Please contact the Atlantic International Balloon Fiesta to volunteer email fiesta
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.
TO CREW OR NOT TO CREW?
What is a chase crew and what do they do?
If you love to watch the balloons inflate, take flight, and to CAREFULLY chase them across the countryside to land wherever the gentle breezes take them; then being part of a chase crew is for you. It’s three 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.
*Pilots and Chase Crews MUST respect landowners fields...and MUST stop and ask permission and directions and best approach to get to balloon.
Is crewing an easy job? The crew is responsible for helping the pilot prepare for the flight. They help to setup the equipment by unloading everything from the trailer. They then roll out the envelope and lay the basket on its side. The propane tanks and burner are attached. A couple of members of the crew hold open the envelope while it fills with cold air (from a large fan). Once inflated enough with cold air they hold the skirt(base of the envelope) open as the burner is used to heat the air. While all of this is happening a crew member is holding onto the rope that is connected to the top of the balloon. This persons job is to provide weight so that the balloon doesn't pop up too quickly. Weight is provide by the crew to the basked before launch. They then follow the balloon on the ground and communicate with the pilot to ensure a safe landing. It is hard work, but extremely rewarding. Best of all, there is always the chance that the pilot has room and says “Hop in!”.
The pilot and crew relationship is vital to a safe flight. All members move in the same direction, especially after they are briefed by the pilot on flight objectives. A good inflation and safe flight is not luck, but a well planned operation that includes all members of the team.
The ground crew prepares the balloon for its flight. Every pilot has preferences for preflight procedures and must thoroughly instruct the crew before inflation.
Some pilots will name an experienced handler their Crew Chief (CC) to facilitate communications and task distribution. The ground crew is also the chase crew.
The chase vehicle and crew are extremely important to a balloon’s safe landing. That is the general crew’s goal and sometimes extremely difficult to achieve. The chase crews primary job is to arrive at the projected landing site as fast as possible. The crew, pilot, and passengers must then deflate the balloon, fold it, and pack it back into its container. The gondola, burners, and envelope are then loaded aboard the chase vehicle for the return to launch site. All this must be done according to the manufacturer’s recommendation to ensure that the balloon will be in an airworthy condition for the next flight.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS THAT HAVE HELPED MAKE THIS WEEKEND THE SUCCESS IT HAS BEEN FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS AND THE FUTURE YEARS TO COME. YOUR DEDICATION AND HARD WORK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED.
WE APOLOGIZE IF WE HAVE MISSED YOUR NAME...please give it to your crew leader.
KERI WALKER-MARR
PAUL MARR
HUGH DOHERTY
ARLENE DALTON
MIKE & LINDA BAILEY
JASON & CHERYL THORNE
KATHERINE STEWART-BAILEY
GERALD, KATHY SHANNON, ALEX MACLEOD
IAN, SUSAN, IAN ALEX MCLEOD
JOHN & MURIAL GILBERT
JUSTIN MCKNIGHT
MISSY SNYDER
CLAUDE, CAROLYN ,DONALD ,MICHAEL LEBLANC
RYAN COLWELL
SARAH MANNING
JIM,LINDA,SHAWN, KELLY CARTER
BARB,HARRY BEERS
ELZABETH & BRYAN,BRIANNA VIRTUE
PETER, STEPHANIE DEGRAFF
DARLENE BONNELL
DONNA KAYE
RAYMOND KEIRSTEAD
ROB ARMSTRONG
PATRICIA RODINE
TOM MURRAY
REID SANFORD
NANCY ROBERTSON-STEVENS
BETH & BRYANT BROWN
DARRELYNN SNIDER
JEFF, SHARON,ZACH & LAUREN BRANSCOMBE
TAMMY HAY
NATHANIEL HAY
SCOTT, JOAN, ANDREW ROSS
GEORGE PAULIN
RUTH STANLEY
PEGGY BARTON
BILL, SUE,ASHLEY, NICHOLAS SOMMERS
BARRY SNIDERBAILEY FULFORD
ALANNAH SCOT
JENNIFER, RANDY HALL
DAVE DEMERCHANT
JOHN, LISA CLARK
SHARON, HILLARY TAYLOR
MARILYN MERCER,
TERRY SOUCY
COLLEEN LEWIS
JOYCE S-WIGGINS
FAITH ANDERSON-BOBBIT
JEANNETTE JONAH
BRAD ARMSTRONG
SALLY COLPITTS
ROCKY PRICE
DAVE ARSENAULT
BRODY JACKSON
JEREMY MCFARLANE
JOHN, LISA CLARK
JOLENE & DAVE
JEANNETTE JONAH
BLAINE FRIARS
CINDY CAMPBELL
NICKI STEEVES
KAREN STEEVES
WAYNE LAVALLEE
BRETT ROGERS
JAYME MILLER
JOY YOUNG
BRIAN YOUNG
CHET O’LESKY
ANDREW MOSS
ED, CONNIE ARMSTRONG
STACEY, TRACY & PAT HOWE
TANYA GRAHAM
MARTY CAMERON
GREG HOMENICK
BARB ROBINS
CASSIE LAURENT
BILL ANDERSON
PAT ANDERSON
GREG DALLING
DAVE ARSENAULT
LESLIE MANION
LORNA WITTMAN
LAURA BAVERMAN
GREG,ALLY FRAN STEWART
LIZ ROGERS
SUSAN SHIPPEE
PENELOPE BARKSDALE
LAURA BUSH
LISA CRITES
KAREN ROBITALLE
MIKE ,DEIDRE NEWTON
CHARLIE, VICKI KEITH
SHELIA, KEVIN FEILDING
DAWN PINEALL
PAT, KARL NIGHTINGALE
IAN, ANDREA STEWART
PASQUALE LECHANCE,FELIX COTE
BILL HOWARD
YVES, LUCIE LEBLANC
DIANE CASUALT
DANA HATHAM
PIERRE BOURGEAS
NICOLE HUAT
LINE TREPANIER
Information Booth Volunteers
Lorna Anderson
Susan Friars
Linda Hunt
Carol Jeffrey
Faye Read
Norma Byers
Minnie McLeod
Mary Lou Fulfold
Sheila Cameron
Marilyn Horton
Colleen McNeil
Penny Kelly
Caroline McLeod
Shirley Cox
Mary Doherty
Donna Faris
Madeline Currie
Myra Osbourne
Catherine Gionet
Lois Paris
Wendy Northrup
Barb Finnis
Arlean Beach
Alaine Rankin
Lori Williams
Julie Armstrong
