Ballonbau Worner NL-STU, Flight Manual

Page 1: ...LOONS of Type NL STU EASA DE 21G 0007 EASA DE M F 0560 EASA DE M G 0560 EASA ADOA 037 Ballonbau Wörner GmbH www ballonbau de Zirbelstrasse 57c T 49 0 821 450 40 60 86154 Augsburg F 49 0 821 41 96 41 GERMANY E info ballonbau de ...

Page 2: ...__________________ Manufacturer Ballonbau Wörner GmbH Zirbelstrasse 57 c 86154 Augsburg Germany The balloon specified above is to be operated in accordance with the procedures described herein and the prescribed operating limits The information contained in the Flight Manual must be available in the basket during flight This Flight Manual is certified by the EASA EASA Certification number 10058411...

Page 3: ...report PRELIMINARY OBSERVATION For reasons of legibility male pronouns are used through out this Flight Manual All details referring to persons apply equally however to both men and women kg Date of weighing Performed by Maximum mass acc to data sheet Empty mass at unit testing Reweighings ...

Page 4: ...1 12 09 2016 4 4 2 2 Toggle fastening to the load ring 4 3 25 07 2016 10059371 12 09 2016 4 4 2 3 Ballast bags 4 5 25 07 2016 10059371 12 09 2016 4 11 Landing 4 15 25 07 2016 10059371 12 09 2016 5 3 2 Basket 5 2 25 07 2016 10059371 12 09 2016 5 3 3 Matrix of theoretically possi ble loads 5 3 25 07 2016 10059371 12 09 2016 6 4 Basket 6 2 25 07 2016 10059371 12 09 2016 8 2 Checklists 8 2 25 07 2016 ...

Page 5: ...Flight Manual for Gas Balloons of Type NL STU Issue 2 0 May 10 2019 Page III ...

Page 6: ...6 02 05 2016 10 05 2019 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 10 05 2019 12 09 2016 12 09 2016 02 05 2016 10 05 2019 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 12 09 2016 02 05 2016 12 09 2016 02 05 2016 02 05 2016 10 05 2019 02 05 2016 Section Page Date 4 5 6 7 8 9 Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Appendix 3 4 10 appr 4 11 appr 4 12 appr 4 13 app...

Page 7: ...mbinations 2 4 2 6 Minimum ballast 2 4 2 7 Number of persons in the basket 2 5 2 7 1 Minimum crew 2 5 2 7 2 Basket size and number of occupants 2 5 2 8 Minimum equipment 2 5 2 9 Appendix 2 6 2 10 Maximum rate of climb and descent 2 6 2 11 Operating the parachute as a maneuvering valve 2 6 2 12 Further constraints 2 7 Chapter 3 Emergency procedures 3 1 Introduction 3 1 3 2 Behavior in the event of ...

Page 8: ...aring the envelope 4 5 4 4 2 5 Inflation method for envelope held down with sand bags 4 6 4 4 3 Attaching the inflation tube 4 7 4 5 Inflating with lifting gas 4 8 4 6 Making the ropes ready 4 10 4 7 Flight ballast 4 11 4 8 Preparing for take off 4 12 4 8 1 Checking the weather situation 4 12 4 8 2 Checking the equipment 4 12 4 8 3 Instructing the passengers 4 12 4 8 4 Opening the appendix 4 13 4 ...

Page 9: ...2 2 2 Emergency opening 6 1 6 2 2 3 Appendix opening 6 2 6 2 3 Load belt 6 2 6 3 Load ring 6 2 6 4 Basket 6 2 6 5 Sand bags and sand containers 6 3 6 6 Trail rope 6 3 6 7 Ropes 6 3 6 7 1 Holding ropes 6 3 6 7 2 Parachute line 6 3 6 7 3 Emergency opening line 6 3 6 7 4 Appendix pull close line 6 4 6 7 5 Appendix anchor line 6 4 6 8 Electrostatic charging 6 4 6 9 Inflation aid 6 4 6 10 Instruments 6...

Page 10: ...ts 8 1 Introduction 8 1 8 2 Checklists 8 1 Chapter 9 Combination with components from other manufacturers 9 1 Introduction 9 1 9 2 Basket 9 1 Appendix 1 Ultramagic TEKNO Basket A1 1 Appendix 2 Use of the fabric walled basket A2 1 Appendix 3 Handling of gases during operation of balloon type NL STU A3 1 ...

Page 11: ...elope There is a risk of fatal injury 1 1 Introduction This Flight Manual is intended to provide pilots and instructors with the information and assis tance required to enable the safe operation of gas balloons of type NL STU from Ballonbau Wörner The latest version of the Flight Manual can be found on the Internet page www ballonbau de Instructions for Continued Airworthiness and any technical mo...

Page 12: ...unds 1 kg 2 204 lb 1 lb 0 454 kg FAA Federal Aviation Administration FAI Fédération Aéronautique Internationale ISA standard atmosphere Standard air pressure 1013 25 hPa Standard air temperature 15 C Standard air density 1 225 kg m Persons in basket Pilot and passengers Service Bulletins Maintenance notifications VFR Visual flight rules set of regulations under which a pilot op erates an aircraft ...

Page 13: ...rectly affect safety but is important or unusual 1 5 General description A manned gas balloon is a lighter than air aircraft It consists of a gas tight envelope with a basket suspended beneath it The basket is attached to the envelope by means of ropes The lifting gas is generally hydrogen or helium The balloon rises by dropping fine sand ballast thereby making the balloon lighter During flight de...

Page 14: ... NL STU Issue 2 0 May 02 2016 Page 1 4 1 6 Description of a gas balloon A complete description of the gas balloon and its layout can be found in Chapter 6 of this Flight Manual Fig 1 Schematic representation of a gas balloon of type NL STU ...

Page 15: ...umber serial number and year of manufacture are indi cated on the identification plate The identification plate is attached in the following positions Fig 2 Marking on the envelope stain less steel plate on the clamping ring of the appendix Fig 3 Marking on the load ring flexible plate Fig 4 Marking on the basket brass plate in the basket ...

Page 16: ...ions at the take off site and on the ability of the pilot 2 2 3 Thermals and gusts If strong thermals are forecast the balloon should be landed as soon as the thermals arise if possible or the flight should be planned in such a way that the flight altitude is high above the thermals and the balloon is landed at the end of the thermals 2 2 4 Thunderstorms and severe weather The balloon must not be ...

Page 17: ...altitude and listen out that there is no sound of gas escaping If you intend to take off with the envelope not taut perform the trial opening of the valve by pulling the line after the desired inflation level has been reached If you intend to take off with the envelope taut continue to inflate until the maximum level and leave the parachute opening subjected to the maximum possible envelope tensio...

Page 18: ...ng to the envelope An envelope that is moist inside may only be filled if it can be as sured that the parachute itself and an area 1 meter wide around the parachute opening are dry or have first been rubbed dry with a cloth 2 4 Lifting gas Gases that may be used for filling the envelope are hydrogen helium and coal gas city gas The correct handling of the lifting gas is described in Appendix 3 NOT...

Page 19: ...t V 135 x 115 cm x x x x Basket VI 145 x 125 cm x x x Lightweight basket 125 x 105 cm x x x x x Fabric walled basket 125 x 105 cm x x x x x x permissible combination 2 6 Minimum ballast Loading may only be carried out in compliance with the prescribed minimum ballast quantity If necessary the number of passengers must be reduced for flights in order to ensure that the actual quantity of ballast do...

Page 20: ...erson Basket II 95 x 80 cm 2 persons 2 persons 2 persons Basket III 110 x 95 cm 3 persons 3 persons 3 persons Basket IV 125 x 105 cm 4 persons 4 persons 4 persons 4 persons 4 persons Basket V 135 x 115 cm 5 persons 5 persons 5 persons 5 persons Basket VI 145 x 125 cm 6 persons 6 persons 6 persons Lightweight basket 125 x 105 cm 4 persons 4 persons 4 persons 4 persons 4 persons Fabric walled basket...

Page 21: ...raking ballast required for reestablishing equilibrium of a 1000 m balloon is cal culated using the following rule of thumb Rate of descent in m s squared times the drag coefficient of the balloon size Example Balloon size 1000 m rate of descent 3 m s drag coefficient 4 3 x 3 x 4 36 kg of braking ballast Drag coefficient for all balloon sizes 380 m 510 m 640 m 840 m 1000 m 2 0 2 4 2 8 3 4 4 0 2 11...

Page 22: ...e It is permissible to exceed this limit and ascend to an altitude of up to 12 000 ft 3 600 m for a maximum of 30 minutes At altitudes above 12 000 ft 3 600 m an uninterrupted supply of oxygen to all occupants of the basket must be assured Ignition sources During inflation of the balloon the safety zones described in Appendix 3 have to be respected During flight all ignition sources in the basket ...

Page 23: ... the pilot must focus his concentration primarily on the balloon and its flight path For this reason the passengers must be given calm and thorough instruction prior to take off in how to behave during the flight and during landing The following applies here In emergency situations the procedures described here should be applied Recovery of per sons always has top priority It may be necessary to a...

Page 24: ...ation of the balloon NOTE Balloons that are filled with pure hydrogen burn with a tall low pressure jet of flame Gas fire during deflation The following procedure must be observed in the event of a fire after the balloon has landed WARNING The envelope and the basket must remain completely attached to one another until the envelope has been fully deflated This is to prevent the envelope from flyin...

Page 25: ...very late he must quickly decide whether it is possible to rise above the obstacle safely CAUTION The effect of dropping ballast to cause the balloon to gain altitude or pulling the parachute to lose altitude always sets in with a delay If the time and or height is insufficient to fly over an obstacle that has been detected late a forced landing before the obstacle is the better option This applie...

Page 26: ...ore contact The following procedure must be observed in this case WARNING Contact between the suspended basket and the ground constitutes a danger to life and limb Parachute Pull the parachute to initiate a faster descent of the balloon Passengers Instruct Sand bags Any sand bags not required for the landing must be fastened securely inside the basket on the downwind side of the basket Parachute P...

Page 27: ...vely during the flight Emergency call Depending on the situation place an emergency call Drop ballast Reduce fast rate of descent by dropping ballast emergency ballast Passengers Instruct for the eventuality of a hard landing Landing Land at the next available opportunity Drop ballast Bring the flight attitude back under control by dropping ballast Ballast Check whether the remaining flight ballas...

Page 28: ...ent The following procedure must be observed in this case 3 8 2 Conspicuously low pulling force required to open the parachute If it is possible to pull the parachute with little resistance the parachute line may have caught on the pull down belts If this is detected the following procedure must be observed On the ground Waiting Wait until the balloon begins to descend naturally and depending on t...

Page 29: ...endix pull close line must be released or cut with a pull close line knife Appendix The appendix anchor lines must be released or if necessary anchor lines cut with a knife Emergency call Depending on the situation place an emergency call Passengers Instruct for landing Drop ballast Drop ballast to reduce the rate of descent to less than 3 m s and if possible recover equilibrium of the balloon abo...

Page 30: ...cent approach the ground slowly Appendix The appendix anchor lines must be pulled tight to prevent anchor lines the envelope from acting as a sail after landing Sand bags Any sand bags not required for the landing must be fastened in the basket in the direction of flight and secured Trail rope The trail rope must be cast out in time Drop ballast If possible recover equilibrium of the balloon above...

Page 31: ...es the basket a strong increase in the lifting capacity of the balloon is to be expected This must be compensated by venting lifting gas Emergency call Place an emergency call as early as possible Flight If possible keep the balloon above water until help has arrived Occupants Put on life jackets The passengers must not leave the basket until help has arrived and not until instructed to do so by t...

Page 32: ... should not exceed 15 knots If strong thermals are forecast the balloon should be landed as soon as the thermals arise if possible or the flight should be planned in such a way that the flight altitude is high above the thermals and the balloon is landed at the end of the thermals The balloon must not be flown in thunderstorms or other severe weather conditions of any kind For this reason the pilo...

Page 33: ...inflation site that are not electrostatically conductive must be made damp 4 4 2 Preparing the balloon prior to the start of inflation Before laying out the balloon the inflation team must be instructed in the particular circum stances at the take off site and in the emergency procedures In the case of filling with hydrogen gas it must be ensured that the footwear and clothing of all persons who c...

Page 34: ...gle fastening the load ring The suspension rope attached to the load belt above the differently colored marking is the first to be fastened and is fastened to the load ring at the toggle centrally above the trail rope crow s foot Fig 5 Thereafter pairs of adjacent suspension ropes are each attached to one load ring toggle leading upwards The basket ropes are toggle fastened to the load ring in suc...

Page 35: ...Flight Manual for Gas Balloons of Type NL STU Issue 2 0 May 02 2016 Page 4 4 Fig 6 Representation of the toggle assignment ...

Page 36: ...chute opening for tears or damage Then pull the parachute line out of the balloon through the parachute opening until its lower end only extends approx 2 m out of the stretched out appendix Lay the parachute line in a meandering pattern and place it approx 2 m to one side of the parachute opening inside the envelope This is to prevent the parachute line from getting caught in the pull down belts d...

Page 37: ...wn towards the in flation tarp while the other one lies above it on top The four holding down patches are located on the four seams on the upper reinforced section of envelope two seams on the left and two on the right A steel ring is attached to the reinforced section of envelope and to each of the four holding down patches Fig 7 Lay the two ends of the holding belt of the inflation tarp around t...

Page 38: ...on fabric for low inflation pressures up to 20 mbar is fastened to the inflation socket by means of an elastic fastener The inflation tube for high inflation pres sures up to 12 bar is fastened to the bayonet coupling of the inflation socket The inflation tube is routed to the appendix either underneath or over the top of all the suspension ropes lying on the ground The inflation socket is then pu...

Page 39: ...on proof lamp fulfilling the requirements for explosion protection ATEX in Zone 1 accord ing to the currently valid standards Entering the envelope after inflation is strictly prohibited ZONE 0 RISK OF SUFFICATION FIRE AND EXPLOSION NOTE The gas pressure is always higher than the maximum permissible pressure for the balloon For this reason the balloon should be inflated slowly This protects the en...

Page 40: ...he holding belt of the inflation aid This is achieved by pulling the wooden toggle of the holding belt out of the loop towards the parachute The person performing this task stands on the right hand side of the balloon as seen from the basket and looking to wards the parachute Fig 10 During opening the toggle must be held in one hand while the pipe is kept as far away as possible from the rising en...

Page 41: ...emoved by pulling on the pull open line When doing this the pull down line of the inflation socket must be held tightly and the inflation socket must be lowered slowly 4 6 Making the ropes ready Check whether the white marking on the parachute line is hanging at the same height as the lower appendix ring Poeschel ring If this is not the case pull on the parachute and check the position of the mark...

Page 42: ...ags and or from ballast bag holders on the load ring and be secured against swinging and coming loose CAUTION Unsecured sand bags can cause damage fall down or become detached in the event of a hard touch down NOTE Secured sand bag hooks or snap hooks that prevent the bags from detaching themselves may be obtained from Ballonbau Wörner All sand bags attached outside of the basket have to be connec...

Page 43: ...cted at in the basket in how to behave correctly during the flight Correct behavior during flight landing and during the performance of emergency procedures is of particular importance At the very least the instruction should cover the following points NOTE Instruction in the landing procedures must be repeated again before landing Clear instruction The passengers must follow the instructions of t...

Page 44: ...ken up their place in the basket procedures are commenced to achieve equilibrium neutral buoyancy of the balloon Once the balloon is in equilibrium the foreseeable quantity of ballast required for the planned flight is checked If there is insufficient ballast on board one occupant must leave the basket and his mass must be replaced with bal last NOTE A rate of climb of about 2 m s is recommended f...

Page 45: ...ne indicates the maximum permissible degree of opening for venting gas dur ing maneuvering WARNING Pulling hard on the parachute line for a long time results in the need for a large quantity of braking ballast The parachute must always be pulled slowly so that the vibration in the line can build up This vibration in the line is the only safe indication to the pilot of the transition between the ma...

Page 46: ...re landing Has the instruction to passengers on how to behave during landing been repeated Have all unnecessary instruments and baggage been stowed safely in the basket bags Has the bench been put away and the basket flap closed Have all sand bags been fastened in the basket in the direction of flight and secured to prevent them from coming loose Have all outboard fixed sand bags been secured to p...

Page 47: ...Flight Manual for Gas Balloons of Type NL STU Issue 2 0 July 25 2016 Page 4 15 EXAMPLE Balloon size 1000 m rate of descent 3 m s drag coefficient 4 3 x 3 x 4 36 kg of braking ballast ...

Page 48: ... positioned on whichever side of the basket is facing in the direction of flight NOTE Ballonbau Wörner recommends flying with a trail rope Positioning the sand bags on the drag side prevents them from swinging thereby reducing the risk of injuries to legs and ankles Further advantages of the trail rope during landing are the horizontal braking effect and stabilization resulting from fric tion and ...

Page 49: ...prohibited To deflate the balloon the parachute must be kept completely open until the envelope comes to rest on the ground Depending on the weather situation and landing conditions deflation of the envelope can already be commenced during touch down or after a certain time on the ground NOTE The parachute closes automatically when the line is released as long as there is still sufficient lifting ...

Page 50: ...The edge protection prevents sharp kinking of the parachute opening during packing and transport of the envelope This preventive measure is necessary to prevent damage to the cable that is incorporated into the edge of the envelope It only takes a few minutes to fit and contributes considerably to extending the service life of the envelope Then roll up the envelope starting at the equator until it...

Page 51: ...h a polyurethane coating manufactured since 2007 may only be packed in materials that are free of plasticizers All tarpaulins that are coated with polyethylene polypro pylene or polyurethane are suitable for packing the envelope NOTE PVC tarpaulins contain harmful plasticizers and may not be used as packing tarps ...

Page 52: ...s depending on their type and volume The following sizes of gas balloon are listed in FAI class AA Balloon volume Class 250 m or less AA 1 250 m to 400 m AA 2 400 m to 600 m AA 3 600 m to 900 m AA 4 900 m to 1200 m AA 5 1200 m to 1600 m AA 6 1600 m to 2200 m AA 7 The permissible volume tolerance is 5 i e a balloon with a volume of 630 m can still be flown as class AA 3 The sizes are based on ballo...

Page 53: ...ff mass MATOM is a theoretical value that is depend ent on various factors such as the altitude of the take off site outside temperature etc The value for the lifting capacity H2 1 16 kg m is used for historical reasons and was specified in the design regulations issued by the Luftfahrt Bundesamt German Federal Aviation Authority Calculation of the lifting capacity is normally based on the ISA sta...

Page 54: ...kg 75 kg 857 kg 1000 m 1140 kg Lightweight basket 178 kg 75 kg 887 kg 1000 m 1140 kg Fabric walled basket 155 kg 75 kg 591 kg 15 C air temperature 1013 25 hPa 1 225 kg m Take off at mean sea level Mean overall weight the overall weight may vary according to the design e g due to advertising on the envelope Instruments trail rope equipment flight ballast and occupants must be included in the calcul...

Page 55: ...sed as a parachute opening It combines the maneuvering valve and quick deflation functions In traditional netted balloons these tasks were shared between the flap valve and the rip panel The deflation opening is located at the north pole of the enve lope where it is sealed with a parachute The edge of the opening is protected against tearing by means of a bolt rope made of steel or Kevlar and is r...

Page 56: ...d from the suspension ropes uniformly into the envelope The suspension ropes that lead to the load ring are hooked into the stainless steel rings 6 3 Load ring The load ring forms the connection between the suspension ropes and the basket ropes It con sists of a welded steel pipe Slings and toggles for attaching the suspension ropes and basket ropes are spliced onto the load ring A crow s foot con...

Page 57: ...coconut fiber rope with a diameter of 30 mm and a length of 50 m is recom mended 6 7 Ropes 6 7 1 Holding ropes The two holding ropes are attached at the upper cross seam of the envelope During inflation they serve to limit the lateral movement of the envelope If the envelope has turned during the inflation operation or if it has been incorrectly toggle fastened it can be turned to the correct posi...

Page 58: ...hs for the elec trostatic charge The discharge paths start at the parachute are routed via the envelope to the appendix or via the suspension ropes and end in the stainless steel cables of the basket The surface resistance of the components is less than 109 Ohms while the resistance of the con nection between the components is less than 106 Ohms 6 9 Inflation aid The inflation aid is used to hold ...

Page 59: ...ecreases as the altitude increases Mechanical and electronic altimeters with corresponding certification can be used provided that they meet the specific operational requirements 6 10 2 Variometer Variometers measure the rate of climb and descent of the balloon Electronic and mechanical variometers that meet the specific operational requirements are to be used ...

Page 60: ...arried out to ensure that the balloon is in a good general condition Inspection after 10 flights or after a hard landing Annual inspection Inspection after 15 years or more than 1 500 hours of operation 7 3 Preventive maintenance For balloon operation in accordance with EASA regulations The pilot owner may perform the preventive maintenance in accordance with Regulation EC No 2042 2003 PART M or i...

Page 61: ... organizations The pilot owner may only perform the preventive maintenance tasks that are described in greater detail in the balloon s Instructions for Contin ued Airworthiness manual 7 4 Transport by road After the flight the envelope of the balloon is to be packed using the packing tarp provided Dur ing transport the envelope must always be placed in such a way that the hard parts of the ap pend...

Page 62: ...ition in order to ensure that the floor of the basket also receives sufficient ventilation NOTE The practice revealed that envelopes which were packed dry nevertheless showed spots of mold in the area where the suspension ropes had been lying Apparently nobody paid attention to the fact that the ropes were still full of hu midity when the envelope was packed The residual moisture content of the ro...

Page 63: ...n of passengers as well as tech nical instructions for use during operation of the gas balloon These lists are not complete and provide a basic framework to which the pilot can add his own personal comments 8 2 Checklists Instruction of passengers Clear instruction The pilot must give clear instructions The passengers must follow these instructions in all situations Position in basket Each passeng...

Page 64: ...r situation been checked again Have the inflation tube and inflation socket been removed Is the appendix closing device functioning properly Has a trial pull of the parachute been carried out Is the appendix completely open Is the prescribed minimum quantity of ballast in the basket Have the passengers been instructed in how to behave during the flight During the flight Check the lines Do all line...

Page 65: ...mponents from other manufacturers may be used with gas bal loons of type NL STU 9 2 Basket Baskets of type TEKNO CT 01 and CT 02 from Ultramagic may be used following modification in accordance with Supplemental Type Certificate No 10049311 and in compliance with the procedures and operating limits specified in the STC Annex 1 Ultramagic TEKNO basket must be added to this Flight Manual ...

Page 66: ...Balloons of Type NL STU Issue 2 0 May 10 2019 Page A 1 Appendix Annex 1 Ultramagic TEKNO Basket on request Annex 2 Use of the fabric walled basket on request Annex 3 Handling of gases during operation of balloon type NL STU ...