Crew Registration Details
Those who have volunteered, in the past years, love it and come back each year. Those who have not, you don't know what you're missing. Crews are a vital part of the Balloons over Waikato Festival and are the answer to the often-asked question: "Who are all those people around the balloon?" and "How does the balloon get in the air in the first place? That's where the ground crew (or chase crew, two names, same job) comes in. It's 5 days fun-filled, hard working, action packed days. It's a chance to make new and lasting friendships and lots of memories. It's the beautiful and colorful sights in the sky that delight and awe the very young and the young at heart. A dedicated ground crew of two to six people for each balloon is needed to make every flight a success.
The crews #1 job is to assist the pilot.
Local volunteer crew members will be assigned to a pilot for the duration of the Festival. The crew will be part of their 'team' and will work with only them at any of the ballooning events.
Responsibilities of the Crew
This includes setting up the balloon, helping to make sure the basket is arranged and stocked with those things the pilot likes to take along, and to help achieve a safe lift off. Once that is done, the crew take the chase vehicle and follow the balloon for an hour or so.
When the pilot has located a nice field for landing, the crew will usually be informed (usually by radio) of the intended landing site. The goal of the crew is to have the vehicle at the landing field before the pilot lands, and still have enough time to be waiting in the selected field to assist in any way with the landing operation. It is fairly straight forward, most of the time! Crew tasks are often explained as 90% common sense, and 10% training. Every task the crew performs has a reason for why it is done a certain way, and once that reason is discovered, it makes perfect sense. The trick to learning is to ask lots of questions.
One thing that makes ballooning difficult for the ground crew is one of the same things that make it exciting: the weather. This is exactly why hot air ballooning is so exciting. Every single flight is different!
How do I become a crew member for a balloon in the Festival?
If you are interested in crewing for a balloon during the 2011 Balloons over Waikato Festival download the form here, fill in, and return to
Haley's email
haley@balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz
or
by post
Balloons over Waikato
PO Box 10185
Te Rapa
Hamilton
Phone/Fax: 07 8495472
