[balloon-makers] Update

[K. Mark Caviezel]

http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/product/product.jhtml?prodId=HPProd1007
> 03#
>>>>>>>>>>this one gets my vote, with the black one
and a suitable envelope your balloon could become the
military's "Stealth Balloon", although heat seeking
missles would find it in a snap and the burner flame
is a pretty big telegrapher of your position.    Just
smal details that a multi-billion military aircraft
development contract could solve for sure. 
 

On a more serious note, every hard landing I make
makes me want to look into inflatable landing bags
and/or styrofoam panels to make slam-bam landings more
comfortable.

I think a trash can solo basket would be a great test
bed for adapting something like a paraglider pilot's
"air protector (#7 in the drawing) 
http://www.bigairparagliding.com/supair.htm
to the needs of hot air ballooning.  I think that the
air protector is completely passive- it inflates just
by hanging on the bottom, and vents while slowing down
a ground impact.  For ballooning, maybe some type of
modification to this concept, with a way to retract it
for cream puff standup landings.  

- Mark Caviezel 
<beautiful, stand up cream puff landing after flight
to 13,900 MSL last night>  

 



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