Balloon bust

[bob whitney]

what are the rules for Balloon bust ??i cant seem to get into rules on AMA site

[Steve Dwyer]

Bob,

 I'm not aware of any designated guidelines anywhere, but we had "one" last year as part of a CL demonstration at an RC show. Someone suggested you are supposed to drop in before the last balloon to pick it off followed with doing the same each time you come around until all are gone. Someone also said there was supposed to be some magical distance between each balloon we had no idea of.

Of course our assigned "balloon buster" decided to take them all down in one pass. The crowd was amused but we were disappointed he displayed such minimal skill. Perhaps next year we'll do better but I'm not volunteering to blow them up again.

Steve

[Brett Buck]

what are the rules for Balloon bust ??i cant seem to get into rules on AMA site

  CL Special Events/Dive Bombing and Strafing:

https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/CL%20Special%20Events%202022-2023.pdf

   Having witnessed this on several occasions, don't bother inflating more than 6 ballons, because they are in no significant danger. But bring a lot of Hot Stuff and packing tape!

   I liked WAM ballon bust a lot better, at least something happens.

    Brett

[Dave_Trible]

It hasn't been flown much in the midwest for quite a while.  The last contest I remember was at Topeka about five years ago.  They used the four balloons on sticks spaced about 20 feet or so apart.  Fastest time for four balloons in reverse order-flying over all but the last ballon then diving on that last balloon.  Many times two or three would be all anyone would get.  In yesteryear contests in KC we used a 'balloon tree' which was a rotating wood cross-like a four blade prop laying horizontally and being spun by an operator.  Each arm of about 3-4 feet in length would hold a stick and balloon.  Again fastest time for four balloons.  There was no barrier to dive over.  These were usually won by fast Flite Streak slow combat jobs.  Don't really know why it isn't done much any more.  It was popular and most everyone entered,  even with an old beater.

Dave

[Dan McEntee]

  CL Special Events/Dive Bombing and Strafing:

https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/CL%20Special%20Events%202022-2023.pdf

   Having witnessed this on several occasions, don't bother inflating more than 6 ballons, because they are in no significant danger. But bring a lot of Hot Stuff and packing tape!

   I liked WAM ballon bust a lot better, at least something happens.

    Brett

    Balloon bust varies from club to club. I have flown it a lot at several venues and was always different. I never flew one per the AMA rules book. Our club, the Lafayette Esquadrile, used to have 6 or 8 balloons on sticks of varying height spread out over about 1/4 lap. Balloons started out at about 36" high to about 12 " high for the last one. Points went up as the balloon got lower. The flight had a 5 minute time limit, and started with engine dead, and a 3-2-1-GO start. The first 6 or 7 laps are timed for speed, using typical speed charts and 60 ft. lines. After that, it's pop as many balloons as fast as you could, and if you got them all before the 5 minutes was up, there was a bonus of some kind. A knocked down balloon was out of play. If you crashed and could restart and get airborne, that was allowed. Kind of involved but fun when I was younger!!

   The Lafayette Esquadrile has the equipment from the old WAM contests now. Jason Pearson's dad donated it to the club and that is what we have been using for quite a while when ever we fly balloon bust. It is a pretty well thought out, engineered and executed set up. Only one balloon is presented for bursting at a time. There is a turntable arrangement where once a balloon is broken, the mechanism is pivoted and a new balloon is presented. The pilot is required to climb to 45 degrees for two laps for safety while te balloon change takes place, then resume the attack. I think there is a 6 minute time limit and is a dead engine start also, I believe. There may have been more to it when WAM did it because Jason had some really different looking models built just for the event that had short stubby wings and was ST.60 powered!! The neatest part of the equipment is the built in manual air pump  for blowing up the balloons. It has a handle that looks like a typical tire pump, but would pump air on both the up and down stroke. You can blow up a balloon in a blink of an eye and not break a sweat!  And a place to store sticks. It all breaks down for easier storage.

    Jim Lee has a variation also, but I'm foggy on the rules. it may have been similar to ours, with balloons going down in height, but you have to bust them in reverse order, and no speed score involved. Jim used to use an old autogyro for the event!! . I'm sure there are many others  out there also. It's a fun event, just too physical for me now!!

    Type at you later,
     Dan McEntee

[Brett Buck]

   The Lafayette Esquadrile has the equipment from the old WAM contests now. Jason Pearson's dad donated it to the club and that is what we have been using for quite a while when ever we fly balloon bust. It is a pretty well thought out, engineered and executed set up. Only one balloon is presented for bursting at a time. There is a turntable arrangement where once a balloon is broken, the mechanism is pivoted and a new balloon is presented. The pilot is required to climb to 45 degrees for two laps for safety while te balloon change takes place, then resume the attack. I think there is a 6 minute time limit and is a dead engine start also, I believe. There may have been more to it when WAM did it because Jason had some really different looking models built just for the event that had short stubby wings and was ST.60 powered!! The neatest part of the equipment is the built in manual air pump  for blowing up the balloons. It has a handle that looks like a typical tire pump, but would pump air on both the up and down stroke. You can blow up a balloon in a blink of an eye and not break a sweat!  And a place to store sticks. It all breaks down for easier storage.

   In WAM, it was hugely popular, with typically 30-40 entrants, went on all day. It was scored as a combination of speed and balloons hit. There were definitely specialty models for it, very short wings, very long tail, and some pretty hot-rod engines like rear-intake K&Bs and the like. Most of the models looked like slow rat planes with extended tails.

   Rear intake was preferred because it was less likely to get cut off by stray rubber sheets. Front-intake engines had big deflectors in front of the venturi. No maneuverability was required.

    There were a few real experts, and it was a highly-technical event, with very well-developed models.

      AMA/barrier-pole ballon bust as described above is a completely different event, and in every case I saw, turned into a goofy trash-can special and the balloons were generally quite safe, can't say the same for the airplanes.

     Brett

[Leonard Bourel]

In Canada We have a standard set of balloon bust rules. We flew the event for many years at our contests and because I was the young guy It was usually my job to run it You can check out our rules by googling Maac controlline competition rules Balloon bust Check it out You need at least 100 quarter x quarter x36 inch sticks masking tape Party balloon blowers are a good idea or people with lots of hot air 

[Dan McEntee]

   In WAM, it was hugely popular, with typically 30-40 entrants, went on all day. It was scored as a combination of speed and balloons hit. There were definitely specialty models for it, very short wings, very long tail, and some pretty hot-rod engines like rear-intake K&Bs and the like. Most of the models looked like slow rat planes with extended tails.

   Rear intake was preferred because it was less likely to get cut off by stray rubber sheets. Front-intake engines had big deflectors in front of the venturi. No maneuverability was required.

    There were a few real experts, and it was a highly-technical event, with very well-developed models.

      AMA/barrier-pole ballon bust as described above is a completely different event, and in every case I saw, turned into a goofy trash-can special and the balloons were generally quite safe, can't say the same for the airplanes.

     Brett

     I didn't get to really check out Jason's model very close, but I'm pretty sure it was an ST.60 of some flavor, and may have had a throttle??? Just not sure. I'll have to ask Joe about that if he comes to Buder in the future. Sometimes Jason's Dad Joe , Jason's Mom, and Jason's widow Angie come up to Buder to watch and hang out  and always great to see them. We sure do miss Jason! A very unique person!!

   The physics of what happens to a balloon when it bursts is amazing, and what happens to the "shrapnel" and where it goes is astounding. I wish I could count the number of times I popped a balloon, had the balloon go completely around the prop, wrap itself around the engine just behind the prop drive hub, and stall the engine!!  One of those things that if you NEEDED to do it on purpose, you could never do it but I have had it happen on successive flight after restarting and getting airborne again!

  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Steve Helmick]

In Canada We have a standard set of balloon bust rules. We flew the event for many years at our contests and because I was the young guy It was usually my job to run it You can check out our rules by googling Maac controlline competition rules Balloon bust Check it out You need at least 100 quarter x quarter x36 inch sticks masking tape Party balloon blowers are a good idea or people with lots of hot air 

Good Lord, with the current price of balsa, 100 ea. 1/4 square x 36" sticks would cost a fortune! Not to mention that 'penny balloons' are probably 10 cents now. We've got club members capable of blowing up lots of balloons, though.  Steve

[Leonard Bourel]

Spruce sticks or pine sticks work fine as well and work better on windy days I realize I miss this fun and may have to see if there is any interest among our guys in having it again the best thing is everyone who can fly control line can fly

[Dan McEntee]

Spruce sticks or pine sticks work fine as well and work better on windy days I realize I miss this fun and may have to see if there is any interest among our guys in having it again the best thing is everyone who can fly control line can fly

   Yeah, any kind of scrap wood ripped into 1/4" squares and whatever length you require. By the time the wood gets passed through a circular saw a few times to get that small cross section, they become pretty weak and break easy. Save any broken sticks for any lower to the ground ballons if still long enough.

 Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Steven Kientz]

We tried helium balloons on string, it was a hoot. Well at least for me, my plane came home in one piece.

[Bernard Suhamski]

Ok Guys, I will be the EVENT DIRECTER for Balloon Bust at BRODAK..... Here are the rules , plane has to take off the ground, it can be any size flown on sixty foot lines +/- 1ft.... the duration of the flight is upright  and counterclockwise no higher then 25ft...... your first seven laps are timed to establish your speed , after that you are allowed 5 attempts to attack and break the balloons..... there is a 12 foot pole before the balloons that you fly over then dive at the balloons, the balloons are on 3 ft thin wooden dowels...... 1st balloon is 15 ft from the pole, 2nd is 10 ft from the first, 3rd is 10 from 2nd , 4th is 10 ft from the 3rd, the last one is 10 ft from the 4th.....the balloons point values are 10,8,6,4,2, ...... your score is your speed X your points....... if you crash you get a zero..... you raise your hand and the next lap will be an attempt at the balloons, you can take laps between attempts if you like, but you must raise your hand before an attempt, also you don't have to take all five attempts..... It is actually a very simple event and anyone that can fly in a circle has a chance to win....I HOPE TO GET A NICE TURNOUT FOR THE EVENT!!!!!!

[Bernard Suhamski]

 Oh, I forgot, you can NOT use a throttle control, or a bi-slob...... Some of you guys are pretty tricky!!!!! LOL........

[Clint Ormosen]

I predict a bunch of broken airplanes but very few broken balloons. 

[bob whitney]

what day will this be

[Douglas Bykoff]

On a certain weekend here in Brazil, a bunch of bored teenagers and some kids decided to play balloon popping.

In a short time it became boring and the difficulties were being increased. Burst in looping, if he lost the balloon he could re-attack in looping or in a Cuban figure eight. 

Result? The balloons had a big victory and a lot o propellers and 5 broken models but The.most important:  6 kids has a very nice day.

Memories of a lost era that never comes back, when children and teenagers fly controline just for Fun.

[Fred Cronenwett]

This is how we do Balloon bust in St Louis - fast forward to 4:25 to the balloon bust