AX5 Feminine World Record Flight Setting Records for both Distance and Duration of Flight

9 hours 32 minutes 41 seconds

170 miles

By Bill Cloninger

The NightStar Team was organized to attempt to set new Aviation World Records using an AX5 category hot air balloon (42,000 cubic feet). On February 9 and 10, a new AX5 Duration of Flight World Record was set with the flight NightStar I. On February 26, the flight of NightStar II set new AX5 Feminine World Records for both Distance and Duration of Flight. Pilot Debby Young flew NightStar, an Aerostar double walled balloon on this flight. An earlier release from our team described the flight as "Debby Young flew across parts of two states chased all day by 10 men in 3 vehicles. After they finally caught her, she bought them all drinks." While true, this simplification belies the difficulty and roller coaster of emotions that this record setting flight became. Here's the rest of the story.

Tuesday, February 20.

We go on Weather Watch. The turnaround of equipment is going fine, although the drying out of our AX5 envelope, which picked up 44 pounds of water weight (5.5 gallons) during the last flight, is behind schedule. Martin Harms, at Aerostar, in Sioux Falls, SD, assures me that our aircraft will be ready whenever we are.

Lou Billones, our meteorologist, reports in around 8:30 am. There is not a favorable weather pattern for this flight within our 5 day Weather Alert parameter, but he gives me a heads up on a potential system developing around 7 days or so out. A Weather Update is issued to the team and we wait until tomorrow. We issue a Weather Update each morning while on Weather Watch. When we have a potential flight system within 5 days, the Update becomes an Alert and we begin to mobilize and make arrangements to travel to South Dakota, where our equipment is staged.

Wednesday, February 21

Lou makes his morning report. The potential favorable system is still developing and its starting to look like we may have a Monday flight from Des Moines. Lou gives it only a 50% probability. Still not within our Alert parameters and I issue another Weather Update. Debby reports that Pat Karl believes he has finally solved the APRS Tracking System problems we have been experiencing - this is great news. In the NightStar I flight, the APRS system failed transmit from the balloon during the first half of the flight.

Thursday, February 22

This morning, Lou's report is late. I've learned that when Lou is late it is because a flight window is developing and his forecast takes longer to do and is much more detailed. Based in Cleveland, OH, we are 800 miles from our area of operations, and we need to start making weather decisions 5 days in advance of flight time. This is difficult meteorological forecasting, and as Lou is always telling me, it may change with the next update. For this attempt that is an understatement. Lou's report comes in at 9:35. The system he has been following is still developing. Des Moines seems to be the place and Monday seems to be the day. The flight track is looking like a flight toward Evanston, IN. I issue a Weather Alert to the NightStar Team. Saturday is travel day. The Radio Guys are to call Debby and confirm availability to go on this trip. Chase Crew Volunteers are to me about availability and the Flight Control Center Volunteers are to call me about availability to staff our Flight Control Center here in Ohio. Kent Rothermel, who coordinates the Flight Control Center and manages the Air Traffic Control system for us, starts getting up to speed on the potential flight.

Late afternoon, Debby and I get together and practice tank change procedures and discuss the potential flight. Most of the team has reported in and our travel squad is pretty much set. We will know more manana.

Friday, February 24

Lou's report is late again - this is a good sign. When it comes in - Yes! Des Moines is the place, Monday is the day. The only problem is a major storm hitting our area of operations on Saturday and Sunday. We will have to drive through bad weather again. I call Lou and we talk over the weather situation. It is looking good for this attempt. Lou reminds me again that this can all change. I issue another Weather Alert: we will travel Saturday. Most of the travel squad is to meet at my place to leave by 6:00am in two vehicles. A third vehicle will be leaving later in the day. Kent is updated with new weather data. Martin, at Aerostar, reports that the envelope and burner are ready to go. We arrange to pick up our equipment and refuel our tanks on Sunday morning in Sioux Falls.

Mid afternoon, Pat Karl - our chief radio wizard - stops by to install and test most of our radio and APRS gear. We review packing checklists and are almost ready to go. I just need to pack my travel bag.

We will get a weather update on the road on Saturday morning from Lou.

Saturday, February 25 - Travel Day

We are on the road at 6:00am. Jerry Kest, Debby and I are in the Suburban, Chuck Holt, Bob Magree and Pat Karl in the Ford Truck.

Our plan is to drive to Des Moines, leave one vehicle and Pat, Debby and myself. Then the truck, with Jerry, Chuck (our best drivers) and Bob would head on to Sioux Falls to pick up the equipment and be back in Des Moines Sunday evening.

The beginning of the trip is uneventful. At 9:30 am we get a call from Sandy, my wife. There was a fax from Lou on the fax machine from 4:30am - "HOLD - pending the morning update". Our hearts sink. We are already in Indiana - making good time. Debby radios the Truck - "We may be turning around and going home - need to check with Lou". As with all our flights, the pilot directly communicates with Lou when we get near flight time. Debby calls Lou. He reports that late last night, he wasn't sure the weather pattern would develop as he thought and just wanted us to stay put until he got the confirmation. Things were looking better with the morning update with the exception of one "wildcard". There is a 50% chance of dense fog in the Des Moines area for Monday morning. The temperature - dewpoint spread is just one degree and the relative humidity is forecast to be 98%. Are we doing all this driving for nothing? We push on with apprehension. We would check back in at 2:00pm. Lou says - these things can change, hopefully this time for the better.

2:00pm:

We cross the Mississppi River and have been driving through heavy rain for the last hour or so. The farmland we pass looks more like lakes than corn fields. Debby tells Lou that we are driving through "that Great Inland Sea known as Iowa". The 2:00pm update from Lou confirms a Monday morning launch from at 1200Z - 6:00am.(we have gotten into the habit of using Universal Coordinated Time - "Zulu" Time so no one is confused by time zones etc.). The fog wildcard is still in the forecast. He also warns us - the guys going on to Sioux Falls should expect worsening weather enroute.

5:00pm.

Debby, Pat and I and most of our electronic equipment are dropped off at our hotel in Des Moines and the "Road Warriors" Jerry, Chuck and Bob head off for Sioux Falls. They should get in around 11:30pm. Jerry checks in around 10:30pm. They are near Sioux City (85 miles from Sioux Falls) and are starting to encounter icy conditions. They promise to take it nice and easy and will call when they get in. Debby has retired for the night to try to get some needed sleep. I check in with the Road Warriors at 11:30pm. They are 30 miles out and conditions are not good. Cars and other light vehicles are spinning out of control and some off the road. They have picked up a father and son from a wrecked vehicle in a ditch and are taking them to an exit up ahead with a motel. These guys are real heroes. I get a call at 12:30am and they are at their motel in Sioux Falls, tired but safe.

The third chase vehicle arrives in Des Moines from Cleveland at 1:30am with Mike Murray, Lance Haverlock and Jeff Knierem.

Sunday, February 25

We get the morning weather update from Lou. Monday 1200Z is holding for the launch, The potentail fog has gone away. However, the location now may be changing. There is the possibility of low ceilings and snow showers in Des Moines around launch time. Lou suggests Iowa City (100 miles east) may be better. Debby calls Susan and Peter Stamats in Cedar Rapids, just north of Iowa City and solicits their help in finding an appropriate launch site. By 10:00am Mike Murray and Lance Haverlock are dispatched to Iowa City to coordinate with the Stamats to find a launch site, and get all necessary permissions etc. I have suggested, as a possibility, the airport in Iowa City. With all the rain we drove through, the tarmac of an airport might be the only dry place we can find.

Debby and I are to meet with Rob Bartholomew in Des Moines at 1:00pm to review Des Moines launch site options. Rob has offered us the use of his repair station to do some of our pre-launch set-up work. A warm, well-lighted place indoors is much preferable to cold and pre-dawn dark to pressurize tanks and do most of our preflight basket set up.

Lou calls in at 12:30pm. A launch time of 1200Z-1300Z is still good. Des Moines and Iowa City are out. Ottumwa, IA, 75 miles SW of Iowa City (90 miles SE of Des Moines) is now the location. Debby calls Mike Murray. He and Lance are in a meeting with the Iowa City Airport manager finalizing arrangements for the next morning's launch. Mike is told to stop everything and head for Ottumwa. Kent, back in Ohio, is informed of the changes in launch site and in flight track. He prepares our flight plan for filing and confirms that the Flight Control Center will be up and functioning at 1130Z (a half hour before our planned launch window opens).

Our plan is now to congregate at the hotel in Des Moines. The Road Warriors would bring the balloon system and fuel tanks from Sioux Falls arriving around 6:00pm. Orv Olivier, our NAA Observer, and Mike Leimbach from Sioux Falls would arrive later. We would get some sleep and head out for Ottumwa around 2:30am. Our advance team of Mike and Lance would find a launch site, get permissions and stay in Ottumwa.

Late afternoon, Mike reports in that they have linked up with a local pilot, Dale Dommer, and are working several alternatives. The ground is saturated and there is a lot of standing water around.

The Road Warriors and equipment arrive at the hotel in Des Moines at 6:30pm to a heroes welcome.

So it's off to dinner and a preflight crew meeting. Orv and Mike Leimbach arrive around 9:00pm. The team has finally assembled. Good night - sleep fast - we leave at 2:45am for Ottumwa.

Monday, February 26

We leave Des Moines on schedule and arrive at Mike and Lance's hotel in Ottumwa at 4:20am. After dropping Debby off to get dressed in her flight gear, and rest and relax, we head out to the launch site at the Ottumwa Airport.

The surface temperature is 15ºF. We are through our pre-flight set up and pre-inflation checklists. Debby has been retrieved from the hotel and I start to inflate NightStar at 6:00am. In each of our flights, another pilot inflates the balloon, brings it up to temperature and loads all last minute equipment. Then the pilot for the mission enters the basket and takes over. We are ready to go at 6:25am. Debby lifts off at 6:29am.

Five minutes into the flight, Debby radios that something looks wrong with the top of the balloon. Some fabric appears to have pulled away. She is still low over the airport and we ask her to land. Madly, we rush over to her. After all the hard work, the driving through icy conditions, moving launch sites around, is this flight over already?

We get to her and with binoculars and two of our million candle power spotlights, Orv and I look at the top. The upper edge of the inner wall (the heat liner) has torn in four places and is hanging down about 12 inches in each place. In the prior flights this upper edge of the inner wall has been exposed to high heat and has become brittle. It looks like the inflation has broken the edge in these places From the ground, we can't see any signs of damage to the outer wall. It looks OK. Is it safe to fly? We both think so. It is up to Debby - does she want to continue? She says "Yes, let's go for it." As a safety precaution, we off load 10 gallons of fuel to reduce envelope temperatures. The inflation tank is brought up and hooked up again to keep the balloon inflated while Pat and Orv zero out and reset all of the flight electronics. The Ball M55 Instruments now start to act up. The balloon is on the ground and the altimeter is showing an altitude of minus 6000 ft. The variometer appears to be working as does the pyrometer. Pat changes the batteries, the problem persists. Debby has two GPSs on board to use as altimeters. Does she still want to continue? And she repeats emphatically "Yes, let's go for it."

At 6:52 CST, the flight of Nightstar II finally gets underway, as Debby lifts off from Ottumwa Industrial Airport.

With this flight, Debby is attempting to set two new world records, one for distance and one for duration of flight. For a duration flight, you want to fly slow and low reduce your fuel consumption. For a distance flight, you need to fly higher to catch the stronger winds. With this flight anything we do to increase duration hurts distance and anything we do to increase distance hurts duration. Our strategy was to fly early on as a duration flight then as fuel gets burned off, fly it as a distance flight.

Debby's early low track was to the Northwest, the wrong way for a flight that was expected to go due east. Every inch she goes west was one she would have to make back later in the flight. This was very frustrating for her and for us on the ground.

The first tank drop was successfully completed, with all of us cheering her on. Debby then went up to catch the turn to the east at about 3,500 ft MSL and she started to pick up speed to 22mph and the direction was looking good.

"I'm getting small pieces of what looks like liner fabric falling into the basket", came the radio call. There was silence in our chase vehicle. Orv Olivier, who in addition to being our NAA Observer, also functions as our primary chase to pilot communicator. He and I looked at each other. "We need to know what the top looks like," I said. Orv calmly radioed, "Hey Deb, could you look up and tell us what you see." Debby reported that the top looked the same, but she could smell fabric burning.

The envelope temperature reports we had been receiving indicated temperatures in the low 300ºF range. In testing to establish a temperature red line at the Aerostar factory, we had the NightStar envelope temperatures up to 375ºF without damage.

We concluded that the portions of the inner wall that were hanging down at the broken areas were cooking and breaking off. (Two days after the flight, we inspected the envelope at the factory and found that, other than heat damage to the top edge (to about 8" inches from the edge) of the inner wall, there was no damage to the structural integrity of the aircraft. In fact, the telltale on the inner side of the outer wall placed at the center of the top cap did not turn 250ºF. Even though damaged the inner liner was doing its job, protecting the outer wall from heat).

Small pieces of inner liner would periodically float down to the basket through the flight, each time causing great concern, but the envelope temperatures kept coming down as fuel was being consumed and the flight characteristics of the balloon remained the same. Debby kept on flying. Talk about a gutsy lady.

The next two surface level tank drops caused Debby to fly to the north and slow down significantly. At this time we were pretty sure Debby would have the duration record broken so the rest of the flight could be flown as a distance flight. The plan now was to stay at altitude and ride it out.

Along the Skunk River, in Iowa, we spotted over 20 bald eagles together in a field. What a sight, eagles on the ground and our eagle overhead at 4,000 ft.

By mid day, Debby was fast approaching the Mississippi and all three vehicles had to cross the river at the bridge at Muscatine, IA about 20 miles north of Debby's track. Our vehicle stayed with her up to the river and we sent the other two north to make the dash to the bridge and pick her up on the other side.

Shortly thereafter, Debby crossed the Mississippi River. We got a call from our Flight Control Center, Debby was cleared through Quad Cities (Moline, IL) Class C airspace at any altitude. Debby's track would be taking her straight toward the inner ring about 15 miles ahead. Way to go Kent! He reported that the controllers at Quad Cities had her on radar and were cheering her on. Apparently the mylar on the lower third of the envelope was providing a radar return.

Debby was now cruising along at about 30 mph at 4,500 ft MSL. The chase crews were having difficulty keeping up with her along the muddy gravel roads of western Illinois. Luckily, she started to fly right down I-80 and we could quickly catch up. The time and the miles ticked by. First, Debby has broken the old duration record and is setting a new one. Then 20 minutes later, we are pretty sure she has broken the distance record. Congratulations are radioed up to her and the chase crews are delighted.

A little while later, Orv and I were starting to extrapolate her flight path out ahead on the map to determine if Chicago would be come a factor, when Debby radios "I can see Chicago." Do we need to have her come down some to slow down? It is Debby's flight, it is her record, the decision is up to her and on she flies.

Just west of Peru, IL , Debby decides to fly down low to drop off her spent fuel tanks and flies right past Jefferson Elementary School, in Princeton IL. All of the kids and teachers are outside waving and cheering. We soon pick up a fairly large chase following of locals. A local newspaper reporter for the La Salle IL News Tribune stops us to find out what is going on and follows us for an hour or so. She later writes two articles about Debby's flight.

It is now late afternoon, and the ground winds are picking up. After 9 1/2 hours and approximately 170 miles, Debby lands NightStar in the driest field around, a muddy cornfield (suck your boots off muddy) a few miles west of Ottawa, IL. All three chase vehicles are at the landing with crew in the field to catch her. Enough crew are in the field to milk the envelope and carry it to the road without it ever touching the ground.

After closing our flight plan, Kent in our Cleveland Flight Control Center, gives the controllers at Quad Cities a call and tells them of the success of the flight. Shouts of "She made it!" , high fiving and general celebration are heard in the background emanating from the Quad Cities control tower staff.

After pack up, tired and elated, Debby treats the men who chased her to drinks and dinner at a local LaSalle, IL restaurant.

The official duration of the flight was 9 hours 32 minutes and 41 seconds. The approximate distance is 170 miles. The official distance for the record is computed using the great circle calculation so we only have an approximation.

As Chuck Holt usually says after each of our flights, "that was a Great Adventure."

Debby and I want to thank all of those that helped us with these flights this winter. Especially those team members in Ohio and the Great Plains, who devoted precious time and energy away from their families and occupations to make this season one for the record books. You guys made it happen. We can not thank you enough.

Bill Cloninger