Craft Name: BubbleGum Bo
Model: Home Built Experimental
43,000 Cu. Ft.
Reg:
Craft Name: Oscar
Model: Home Built Experimental
82,000 Cu. Ft.
Reg:
David W. Koenig
- Commercial pilot with over 900 hours in hot air balloons.
- Solo flight
was in 1981.
- Second flight in my 1st balloon landed within a block of the Gulf
of Mexico in Pass Christian, MS.
-
Highest flight in a balloon was 14,000 ft over El Campo, Texas.
-
Fastest flight was 40 miles from Lafayette, LA to Geyudan, LA in
56 min.
-
Longest flight over water was from Galveston Island across
West Galveston Bay to Hitchcock, TX.
-
Closest approach to a military aircraft in flight was over NAS Jacksonville 1000 feet above an F/A-18
Hornet on take-off.
-
1st carrier landing (employing water as a speed
brake for a shore landing) was at Possum Kingdom, TX with 18 knots
forward speed.
-
Flight with the fewest landing spots, Macon, GA.
-
Winner of the 2nd annual Lake Texoma alligator shoot out.
-
Founder of the Dickinson (TX) Independent Balloon Society (DIBS) where the president
is the one who brings the beer.
-
Taught Phil McNutt how to land at
Winn Dixie.
-
Have yet to catch a fish from a balloon, but have tried
countless times.
-
Most fun balloon event ever attended was Brain Boland's
get together in Post Mills, VT.
-
First balloon was a Barnes 6B called
"Windwalker", second balloon was a Cameron Viva 77 named "Bubba Gumbo",
third and final "store-bought" balloon was a T&C 90 named "Bubba Gumbo
Deaux".
-
Current balloons are a 43 K ft3 hang rig balloon "BubbleGum
Bo" and an 82 K ft3 basket balloon "Oscar".
- Both balloons are homebuilt
experimentals. Each balloon took about 200 hours of cutting and sewing
to complete.
-
The envelopes for each are a Justin Smalley design with
a T-3 burner.
-
The hang rig utilizes a 20gallon Raven lay-down tank
as the "basket".
-
The 82K balloon incorporates a modified Raven Rally
basket.
-
My wife Tracey has crewed for 25 years did her solo flight
in 1991. My son Patrick has crewed for 12 years and my son Evan for
7.
-
Tracey's favorite balloon flight was 35 min of basket in the water
at Lake Okatibbee (MS) touching envelopes with Doc Shannon in "Bluloon".
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Dave
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