July 12--MIDDLETOWN -- Although dozens of hot air balloons, each carrying propane gas and firing an open flame, soar through the skies of Middletown every year, the Ohio Challenge festival has not seen a single accident in its 11-year history.
That unblemished safety record includes both the balloonists and the skydivers who perform at the annual event, which runs today and Saturday at Smith Park.
In fact, Sean Askren, the Middletown pilot who has been at every one of the festivals, can't recall even something as minor as a rough landing. He ought to know -- he's the liaison to representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, who are on site every year.
"There's a whole bunch of variables. It's kind of hard to describe exactly what goes into making a safe event," Askren said. "It all boils down to the staff and how they react to certain situations. Every event has safety officers, and they're typically balloonists who monitor flights in and out of the airport ... they make sure the crowds are maintained and they stay away from the operational areas."
Safety at aerial shows and festivals was thrust into headlines after a wing walker's plane crashed during the annual Vectren Dayton Air Show last month, killing the stunt performer and the pilot. While organizers of the Dayton air show maintain the event's lowest attendance in recent history wasn't a result of the tragic crash, Paula Hale, the event manager for the Ohio Challenge, said an atmosphere of safety is critical for spectators and accidents can cast a pall over an event.
"Obviously, it would be devastating if we ever had any kind of mishap," Hale said. "We've been blessed because our guys are all professionals. Our hearts go out to everybody (in Dayton)."
First and foremost on the minds of the balloon pilots is something they can't control: The weather.
"Weather is your biggest concern. We have a staff that does an excellent job of checking the weather and making sure everybody has safe conditions," Askren said.
Hot air balloons can't fly if it's raining out. But even if the sun is shining brightly, the balloons won't fly if the winds get too high.
Pilots have different thresholds, but if wind speeds are above 20 miles per hour, in the air or at the surface, there won't be any flights.
"Myself, I have a comfort level maybe a little higher than the next guy ... I've been flying around here long enough that I know the area to realize what my limitations are," Askren said. "Middletown is a pretty wide-open area and we've got a lot of good areas to fly and land, versus a place that's more congested."
Ballooning is a generally safe activity, statistics show. There have only been 760 recorded hot air balloon accidents in the U.S. since 1964, 67 of them fatal, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The last two fatalities -- an Oct. 10 balloon crash in Albuquerque, NM, and a March 2012 accident in Fitzgerald, Ga. -- were both weather related.
The people who jump from a plane flying thousands of feet in the air also have a perfect safety record, said John Hart the founder of Team Fastrax, the skydiving group that falls into the Ohio Challenge each year. The team's safety record applies not only to Middletown, but at all the jumps the skydivers make nationwide.
"The only people who jump at the Ohio Challenge are professionally-rated skydivers," Hart said. "We're constantly going through emergency procedures and what we're supposed to do on the ground. It's a constant reminder for members of the team."
Hart estimates the team has at least 100 hours of safety training annually.
The FAA officials who are on site monitor the operations and the paperwork to make sure pilot credentials and insurance are up to date and that airport operations are following regulations. An "air boss" coordinates between the balloonists and the skydivers, Hart said.
Copyright 2013 - Middletown Journal, Ohio
