The Balloon Federation of America has been invited to participate in a hearing by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on December 9, 2016 in regards to the July 30, 2016 hot air balloon accident in Lockhart, Texas.

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On Friday, December 9, 2016 the National Transportation Safety Board held an inquiry regarding the July 30, 2016 balloon accident near Lockhart, Texas. BFA members Sam Parks, Andy Baird, Scott Appelman, Tony Sandlin and Dean Carlton were called to testify during the hearing. Bert Padelt, David Rapp, and Petr Kubicek participated as representatives of Kubicek Balloons. Several members of the Federal Aviation Administration also provided testimony. The BFA was extended the opportunity to be a 'party' to the hearing, meaning the BFA had the opportunity to ask questions of the witnesses.

The hearing was broken into three sections. The first section dealt with operational issues. Witnesses were asked about standard operating procedures of a ride operation, performance differences between large and small balloons, and how weather information impacts pilot decision making.

The second section was dedicated to regulation and oversight. Questions in this panel involved FAA regulations and oversight of balloon operations, the BFA's Best Practices document, and Letters of Authorization. The work of the BFA's Professional Ride Operators was critical in being able to respond to the questioning.

The final panel related to medical factors. Questions in this panel were related to the pilot's medical conditions, the effect of certain medications, and medical certification of pilots.

The NTSB will now complete their investigation and will determine a cause for the accident. They may additionally recommend regulatory changes to the FAA, which is usual in cases such as this. The NTSB indicated completing the investigation could take several more months.

The BFA's Call to Action committee is continuing their work regarding the report submitted to the FAA as well as the Best Practices document for balloon ride operations. We will continue to work together to enhance the safety of our sport and industry.

The NTSB has posted a video of the hearing online. It is accessed at: http://www.capitolconnection.net/capcon/ntsb/ntsb.htm

A number of BFA members were in the audience, and a great number more were watching the live stream. On behalf of the BFA, the members of the BFA Action Plan committee would like to thank our members for their support and advice. It is truly appreciated.

After over 3 years of work, BFA.net has a new look and a whole lot of new functionality!

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We are please to annnouce that we have opened a new online store!  

Now you can purchase BFA merchandise, training materials, logbooks and lots more.

The new store features:

• An on-screen shopping cart
• Integrated credit card payment system (no more PalPal)
• Pay by credit card or by mailing a check
• Open to members and non-members
• Ability to have a different shipping address from billing address
• Ease of operation for the BFA office

Currently all of the products are priced with Free Shipping (US Only).

You can find the link to the BFA store by clicking the HOME button, or by looking under INFORMATION in the menu above.

Or go directly by clicking: BFA STORE