Balloon Bust?

[Richard Grogan]

Does anyone still have balloon bust contest anymore? We use to have a blast with these in the 70's!! Even the expert stunt guys would compete just to let off steam!!hehe
 

[Ironbomb]

The guys in mid Michigan have one every year, a contest with a ballon bust event. These are from the Lansing Flying Aces club, hope they dont mind if I put some pics up...

These were sent to me by Frank Carlisle, he has all the fun....

Greg

[Joe Messinger]

We have talked about having a balloon bust at Brodak's but after seeing that nice Mustang all smashed up, I'm not so sure I want to do that now!  Does the barrier HAVE to be there?  Seems like it would be hazardous enough just trying to bust the balloons.

I've noticed at Brodak's Fly In the things that draw the most spectators (especially non-fliers) are those events that are just for fun.  Junk yard wars, the mass fly and so on.

Joe

[Leroy Heikes]

The last plane above (the P51) when it came to a stop the engine was still turning over with the prop clicking against the upright. It had lost power and came in for a perfect landing and rolled right into the tower.

Leroy

[Leroy Heikes]

Only two of the airplanes entered hit the tower. The tower is the barrier that you fly over before attacking the balloons. Most of the planes used in busting the balloons are planes someone can afford to loose. I tried it one year with my Brodak 1/2 A wildcat. It just bounced off of the balloons without breaking them, and then it wrapped the lines around the stick holding the balloon. it ended up hanging from the pole with the engine still running. It was a lot of fun.       

Leroy

[Bob Reeves]

We have Balloon bust at two contests each year, our Triathlon around the 4th of July and the Oklahoma Control Line contest last weekend in September. We no longer use a barrier to keep the carnage down but it's still challenging and fun.

[Tom Perry]

As I remember the baloon busts we used an upright outside the circle with a long balsa stick toward the center of the circle .A judge standing near by would ensure you flew over the barrier before attacking the balloons.  If you flew under, or broke the stick, and broke a balloon it didn't count.   

[john e. holliday]

As stated earlier, balloon bust in Tulsa, OK,  Denver, CO and Topeka, KS.  We use no barrier.   The best balloon bust we used to run in KC was when we used the F2C circle.  5 balloons on the circle perimeter.  Take off and fly 7 laps for speed timing.  Then it was break the balloons by passing over the first balloons and breaking last in line.  Speed times total number of balloons broke decided winner.  2 balloons at 90 MPH would get beat by 3 balloons at 70 MPH.  Anyway balloon bust is a spectators event.   DOC Holliday

[Richard Grogan]

IIRC, after the barrier, the tallest balloon was first, and the next four got progressivly shorter, with the last one being the lowest height and highest point. Is that correct?

[Phil Coopy]

Used to have them in the '60s after the stunt contests.  We all brought a junker for them.  Baloons 1-3 were progressively lower, 4 and 5 had a 4x8 sheet of plywood stand ing on end between them. Lotsa fun!

Phil

[James Lee]

Maybe Elwynn can post a pic of my old gyro.... (Otto the Gyro by Dick Mathis)  Won its first Balloon Bust contest in KC in 1975...  Still going....   Fourth rotor and third motor, finally broke down and replaced the tires last year...   
Best Balloon bust I ever saw was the Des Moines contest many years ago with the balloon an a turn-a -round..  One balloon at a time but there were two planes in the circle...  Sorta combat bust...  Was  a HOOT!!!  Poor ole gyro would be lined up and a combat plane would swoop down at Mach 3 and whack the balloon...  Of course the gyro is going about Mach 0.02       Todd and I used to share it...     There were some 'discussions' about who got to use it first!!
Jim

[Lane Puckett]

I loved flying balloon bust in the '70s.  We flew WAM rules which were generally(as I remember).

Fly level above the balloon two laps then drop down and try and pop the balloon.  Hit it or knock it out and you went up for two laps then back down.  No barrier.  If you missed it you just kept it level until you hit or broke the stick.


Or.
You could hit it once then fly a lap upright then one inverted to hit the balloon.  Gave you a chance at more passes because you didn't have to make two laps between hits.

Ringmaster with a shutoff, ST G21 40, take the outer rib of each wing off.  Great combination.  Stable, pointable, fast, hand launch.

[Wynn Robins]

A bi-slob would make this event TOO easy...... ...might have to try that one...HA HA

[Joe Gilbert]

I used a Bi-Slob in OK city one time it did work OK . They are just plane fun.

[Elwyn Aud]

Maybe Elwynn can post a pic of my old gyro.... (Otto the Gyro by Dick Mathis)

Here's two from the 2006 Gluedobber Contest. The shutter speed was too slow or the focus was bit off, but the timing was good. (Maybe it's getting so beat up it just looks a little fuzzy all the time.  ) Check out the curve in the dowel rod in the near miss!

[Tom Niebuhr]

I stopped flying baloon bust when the barrier disappeared.  Just isn't as much of a challenge just flying level.

Ed Elasick used a Guillows Trainer, I had a profile Bipe... we use to take 1st & 2nd almost all the time.

[john e. holliday]

Our barrier is the balloons you have to pass over to get the last one in line.  DOC Holliday

[Paul Smith]

Running a good balloon bust event is not easy or cheap.  It's quite labor-intensive to run a good contest and clean up the mess.

The Lansing Flying Aces of Lansing, Michigan run a good, by-the-book balloon bust at their annual contest. 

It's the last event of the day and they actually have fans who look forward to attending.

[W.D. Roland]

Hi Richard!
are you still a flight streak?

i flew ballon bust once in late 60s
tower was i think 2 peices of 1/2sq balsa tapped togather and then taped to a stake that only stuk above ground a few inches?
4-5 ballons on 1/4sq?-closest to tower were lowest?
had to pop in order and only one a lap?
verry hard to do--i didnt do verry good
my mom was cd and i remember her yelling at me for not doing it right!

David