instructor Refresher Course is scheduled for April 21 from 1300 – 1700. We need to get the online registration on the website ASAP. The fee is $35 for AAAA members and $45 for non-members. We have 2 students registered for the Commercial Pilot Ground School for April 27-29. Youth Committee: Plans for the BFA Youth Camp are well underway. One vital position that still needs to be filled is “Camp Mom” (or “Dad”). This person will coordinate and prepare all camp meals that are not scheduled at UNM. This will be tailgate brunches and lunches each day. Donated Balloon: • Education Foundation Board member needs to meet with Mardi’s executor and sign the paperwork for transfer of the balloon and trailer. The docs may need to be notarized. • A budget needs to be established for the balloon expenses for the 2018 budget period. • We need ideas for using the balloon throughout the year (not just at the BFA camp). • Don is working on a draft for ops/procedures for the balloon.
Ways & Means Calling all Commercial Pilots!! We are consistantly getting requests for balloons in the community from for-profit businesses. We would love to be able to turn these over to our members. If you are interested in being on this list, we are asking that you purchase a $35 business card ad with all your information and what you are willing to offer. This way, we can contact you when an opportunity arises. You have until Feb 28 to get your add in. Ways and Means is looking for donations for our March raffle and silent auction which is held in conjunction with our election of new officers. If you have any items or services to donate please email Caryn at [email protected]. We have updated our sponsor levels for the 2018- 2019 year. These have been posted on the website. Sponsors have until Feb 28 to get their sponsorship turned in, in order to be in our print items. We will gladly take sponsors at any time! We have new stickers for sale! We have new competition baggies for sale! We still have glove clips and our 2017 pins for sale! Be sure to get yours before we run out. See any Ways and Means committee member to purchase these items. If you have any items or services to donate, are wanting to get your ad, or if you or someone you know would like to become a sponsor with AAAA, please email Caryn at [email protected] Special Events Thank you Jen Garcia for being this year’s Balloonmeistrien!!!! Friends and Lovers Registration is now closed: We are changing the way we are doing contests this year -- we will be having a few contests and each will be individually judged. Baggie Decorating Cookie Decorating Crew Target combined with Creative Cheating Crew of the Year All contest rules are on the website but I want to highlight the Crew of the Year contest. Since Friends and Lovers is traditionally a rally which highlights the crew, this is a new contest for the event and is designed to shine the light on the people that make the pilots look so good!!!! Write a nomination of your crew and email it to [email protected] before Friday, February 9. (We will accept hand in nominations at the Friends and Lovers Registration Party but REALLY prefer you email them in early so we have plenty of time to read and compile the nominations) The Balloonmeistrien and the committee will then decide what crew deserves the FABULOUS (and it is truly FABULOUS) prize and will announce the winner at the Sunday Awards Brunch so make sure you send in a stellar nomination!!!!!!!!
FAVIA 225/BFA National Convention Celebrating the 225th anniversary of the First Air Voyage in America in historic Philadelphia March 22nd-25th, 2018 Early Registration price available until October 31, 2017 What’s in it for you? • 2 days of top notch speakers presenting informative and entertaining topics meeting the BFA 3 Tier system requirements • Breakfasts and receptions included in convention admission • An opportunity to witness a reenactment of Jean Pierre Blanchard’s voyage using the replica basket built by Bert Padelt, a Grand Ball Gala, a trade show, a balloon glow, a Pioneers Dinner, a Montgolfier reception, and a ground school. Why go to the Grand Ball Gala? • Hear about the amazing experiences and exploits of keynote speaker Sir David Hempleman -Adams • Time to have some fun and mingle • Live period and contemporary music • A chance to dress up - colonial garb, your favorite outfit, or whatever you wish • Door prizes, raffles, favors, and giveaways • Have your picture taken with Benjamin Franklin and the replica basket • Cocktail hour followed by a delicious dinner and dancing Registration and information-www.favia225.com Follow, like, and share on Facebook@Favia225 General Meeting Minutes from Tuesday January 23, 2018 Our Vice President, Frank, started off our meeting with a “Toast & Roast” to Dr. Thomas McConnell (who was in attendance), by highlighting some of his accomplishments, the latest of which is his recently published book. Wally Book and Kim Vesley chimed in with stories going back to his early days in ballooning. Our President Elisa followed with a welcome to members and guests in attendance. Ursula Richards was then presented with her Recognition plaque to thank her for serving on the Board as Community Relations liaison (better late than never). Frank took over by introducing our program speaker, David Craft, the Aviation Program Leader for the National Weather Service Office in Albuquerque, with information on the newest “Eye in the Sky” weather satellite, “GOES 16”. David’s presentation consisted of the enhanced imagery provided by this newest satellite and the various sites that can be accessed to assist with weather data. To get a feel for this up to date, enhanced imagery satellite visit www.weather.gov/media/abq/Aviation/GOES16.pp tx, which will be available through February. For more information on other imagery and uses visit https://www.goes-r.gov/education/ABI-bandsquick-info.html.
Following our program Laurie MaGovern, the Curator of Education at the Balloon Museum, asked for pilots to participate in the March 24th “Ballooning for All” event. Space is limited to 15 balloons, if you would like to participate, please email Laurie at [email protected]. The Board was convened at this time. All member were present. Secretary (Sue) – A welcome and “Thank You” to our new members: From Albuquerque-Jeff Duff and Family; KellyLynne Forest; Jan and Joe Gilles; Shane Richardson; and Chris and Emily van Dyck. From Kentwood MI we have Kristin Romer. 2018 has AAAA starting with a good membership renewal rate, with 438 members registered, 42 of those being Junior members. Treasurer (Dick) – The use of Pie Charts has spread, Dave Bagley, the treasurer of Top Gun made use of Pie Charts during his presentation at the Annual Top Gun meeting. So, the Pie Charts aren’t going away, look for them in the Cloudbouncer. As always, any questions or comments, contact Dick at [email protected]. Committee reports were presented and will be in the Cloud Bouncer. I am writing today to make you aware of an issue our club is facing. This is not an issue of money or an issue with any of our general club business, but rather something that is even more important. We are the largest balloon club in the world and have built a stellar reputation for the programs put on at our monthly meetings, the excellent ground school instruction we provide, our monthly flying events (which are larger than many rallies around the world), our fundraising, our support of BFA Balloon Camp and a variety of other programs and activities we put on throughout the year. We have built this reputation because of not only our membership but the tireless efforts of the 10 board members who donate countless hours of their time over the course of their terms. The issue we now face is a dire one. We have been reduced to begging members to serve on the board. As the largest club in the world this is an issue we should not face. Our members enjoy a great many benefits from the club and I would like to think all of our members are willing to give back to the club by serving on the Board of Directors. We have 5 open positions for which we are accepting nominations. They are: President, Treasurer, Education, Flying Events, and Crew Development. At this time we have only 1 nomination for each position. This is an embarrassing position to be in given AAAA’s reputation in the global community. I am asking each member of the club to please consider volunteering for or nominating someone for each of these positions. Our club needs to continue to grow and serve the community as we have over the past 40+ years and it cannot continue to do so unless our members are willing to share the responsibility of club operations. Nominations are open until the close of the AAAA General Meeting on Tuesday, February 27, 2018. If you would like to throw your name in the hat or make a nomination please contact Leslie Schafer, Nominations Chair at [email protected]. The AAAA Board of Directors is now soliciting nominations for the following annual awards. Nominations must be submitted to the Board by February 28, 2018 Bob Ruppenthal Education Award This award is given in honor of Bob Ruppenthal, a charter member of AAAA, an avid balloonist who chaired the first AAAA Education Committee. First
awarded in 1981, the award is made to a AAAA member who has contributed significantly to the education of others in the areas of balloon safety. This person must have contributed significantly in time and effort to balloon education. Examples include active participation in the Education Committee, instruction at ground schools, instruction at safety seminars, and safety seminar development and organization. Education actives can be for AAAA and/or the ballooning community at large. P. R. "Slim" Rowley Crew Award The award is named for P. R. "Slim" Rawley, a AAAA member since 1976 and an avid, dedicated crewmember, who died in 1999. The award is presented to a AAAA member who has contributed significantly to hot air ballooning through such activities as crewmember, observer, scorer, event volunteer, committee member, and general good will ambassador to the community. The award is to go to the "unsung hero" who has gone the extra mile to promote, expand, and support the sport of ballooning. ALSO: At the March 2018 election we will be filling the positions of President, Treasurer, Flying Events, Education and Crew Development. Duties of each position can be found below or on our website under About Us; Officers and Board; Operating Rules. Please think about accepting the nomination for one of these very important positions. Our club would not be what it is without the members of the Board who put in many hours volunteering to make AAAA the biggest and best balloon club in the world. Please see any of our wonderful nominations committee members if you are interested. Leslie Shaffer – Chair, Diana Gilson and Keith Takach. Nominations from the floor will be taken at the January and February meetings. The President shall: a) Assure that the Board, through its activities and through the committee structure, is responsible to the needs and wishes of the membership and that required tasks and functions are being performed. b) Be readily available to board members, committee chairperson, liaisons, and attend committee meetings when requested. c) Assure that the nomination, evaluation, selection process, as well as the purchase of plaques is carried out each year for club awards. d) Assist the new President as requested, during the year after his/her term has expired, e) Be responsible for correspondence with such individuals or organizations as may have business with the club. f) Answer inquires or directs the inquiry to the appropriate person(s) for action. g) Before the November Board meeting solicit a club member to serve as the Nominations Chairman. h) Appoint the Vice President to assume these responsibilities in the event of his/her absence. The Treasurer Shall: a) Be responsible for the club’s financial management. b) Insure that funds of AAAA shall be deposited at least monthly in a board approved financial institution insured by the Federal Government. c) Accurately maintain and balance club accounts, and obtain new signature cards for authorized signers (board officers) by the May Board Meeting. d) Prepare a monthly trended statement for board meetings. This statement shall be distributed to board members for review prior to each monthly board meeting. Prepare a Profit and Loss statement for quarterly publication in the Cloudbouncer. Prepare annual financial statement for presentation to the board at least once a year. e) Present the annual proposed budget to the membership at the May General meeting and submit a copy of the approved budget to the Cloudbouncer for publication in June. f) Pay all obligations of the club in a timely manner based on required documentation. Reimburse club members for expenses related to the club’s business or operation. Insure all income and expenditures are accompanied with the appropriate voucher and documentation Appendix E. g) Enlist the services of a professional accountant who prepares all required State and Federal forms as required by law. h) Provide the board with guidelines for separation of finances between The Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association and the AAAA Education Foundation for inclusion in the Operating Rules i) Follow an established protocol for receipt of funds and expenditure or reimbursement of club/committee expenses.
j) Appoint a Board Officer to assume these responsibilities, including check writing, in the event of his/her absence. Standing Committees (All committees are overseen by a Board Liaison, three are elected annually) 1. General a) The business and activities of the club are principally managed by a set of standing committees. b) Each committee liaison shall select a chairperson who shall call the meetings, coordinate the activities, submit minutes and/or reports to the Cloudbouncer each month and report to the membership at general meetings. c) The Board Liaison may be the committee chairperson, if this is in the club’s best interest. d) All committees are expected to meet monthly or as necessary to fulfill their obligations. Flying Events The purpose of the Flying Events Committee is to provide opportunities for competition and the improvement of flying skills to members in good standing of the club. Whether the events are formal, informal, local or out-of-town shall be the decision of the committee members. a) The Flying Events Committee shall: i) Publish an annual schedule of event dates in the January Cloudbouncer. If date changes are required due to unforeseen circumstances the Flying Events chairperson shall make every effort to coordinate with other committees to avoid potential conflicts. ii) Appoint such scorers or other officials as deemed necessary to run events. iii) Work with the Special Events Committee in the planning and execution of the Friends and Lovers Rally and, if requested, may assist in setting pilot criteria and in enforcing safety measures enforcing the rally. Education The purpose of the Education Committee is to keep the members of the club and the interested public informed and educated on safety, operation, and regulatory aspects of the sport of hot air ballooning. This shall be accomplished by offering safety and regulatory seminars, private and commercial pilot ground schools, and instructor refresher seminars, as well as any other seminars warranted by the need of the club membership. a) The Education Committee shall i) Offer these seminars at a reasonable cost to the membership and non-members. ii) Offer for sale books related to the safety, operational and regulatory aspects of the sport of hot air ballooning. iii) Support the Crew Development Committee in its training efforts by coordination student registration and providing instructors and/or equipment, as needed. Crew Development The purpose of the Crew Development Committee is to coordinate involvement, education, and recognition for chase crew (non-pilots) in the club and community. a) The Crew Development Committee shall: i) Establish a club youth balloonist subcommittee and its efforts shall be coordinated and overseen by the Crew Development committee. ii) Work closely with the Education Committee to ensure that there is not a duplication of effort. The committee shall also work closely with other ballooning/crew groups to maximize efforts on behalf of promoting chase crew development. Safety Corner – “Hand Entrapment” presented by Chris Kenworthy. Hands getting trapped in rope loop handles is a very real and present danger. In New York, 2016, a 34 year old experienced crew person fell to his death after his hands were unable to release the rope loop handles as the basket ascended. Kevin Raymond, a friend of the deceased (he can be contacted through Facebook), put together a video showing a basket being raised by a forklift with various people trying to get lose once their feet were off the ground. None succeeded. There have been some suggestions to keep this from happening. Instruct your crew, if the basket gets to a certain height, turn you hand around, better to scrape the back of your hand on the basket then get your fingers trapped. Put hose clamps on the handles (screw on the basket side) so the rope can’t go flush against the basket when weight is added. Knot a piece of heavy duty rope around the handles. It’s our job as pilots and balloon owners to keep our crew safe, let’s make it happen.
TOP GUN: Welcome 2018 TOP GUN Board of Directors President - Steve Mezzancello Vice President - Will Fitzpatrick Treasurer- Dave Bagley Secretary- Shelly Cannaday and Diana Gilson Director- Alan Cannaday Director- Mark Trillanes Director- Jason Buckner Director- Bubba Clover Congratulations to Jason "Hopper" Buckner 2018 Top Gun Champion February Top Gun flying event will Sunday, February 18th. Meeting at AIBF offices. Rio Grande Classic May 26 - 28, 2018 Memorial Weekend Other Ballooning Organizations: BFA – No representation. VFRS (Kelli Ballengee) – Preparation for the St. Patty’s Rally (March 16 to 18, 2018) is in full swing. Friday will be for the VIP and Media flights. Saturday will have Sky Divers after launch, along with a car show and, new this year, a Band on Saturday afternoon. Get your applications in as soon as possible. Top Gun (Steve Mezzancello) – The annual Top Gun Meeting was held on January 20th. The new Board members were elected – Steve Mezzancello (President); Will Fitzpatrick (Vice President); Dave Bagley (Treasurer); Diana Gilson retains Secretary. The other General Board members elected were Jason Buckner and Harold “Bubba” Cliver. Fiesta (Paul Smith) – 255 Day till Fiesta (the countdown has started). Registration will go live on the first Monday in March. Keep an eye on your Fiesta newsletters to stay abreast of the changes going on for 2018. FAA – No representation. Balloon Museum/Foundation – No representation. Balloon Explorium – No representation. Leslie Schafer was next on the agenda with the present slate of current opening Board position nominations. To date the nominations are: President – Caryn Welz; Treasurer – Dick Rice; Education – Don Boyer; Flying Events – Zerek Welz; Crew Development – Sue Palmer. Motions from the floor were asked for, there were none. If you are considering running for a AAAA Board position, please contact Leslie Schafer. Nominations will close as of the February 27th General Meeting. Final Note: There is a link to the Novembers Safety Corner video regarding pilot light failure. Since I neglected to make it into either the November or December Cloud Bouncer, here it is – https://vimeo.com/233630149. Enjoy. CAMERON BALLOON SALES Need consultation, information or quotes on a new balloon. Call Beth Wright-Smith at 604-2865. [email protected]. Website: www.airborneheat.com and on Facebook
Transporting your Balloon and the rules applied to it By Mike Shrum In our ever changing sport of hot air ballooning, we have to realize and understand that the legal world we live in requires us to change how we operate our aircraft…from flight planning, to the logistical task of transporting our equipment to launch sites/ events and home again. Most ballooning activities are a hobby…no money exchanging hands, just out flying having a good time. But if you are operating on a commercial basis, or flying competition to win a prize, there are some rules pertaining to your vehicle/trailer you might want to know. Most balloonists have a truck or van, and possibly tow a small trailer to transport their equipment. The Department of Transportation(DOT) and the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration(FMCSA) have regulations that may affect your interstate traveling to and from events, and more visibly, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta(AIBF). FMSCA regulations for the most part are directed toward common carriers.(Semi tractor trailer rigs, single units over 26,001 lbs) regulating items like amount of hours a driver can drive in one day, total accumulative hours of previous 7 days, total weight allowed to carry without a special permit. However, there is a FMSCA regulation geared toward the commercial smaller vehicles and/or combinations of truck/trailer. The rule reads(FMSCA 390.5 definition of commercial motor vehicle or CMV) If you operate any of the following types of commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce you must comply with the applicable U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) safety regulations concerning: • A vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 4,537 kg (10,001 lb) or more, whichever is greater; • A vehicle designed or used to transport between 9 and 15 passengers (including the driver) for compensation; • A vehicle designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers One key phrase in this rule…INTERSTATE COMMERCE. If you are being paid to perform at an event over state lines, if you have the opportunity to win money at a competitive event, this regulation applies to you. Weight Ratings… A vehicle can be a commercial motor vehicle based on what it actually weighs or on what its weight rating is, whichever is greater. To find the gross vehicle weight rating of a truck or trailer, open the driver’s door and look for a plate on the door frame. In some models, the plate might be inside the glove box. To find the gross weight rating of a towed unit, look for a plate on the front of the trailer. If the trailer has a tongue, the plate might be on the tongue of the trailer. So what is Gross combined weight rating(GCWR)? It is the combine manufacturers listed weight rating for a vehicle/and or trailer, and/or what you are actually putting in your trailer/truck, and a combination of what is listed on the data plates. Lets take a typical ford F250(I pick on Fords as that is what I have owned the last 18 years in the sport…all manufacturers have a rating)…the rating is around 8500 lbs…and as an example, you have a trailer(single axle with a rating of 3500 lb) that puts your gross combined weight rating at 12,000 lbs…which puts you over the limit. In the case of a ford f450, the gross vehicle rating is 14,000 lbs with the truck by itself. Chase Commanders, Uhaul vans that have been converted, many different types of vehicles have different ratings. Again, it is what the manufacturer data plate says, and what you are actually carrying in that vehicle whichever is greater.. If you carry your equipment in the back of your f250, you are not exceeding the 10,001 lbs limit, then the regulation does not apply. So now, you realize that you are over the rating of 10,001 lb requirement and you have to comply…what do I have to do? First , you will need a medical certificate, and renew it every two years. If you travel more than 120 miles from home base, you must keep a log of hours(Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) is required if you drive more than 8 days in a running 30 day period. There are requirements for amount of hours driving based on 14 consecutive hours a day.(certain breaks must be taken, no more than 11 hours of actual driving),and you must acquire a USDOT number. A Commercial Drivers License(CDL) is NOT required unless the total GVWR is 26,001 lbs .
Interstate/Intrastate Commerce… To help you understand the definition of a commercial motor vehicle, let’s talk about the meaning of interstate commerce. Commerce deals with buying and selling goods and services. It also deals with moving those goods from place to place or going somewhere to perform the service. Basically, any work done in support of a business is considered to be commerce. Interstate commerce occurs when the shipper intends to have cargo transported to another State or country. That cargo is in interstate commerce from the moment it leaves that shipper until it arrives at its destination. If your balloon truck hauls those goods or services ,it is considered to be in interstate commerce. A Texas DOT officer told me a couple years ago, if you file a income return deducting expenses for hauling your equipment in support of your balloon business, it is considered for commerce, and the rules apply. If you never leave the state in which you reside, you will probably never get checked, as you have registered your vehicle in that state, and the tax dollars stayed there. It is when you cross state lines is when the federal law takes over. As an example, in the state of Colorado, they have a exemption for commercial operations up to 16,001 lbs, as long as you are registered in the state, and never cross the state line. Once you cross to another state., the above 10,0001 lb regulation applies. Check your local authorities and see if some type of exemption applies to you. As far as the hazardous Materials regulation, you have to have a CDL with a Hazmat endorsement if you carry more than 1,000 lbs of propane(including the container it is held in)…its difficult to say how many tanks of fuel that is, as there are many different size tanks. But do the math on your own system. There is a regulation about hauling material of trade(MOT) and the amount of that material is 441 lbs…as I write this, I don’t have a clear answer on the amount of material (not sure if propane is included) between 441 lbs and 1000 lbs. That question has not been answered for me at this time. Most reports of balloonists getting pulled over, is because they had signage on their trailer or trucks..if you have your company’s name on your vehicle, it is reasonable doubt that your are hauling commercially, and the DOT has cause to pull you over. Oklahoma seems to be a hot spot for this activity. Now that I have clouded everyone’s brain with all these numbers, one last statement I will make…if you are out fun flying, and no money changes hands on any part of your flight activities, NONE of this regulation applies to that activity. If you are paid in any manner, accept, win, or given goods or services for your flying activity, it is considered FOR COMMERCE and you must abide by the above regulations. I gathered this information from four different state agencies..New Mexico, Texas DOT, Nebraska DOT, and Iowa DOT…please check your local authority for any exemptions that might apply to your area. This law not only applies to the balloon world, but to horse industry, race car industry, landscape companies, mobile dog groomers,etc…any entity that offers a service, or has money change hands for services rendered have to abide by these regulations. My intent is to pursue an exemption for our sport. It obviously not going to happen overnight, but I believe we can prove our safety record on transporting our equipment no matter if in a single vehicle or a combination with a trailer.
AAAA General Meeting Watch the AAAA web page for further updates… .
Ryan Duff 1 Thomas Schroeder 3 Greg Hoefler 4 Kim Vesely 5 John Conant 6 Ken Beebe 6 Mark Trillanes 6 Carol LaRotonda 7 Kristin Romer 7 Leslie Anne Schafer 8 Shane Richardson 8 Robert Mass 9 Kathryn Beebe 10 Jerry Garcia 11 Michael Gonzales 12 Wade Lee 14 Tony Poteet 15 Dan Schwartz 16 Toddy Voorhees 16 Dick Goss 17 Don Dougherty 17 Trenten Caldwell 17 Caryn Welz 18 Brian Heap 19 Denise Despres 19 James Ahern 20 Susie Glen 22 Dave Albin 25 Randy Johnson 26 Dr. Thomas McConnell 27 Cathryn Campbell 28
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AAAA P.O. BOX 90160 ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87199-160 AAAA on the internet www.hotairballooning.org