NBC
Pilot's Corner
Contents
Pilot Resources
Competition Flights
- April 3 - Jaworski
- May 1 - Lacroix
- June 5 - Dobesh
- June 19 - Mohring/Emry
- July 10 - Jaworski (JCFD)
- July 31, Aug. 1 & 7 - Fenster (at Indianola)
- Sept. 4 - Peterson
- Oct. 2 - Dobesh
- Oct. 16-17 - Mohring (at Wakefield)
- Nov. 6 - Jaworski
- Pilots meet 30 min. before sunrise
Sport Flights
- Feb. 20 - Lacroix
- March 20 - Peterson
- April 17 - Elsasser
- May 15 - Gunhus
- June 19 - Mohring/Emry
- July 17 (AM) - Jaworski
- Aug. 21 - Reid
- Sept. - none
- Oct. 15 - Mohring (at Wakefield)
- Nov. 20 - Grote
- Pilots meet 2½ hr. before sunset
The Pilot's Corner is a place for pilots to post:
- Stories
- Items for sale
- Items being sought
- Training/classes
- History (personal/club/ballooning)
- etc.
Send your Pilot's Corner contributions to webmaster.
Paper or Plastic?
Paper Pilot Certificates Expire March 31
If you have not yet replaced your paper pilot certificate, it will expire March 31. You’ll need to either go online to convert paper pilot certificates to plastic, or fill out a form and mail it to the FAA in Oklahoma City. The steps for the process are found online. Student certificates are not affected. Some non-pilot certificates are good for another three years. The expiration of the certificates is listed in the FAA regulations:
- FAR 61.19(h): Duration of pilot certificates. Except for a temporary certificate issued under §61.17 or a student pilot certificate issued under paragraph (b) of this section, the holder of a paper pilot certificate issued under this part may not exercise the privileges of that certificate after March 31, 2010.
Temporary, student, and flight instructor certificates (flight instructor certificates are already being issued as plastic) are not impacted by this rule. Pilots and airmen can request the plastic certificate through the FAA’s Web site. The cost is $2. However, if you are removing your social security number from your pilot certificate, the switch is free.
You may ask the FAA to issue you a new certificate number that is not your social security number. The new plastic certificates won’t show your original date of issue, so you may want to store the paper certificate to remind you of the issue date. The process will take four to six weeks, so do it now.
Des Moines, Iowa has been selected by the 
Balloon Federation of America as the location for the 2011 BFA National Convention!! The convention will be hosted by the Iowa Balloonist Association along with the help of several Midwest balloon clubs and their members. If you would like to get involved and help celebrate the ballooning traditions and history here in central Iowa, just contact Jim Thompson at Jim@thompsonaire.com or Brian Seymour at IFDCief@man.com
Monthly Club Flight Schedule
For 2010, we will continue with the same Sport and Competition flight schedule:
Competition flights on the first Saturday morning of the month (at sunrise) during the months of April through November (July excepted). Volunteer Balloonmeisters will be responsible for organizing each flight, notifying NBC members during the preceding week, weather trending/forecasting, selecting the launch site, specifying the competition event, turning in the scoring results, and organizing any post-flight social activity.
Sport Flights on the third Saturday afternoons of the month (three hours before sunset) during the months of February through November (September excepted) from Lake Zorinsky unless otherwise noted. Balloonmeisters will be responsible for organizing each flight, notifying NBC members during the preceding week, weather trending/forecasting, selecting the launch site, and organizing any post-flight social activity. Note: Regarding the Social Activity: To maximize participation, the Balloonmeister should plan, make arrangements for, and notify NBC members of the time and location for the social activity at least 10 days prior to the flight/social activity. Except for the months of March and July when General Membership Meetings are planned, organization of a social event is at the prerogative of the Balloonmeister. Socials should be publicized and promoted by the Balloonmeister, if they are to occur. Socials should not be a routine occurrence.
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Nebraska Balloon and Wine Festival Aug. 13-14, 2010
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Photos by Wayne Elsasser
The Nebraska Balloon and Wine Festival will return to Elk Ridge Village for the fourth year on Friday, August 13 and Saturday, August 14. As in past years, the balloons will launch by 7:30 pm - Gates open at 5:00 pm to give spectators an early glimpse at the hot air balloons as pilots assemble them for their flights. (Weather Permitting)
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6th Annual Wakefield Hot Air Balloon Festival
by Ron Dobesh; photos by Mike Peterson
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Well, they did it again; the wonderful families of Wakefield have pulled off another wonderfully memorable weekend for our annual retreat to their town and homes. 16 balloonists were scheduled to arrive and partake in the event this year, but the H1N1 took out two before they could arrive, but that did not stop the show.
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John C. Fremont Days 2009
John C. Fremont Days ballooning events on July 10-11, 2009 once again took place at First Lutheran Church, 3200 East Military Road in Fremont, NE. Events included a Friday night Balloon Glow with participation of eight balloons, and a competition flight Saturday night that crossed right over town. Balloonmeister Rich Jaworski called for three tasks, two Judge Declared Goals that proved beyond the reach of most pilots, and a team Hare and Hounds.
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John Kugler Named NBC Pilot of the Year, Joins Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame
John Kugler was inducted into the 
Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame on January 29, 2009. The induction ceremony was held during the banquet of the Nebraska Aviation Symposium at the Kearney Holiday Inn, Kearney, Nebraska. At the Nebraska Balloon Club Banquet on January 17, 2009, John was named the NBC Pilot of the Year.
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West Point 150 - July 4-6 2008
No, it’s not a car race. West Point, NE invited the Nebraska Balloon Club to help celebrate their 150th anniversary over the July 4th weekend with something new to Cuming County, a balloon rally! Originally the goal was 15 balloons, then 10, finally 6. NBC pilots attending the rally were Alan Paul, Jim Gunhus and Wayne Mohring. After no more takers from the club it was opened up to other Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota pilots. Brand new Norfolk, NE resident and long time pilot Gordon Emry accepted the offer. Rich Jaworski was to be balloonmeister but had to bow out when he ended up with another commitment. Wayne took over the role.
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Adventure of the Heart
July 9, 2008 - The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) has ratified Rich Jaworski's claim to a new AX-4 distance record.
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New Pilot Ratings / New Balloons
June 22, 2008 - Piloting Steve Lacroix's 
Propane Addiction in his first solo flight, Scott Konvalin completed a successful 40 minute flight from the Billones Balloonport to Chalco Hills this morning, complete with a stand-up, roadside landing below the Wehrspahn Lake dam. Congratulations, Scott!!
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