Official regulations

 I – EVENT DETAILS

I.1 TITLE
The 9th edition of the MONDIAL AIR BALLONS shall be known as MONDIAL AIR BALLONS – LORRAINE 2005.

I.2 OBJECTIVES
The aims of this hot-air balloons gathering are:
- To honour the memory of Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and to promote the Lorraine Region
- To boost the development of lighter than air vehicles.
- To strengthen friendship amongst aeronauts of all nations.

I.3 ORGANISATION
This event is organized by the association LES PORTES DU CIEL.

I.4 CORRESPONDENCE
MONDIAL AIR BALLONS - LORRAINE 2005
B.P. 18 – 6, place du temple
F – 57530 COURCELLES – CHAUSSY
Tel: +33 (0)3 87 64 08 08 - Fax: +33 (0)3 87 64 15 84

I.5 PERSONNEL
The representatives of the event who have all authority are: The event director, the Security Officer, and the Flight director.

I.6 PLACE
The event will be held at Chambley-Bussières airfield, in Lorraine (France).

I.7 DATES
The event will take place from Friday July 22nd to Sunday July 31st 2005.

I.8 LANGUAGES
The official languages of the event will be French and English. In all interpretations, the French language version shall prevail.

I.9 DOCUMENTS
The pilots will present the following valid documents:
a. Pilot license
b. Log book
c. Certificate of balloon registration
d. Certificate of balloon airworthiness
e. Insurance certificate
 

 II – CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION

II.1 ENTRY
The event is open, upon invitation, to all national and international air-clubs and to all pilots throughout the world.

II.2 QUALIFICATION
Each pilot must hold a valid license for balloon. Teaching flights are forbidden during the event.
Each participant must have accumulated a minimum of 50 hours and 3 flights in the three months preceding the event.
Each participant must be sufficiently fluent in French or English to communicate clearly with air traffic control and flight direction.

II.3.1 REGISTRATION
The registration form must be correctly filled-out and sent to the organizer before the registration deadline.

II.3.2 REGISTRATION DEADLINE
The registration deadline is on June 30th, 2005.

II.4 KNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPTANCE OF REGULATIONS
Each pilot or crew member is required to know, understand, accept and abide by the sporting code and the rules and regulations of the event.
Pilots will be informed of the general environment of the event (air rules, traffic plan, program) upon arrival.
Attending the briefing is mandatory to take part to the following flight.

II.5.1 RIGHT OF USE FOR IMAGES
The organizers reserve all the rights concerning the media reports, the pictures, and all other utilizations of event’s images.

II.5.2 RISKS
The hot-air balloons and all of the pilots belongings remain at all time under his responsibility.
By registering, all pilots relinquish to take legal action against the organizer in case of damages towards their personal belongings.

II.5.3 RESPONSIBILITY CONCERNING THIRD PARTIES
By his registration, the pilot is entirely responsible for any injury, loss or damage undergone by third parties as a result of his behaviour or the one of his (or her) team.

II.5.4 INSURANCE
Each participating aerostat must be insured for a minimum of 1,530,000 Euro.
The pilot must present an insurance certificate for himself and the balloon he will pilot, this certificate must be valid for the total duration of the event.

II.6.1 SAFETY
The weather forecasts and reports, as well as information relative to the safety and airworthiness of aircrafts will be furnished, in good faith and for information sake, to all participants. The officials will be in charge of overseeing the inflation and take-off of the balloons. Nevertheless, this does not reduce in any way the responsibility of the pilots in this field.

II.6.2 RESPONSIBILITY
The pilot will be responsible for the handling of his/her hot-air balloon during the entire inflation, take-off and landing.
The pilot must ensure that his/her equipment, team and his/her skills and experience are sufficient to face the encountered conditions.

II.6.3 CONDUCT
The pilots and their teams are required to maintain a sportsmanship attitude and to respect the directives of the event officials.

II.6.4 PARKING LOTS
Crews and pilots have their reserved parking lots. Access is restricted to those who present the parking pass delivered upon registration.
 

 III : BALLOON QUALIFICATION

III.1 BALLOON DEFINITION
Aerostat – an aircraft lighter than air supported statically in the air, with no means of propulsion by any power source. Hot air balloons achieve buoyancy solely as a result of heating air. The envelope may contain no other gasses than air and the normal combustion results.

III.2 FUEL
Each balloon shall carry fuel in sufficient quantity to complete the flight with adequate reserves. Lack of fuel to complete the flight shall not be grounds for protest.

III.3 BALLOON DESIGNATION
Each competitor shall nominate the balloon he/she is to pilot during the event. No change of balloon may be made except by permission of the flight director.

III.4 AIRWORTHINESS
Aerostats flown in the event must have valid registration and airworthiness certificates or an equivalent document issued by the recognized authorities of the nation concerned. The organizers are empowered to reject any aerostat, which in their opinion does not guarantee sufficient airworthiness.

III.5 DAMAGE
If a balloon is damaged during the event, it may be repaired. Damaged components may be replaced or repaired. However a complete envelope may be replaced only at the director’s discretion. Any damage to the balloon affecting its airworthiness must be reported to the director before its re-entry into competition and the balloon may only be flown after the director has approved the repairs.

III.6 AUTOMATIC PILOTING
No automatic pilot will be allowed, whatever its characteristics may be.

III.7 ALTIMETER
Each balloon must be equipped with a digital or analogue altimeter. The analogue altimeters will have a scale of 1,000 meter or 1,000 ft at each tour and a wheel of pressure regulator. All other altimeters must be approved by the flight director.

III.8 BASKET
The term basket includes all team or passenger compartments, without any consideration of the material used for construction.
 

 IV : OFFICIALS

IV.1 EVENT DIRECTOR
The event director will be in charge of the overall operations of the event. He is responsible for the good management and the smooth and safe running of the event. He shall take operational decisions in accordance with the sport conduct code and the event rules. He can penalize or disqualify a competitor for misconduct or infringement of the rules.

IV.2 SAFETY OFFICER
The safety officer will work independently from the sponsors and will report to the appropriate authorities each incident or infraction that takes place during the event. He or she may request modifications of proceedings, which in his or her opinion may compromise the event security.
 

 V : MAPS

V.1 EVENT AREA
A specific aerial zone has been defined specially for the event. A reference map with a scale of 1:100,000 will be displayed next to the briefing area. The flight director will inform the pilots of the local laws at every briefing. All pilots will conform to the “Arrêté Préfectoral” (by-law) and to flight director directions given at each briefing.

V.2.1 PROHIBITED ZONES (PZS)
The flight direction may define airspace or landing areas as prohibited. Prohibited zones and high-tension wires are marked on the displayed aeronautical map.

V.2.2 ACTIVE PROHIBITED ZONES
At each flight’s briefing PZs will be designated as being active or inactive for the purposes of each specific flight. This does not necessarily describe their operational activity or status for other aviation purposes.

V.2.3 ENTERING A PROHIBITED ZONE
Entering a prohibited zone will be penalized proportionally based on the transgression.

V.3 MAPS
A pilot will have on board at least the 1 to 100,000 scale map (provided by the organizer) necessary to complete the flight.
 

 VI : PROGRAM AND BRIEFINGS

VI.1.1 BRIEFINGS
BRIEFING ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY FOR EACH PILOT AND FOR EACH FLIGHT HE/SHE WANTS TO COMPLETE.
The flight director will announce and publish the briefings of the flight on the Official Board. At the briefing the following information will be given verbally and by displayed notice.
a) Meteorological information
b) Air traffic and safety information
c) Active PZ’s
d) Information relative to the flight rules.
e) Launch area and launch period
f) Planned time and place of the next briefing
g) Flight times.

VI.1.2 SUPPLEMENTARY BRIEFING
A PINK flag will be raised at the “signalling points” to announce complementary information or changes in the information given at the briefing. The pilot or any member of the team will go to the signal point.
All pilots should be aware of the written or verbal information given at this supplementary briefing.

VI.2 LATE ENTRY
The officials will not be able to give a personal briefing except for air traffic, safety matters and PZ’s.

VI.3.1 PRE-ESTABLISHED FLIGHT HOURS
From 04H00 UT to 08H00 UT
From 16H30 UT to 20H00 UT
Apart from night flight (long distance race) and night glow.

VI.3.2 LATE FLIGHTS
The balloons that are still in the air after the official time limit will no longer be under the responsibility of the event authorities and pilots must be even more cautious towards air traffic and regulations. Their security is neither planned nor assured.
 

 VII : LAUNCH PROCEDURES

VII.1 LAUNCH AREA
According to French regulation, access to the launch area is strictly restricted (badges will be checked).
The area is divided into four(4) launch zones, each zone is represented by a specific colour.
Pilots are to respect their assigned areas to avoid getting expelled form the event.

VII.2.1 VEHICLES
During the flight period, only one vehicle per balloon is allowed in the takeoff zone.

VII.2.2 LATE VEHICLES
No vehicle may enter the launch area after the YELLOW warning flag has been raised, except by permission of a launch master or another official.

VII.3.1 PREPARATION OF BALLOONS
The launch master will control that every pilot respects his/her assigned area to prepare his/her hot-air balloon. The launch master has the authority to regulate the operation of all balloons and vehicle in the launch area.

VII.3.2 COLD INFLATION
Pilots may test their burners and let a bit of cold air in envelope to assemble it and check it. But, before the authorization for heating is given, the fans and burners cannot be used and no part of the envelope fabric may be more than two meters off the ground.
The fans could be tested and used before the flight period until a flag of any colour is raised.

VII.4.1 SIGNALLING POINT
Spot on the launch area at which flag signals are displayed.
The pilots must pay very close attention to the signals. Bad visibility of signal in the launch area shall not be a valid reason for complaint.

VII.4.2 LAUNCH SIGNALS
Colour flags having the following meanings can be displayed at the signalling point.
RED : No takeoff allowed. Any previous permission to take off is cancelled.
YELLOW : information or signal will be coming within five minutes.
PINK : supplementary or amended briefing information is available
BLACK: Flight cancelled.
GREEN : Permission for all balloons to begin inflation.
An audible signal may be given to draw attention to the changes of flags.

VII.5 LAUNCH PERIOD
No flight may take place outside a flight period. Only a launch master agreement may initiate the takeoff procedure.

VII.6.1 READY TO TAKE OFF
Once a pilot is ready to take off and has positive buoyancy, he (or she) should signal it to a launch master in his/her flight zone. The launch master will allow the balloons to take off in the fastest and safest possible conditions.
Pilots are not allowed to take off before the signal given by the launch master.

VII.6.2 OBSTRUCTION
Once a balloon is fully inflated, a participant may not for any reason remain in a position where his/her balloon obstructs another.

VII.7.1 TAKEOFF PERMISSION
The authorization to take off does not relieve the participant of complete responsibility for his or her takeoff, including adequate lift to clear obstacles and other balloons, and to continue the flight safely. If the balloon does not take off within the minute, takeoff permission may be cancelled by the launch master.

VII.7.2 LOSS OF CONTROL
A participant losing control of his or her balloon shall deflate it immediately or take appropriate actions. A pilot taking off without permission, whether due to loss of control or any other reason, will be expelled from the event.

VII.8.1 FAILED TAKEOFF
A hot-air balloon is considered to have taken off after it passed the limits of the takeoff zone. A pilot may wait to takeoff for security reasons, or to avoid getting in the way of other balloons. He may try again in the scheduled time limit of the flight period, but he must obtain another takeoff authorization signal;

VII.8.2 LEAVING THE TAKEOFF ZONE
For safety reasons, after takeoff, each pilot must have reached the height of 150 m or 492 ft from the ground at a speed of no more than 600 ft/minute.
A pilot who would infringe this rule would be expelled from the event.

VII.9 FLIGHT DEFINITION
The point and/or time at which all parts of a balloon or its crew cease to be in contact with or connected to the ground.
 

 VIII : FLIGHT RULES

VIII.1.1 RATE OF CLIMB
No pilot shall initiate or maintain a fast climb unless he or she is certain that no higher balloon is in his or her path.

VIII.1.2 RIGHT OF WAY
A pilot is responsible for avoiding collision between the non-fabric parts of his/her balloon and the envelope of another balloon.
When two balloons are converging in flight, the pilot of the higher balloon shall yield the right of way and climb if necessary to avoid collision.
In case of collision, both pilots may be penalized, but not necessarily by the same amount.

VIII.1.3 DROPPING OBJECTS
No object may be dropped from the balloon except official markers, small pieces of paper, or similar light-weighted materials used for navigational purpose.

VIII.2.1 CONDUCT
Pilots are required to fly with proper consideration for persons and livestock on the ground. Irresponsible behaviour of any pilot or crew member will be a sufficient reason to expell the team for the total duration of the event.

VIII.2.2 LIVESTOCK AND CROPS
Balloons shall fly no closer than 150 meters (492 feet) from livestock or buildings containing livestock. Pilots and crews must do their best not to damage crops. Crop owners will be informed of any damage caused, and the pilot will reimburse them for the damaged crops. Prices are defined in the protocol agreement with farmers : Pilots and crew members are required to know, understand, and abide by the rules defined in the protocol agreement with farmers.

VIII.2.3 FARMER
In this regulation, the term “farmer” means the person who own crops or livestock on the land, not necessarily the legal owner of the land itself.

VIII.3.1 GROUND CREW
Each pilot shall ensure that he has sufficient and duly accredited crewmembers (badge wearing is mandatory) to operate his balloon and the retrieving vehicle. He shall ensure that all crewmembers are adequately briefed on safety. A pilot is responsible for all the actions of his crew and for the duration of the flight.

VIII.3.2 DRIVING RETRIEVING VEHICLES
Vehicles must be driven safely in the launch area and cannot enter the runway. The safety officer or launch master may expel from the event any vehicle driven in a dangerous manner.

VIII.4.1 AIR REGULATIONS
Even in the specific area of the event, pilots are required to know, understand and abide by air rules ; more specifically;
- populated zones, highways, railway : minimum flight level of 300 meters (984 feet)
- high tension wires and other buildings : minimum flight level 150 meters (492 feet)
- large groups of people or animals : minimum flight level 150 meters (492 feet)
In other areas, the pilot must respect the belongings (crops, livestock…) of our friendly neighbours.

VIII.4.2 COMMUNICATION
The radio frequency used within the 10 nautics by all aeronauts will be communicated at the first briefing. Outside this zone this frequency is strictly reserved for emergency calls (between pilots and flight direction). The use of this frequency by retrieving vehicles is prohibited. The frequency of the control towers of the surrounding airports are:
- Nancy-Essey: 119.6
- Metz-Nancy-Lorraine: 118.2
- Metz-Frescaty: 118.4
In case of any last minute change these numbers will be communicated at the briefings.

VIII.4.3 PASSENGERS
Pilots agree not to conduct any commercial or free flight with passengers without the organizers’ authorization. Pilots who would infringe this rule would be immediately expelled from the event and legal action shall be taken.

 

 IX : LANDING

IX.1 LANDING POINT
The landing point is where the basket is finally immobilized after deflation of the envelope. The on-ground manoeuvres can be done by anybody, including the crew present in the balloon, in order to reach a better deflation zone. It is imperative to report all incidents and accidents to the flight director, before the next flight. The pilot will report the precise place and time of landing, the description of possible damages and identity of witnesses.

IX.2 GROUND CONTACT
After takeoff, no part attached to the balloon or basket may be in contact with the ground.
 

 X: COMPLAINTS

X.1. COMPLAINTS
Complaints of any matter should be addressed to the director of the event (MONDIAL AIR BALLONS - LORRAINE 2005). Complaints must be written in English or French, and will receive a written reply.

X.2. TIME LIMIT
The time limit for complaints is one day after takeoff.