Flying Events Blog - Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association (Quad A)

Flying Event for September is Sunday

Sep 4, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, Latest Items

It’s the last Flying Event before Balloon Fiesta and we’ll be at Balloon Fiesta Park for this month’s event. With horses, zebras, and a few

August Meeting +

Aug 20, 2023 Cloudbouncer, Education, Flying Events, General Club Business

It’s time for our August meeting, Tuesday, August 22, at 6:30 pm at the Balloon Museum, or on Zoom. Also, the August Cloudbouncer is now

August Update

Aug 17, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

Scores from our August Flying Events and Crew Games are live on the website. And HAPPY HOUR RETURNS! 5-8 pm at Brew Lab 101

July Scores Posted

Jul 9, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events

Scores are posted for the 3rd Annual Cornhole Tournament and Flying Events, although no one but the hare balloon, and the scoring team actually made

July is Flying, Picnic, Ice Cream, and Cornhole

Jul 5, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, Special Events

That’s right! The July Flying Event is jammed packed with other activities. The annual picnic has been combined with the ice cream social. And

June Meeting Reminder

Jun 25, 2023 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

The June meeting is Tuesday, June, 27. 6 pm Social hour, 6:30 pm meeting. The program is the presentation of the Wright Brothers Award to

June Scores Posted

Jun 10, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events

Flying Events and Crew Development held their competition on June 10. Smaller groups than usual for both competitions, but the scores are posted on the

June Update

Jun 5, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

We’re into the month of June and here’s a look ahead at the planned activities. Flying Events – Monthly competition on Saturday, June 10, at the

May Flying Event Canceled

May 12, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events

Due to the expected high winds Saturday morning, the Flying Event and Crew Games have been canceled.

April Meeting Time

Apr 24, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

As usual, our meeting takes place on Tuesday evening, April 25. at 6:30 PM at the Balloon Museum.While the museum is still closed, the opening

April Flying Event Scores Posted

Apr 8, 2023 Flying Events

As the title says, the scores from April have been posted to the website. 45 pilots scanned in. 33 submitted a crew waiver and received

Flying Event is Saturday

Apr 5, 2023 Flying Events

April’s Flying event is Saturday, April 8, 2023, at Westside and 10th, the intersection north of Joe Harris Elementary School in Rio Rancho. Check-in begins

LOA Extended

Apr 2, 2023 Flying Events, General Club Business, Latest Items

AAAA has a “new” Letter of Agreement through March 2024. It’s the same LOA we had before, just different dates. As you may remember, the

February 2023 Meeting and Cloudbouncer Update

Feb 25, 2023 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, General Club Business, Special Events

The February Cloudbouncer is posted for your viewing and downloading pleasure. It’s chock full of articles and candidate bios for our upcoming board election. There’s

Friends and Lovers Competition

Feb 14, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers

The competition is over and the scores posted for both Flying Events and Crew Development. With 85 registered pilots there were a number of scores

Friends and Lovers Update

Feb 7, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

The details are in your Email inbox Wednesday morning! Can’t find it, check it out on the Friends and Lovers Page.

Post Meeting Update

Jan 27, 2023 Cloudbouncer, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, General Club Business, Special Events

The January Cloudbouncer is now online and available for your viewing pleasure or downloading. For those who missed Peter’s presentation on Joe Kittinger, the video

Friends and Lovers Pilot Registration

Jan 16, 2023 Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

Registration is now open for pilot registration for Friends and Lover’s 2023.Regular-size balloon pilots have a registration fee of $45 unless you are a 2023

Friends and Lovers 2023

Jan 15, 2023 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

Yes Virginia, there will be a Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally in 2023. The theme is Loads of Love and the dates are February 11

January 2023 Scores Posted

Jan 14, 2023 Flying Events

The first scores of 2023 are now on the website. 39 pilots scanned in for January’s competition, 12 got close enough to the target to

2023 FAA Waiver for Flying Events

Jan 12, 2023 Flying Events, Latest Items

We now have a waiver from the FAA for our 2023 Flying Events. You can download the entire document in one package. Remember when you

January 2023 Flying Event

Jan 10, 2023 Flying Events

It’s Saturday, January 14, 2023. The first competition of the new year. Points and places have been reset, everyone is tied at 0 for first

Awards Tickets On Sale Now!

Dec 12, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

The competitions are over. The winners have been determined. Now it’s time to celebrate everyone for their participation and a great season of competition both

Jingle Bell Flying Event

Dec 12, 2022 Flying Events, Special Events

The Flying is over, the scores tallied and posted and Jingle Bell is in the books for 2022. With 53 and 42 pilots scanned in

Jingle Bell Time

Dec 9, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, Special Events

It’s Jingle Bell Time in Albuquerque. The AAAA non-rally kicks off Saturday morning with Pilot check-in at 6:30, Briefing at 7 and crew games and

December Update

Dec 4, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

A busy month is on tap, with Jingle Bells, Flying Events and Crew Competition, the AIBF December Sale, Menorah Glow, and plans for the Awards

November Cloudbouncer now available

Nov 28, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

Yep, the November 2022 Cloudbouncer is now available for your viewing pleasure. You can read it online, or download your very own electronic copy. And

FAA Extends Aircraft Registration Period

Nov 22, 2022 Flying Events, General Club Business

The FAA today announced it’s going to extend the time an aircraft registration is valid from 3 years to 7 years. And it’s going to

Check Your Email

Nov 20, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, Special Events

It’s a busy Thanksgiving week for AAAA. An Email was sent this morning (Sunday) with lots of information, including the November General Meeting (Tuesday), preliminary

November Competition

Nov 13, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events

November’s Flying Events Competition found 28 pilots scanning in for a cold morning of flying. William Blizzard was the hare taking to the sky with

New Website Design

Nov 11, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Community Relations, Crew Development, Education, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events, Ways and Means

Coming in just 10 days! November 21, 2022. Mark your calendar to celebrate the new design on Montgolfier Day!

November Competition

Nov 8, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events

It’s Competition Time! Both Flying Events and Crew-Dev will have competitions this weekend. Saturday, Nov 12, in Rio Rancho. Pilot check-in begins at 6:15 with

October Cloudbouncer & November Preview

Nov 1, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

Hey we’re a little late getting this out to you, but the October Cloudbouncer is now available for downloading or reading line. Check out the

September Scores Posted!

Sep 7, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events

The September flying event is already here. Sunday, Sept 11 at Balloon Fiesta Park. Pilot badge scanning/check-in starts at 6:15, briefing and sunrise at 6:45.

August Competition Results

Aug 14, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

The results of this weekend’s Flying Event and 2nd Annual Cornhole Crew Tournament have been posted and overall standings updated. Check them out on their

Competition Time!

Aug 11, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events

It’s time for the competition to heat up to match the temperatures. Flying Events and Crew-D are holding competitions this Saturday, August 13. Check-in begins

July Competition

Jul 10, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events

Flying Events and Crew-D held events on July 11, 2022. Scores are posted to the respective web pages. The gap at the top of Flying

More Action Needed

Jul 10, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Education, Flying Events, General Club Business

There is an update regarding the DRONE proposed FAA Right of Way Rule as pertains to hot air balloons. Due to our members who have

June Update

Jun 11, 2022 Flying Events

We survived the TFR experience and had a great Hare & Hound Flying event. See the scores on the Flying Events Page.

May Flying Event CANCELED!

May 7, 2022 Flying Events

The Mother’s Day Flying Event has been canceled due to the wind forecast. No points for anyone. Enjoy your Mother’s Day!

It’s May!

May 2, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Flying Events, General Club Business

The Cloudbouncer is available for viewing and/or downloading. Sunday is our Monthly Flying Event. It’s also Mother’s Day, so we’ll have carnations for the moms

April Flying and Bunny Butts

Apr 10, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

Saturday, April 9 found AAAA members flying and bouncing bunny butts. Well, not actual bunnies, but ping-pong balls that looked like bunny butts. Check out

Flying and Crew Competition Email sent

Apr 5, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

We just emailed a reminder about this weekend’s flying and crew competition. Didn’t get it? Maybe you didn’t renew? Maybe you didn’t respond to an

AAAA LOA in Effect

Mar 27, 2022 Flying Events, General Club Business

updated 3/28/2022 AAAA has an LOA with ATC regarding Class C airspace. The Final, signed version has been posted. The effective date on the LOA is Monday,

FAA ATC on ABQ LOA

Mar 24, 2022 Flying Events, General Club Business

The FAA and ATC will be presenting on the ABQ LOA via YouTube, not Zoom, on Friday at 1pm MDT. Here’s the direct link to

Good News on the ADS-B Situation

Mar 16, 2022 Flying Events, General Club Business

UPDATED 9 am, 3-23-22 The DRAFT version of the LOA has been posted for your review. There’s good news on the ADS-B situation as the FAA and ATC

New Leader in Flying Events!

Mar 13, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events

There’s a new leader atop the overall Flying Events Standings for 2022. Al Lowenstein with a 3rd place throw takes the top position. Jerry Garcia

March Flying Moved to RR field

Mar 3, 2022 Flying Events

Quick update. March Flying Event moved to the RR field. Sunday, March 13 Sunrise is 7:18, Mountain DAYLIGHT Time Check-in at 6:45, Briefing at 7:15. Don’t forget to Spring

February Meeting Time

Feb 21, 2022 Crew Development, Education, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

Yep, it’s meeting time already! Tuesday, 2/22/22, 6:30 pm at the Balloon Museum, or on Zoom. The program is Kim Vesely taking us on a

Friends and Lovers Wrap-up

Feb 13, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

What a GREAT weekend for the 2022 Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally. Good Scores by both pilots and crew. See the scores and standings on

Friends & Lovers Score!

Feb 12, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

While Mother Nature didn’t cooperate with good flying weather, that didn’t stop crews from putting a ring on it. Today’s crew competition was a ring

Friends and Lovers and Waivers

Feb 9, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

It’s Friends and Lover’s Weekend. Here are a few important reminders. For all the details, head to the Friends and Lovers Page. All pilots must be registered,

Friends and Lovers Just Days Away

Feb 5, 2022 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

Registration for Friends and Lovers closes this Thursday night. Pilots remember you must also have your documents current in AAAA PAD to finalize your registration.

January Meeting and Cloudbouncer

Jan 23, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, General Club Business, Special Events

It’s time for the first meeting of the year. This coming Tuesday, Jan 25, 6:30 at the Balloon Museum. Hear from Zerek Welz and Ray

Renewals and Calendars

Jan 12, 2022 Flying Events, General Club Business

Renewal notices have been mailed and emailed. Didn’t get either? Click here! And the 2022 calendars have been updated for General Meetings, Flying Events, and other committees.

Jan Scores Posted

Jan 8, 2022 Flying Events

The scores, both of them, are posted on the Flying Events page. Ok, everyone that showed up got points in addition to the 2 who

January Flying, Cloudbouncer, Fund raising, Ground Schools and more!

Jan 4, 2022 Cloudbouncer, Education, Flying Events, General Club Business

Wow, do we have a lot of news all of a sudden?! This weekend is the first flying event of the year. Sat, Jan 8,

Winners Identified!

Dec 13, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

Jingle Bell concludes the 2021 competition year and with that, we have winners in both flying and crew competition. Trent Caldwell is your Flying Events Champion

Jingle Bell UPDATE!

Dec 11, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, Special Events

It was great to be inside the Sid on Saturday, but we’re moving on Sunday to the Rio Rancho AAAA Launch Field. Pilot scanning begins

November Flying Results

Nov 14, 2021 Flying Events, Special Events

Even though Mother Nature didn’t cooperate with our November Flying Event, show-up points were awarded and it made some changes in the top 10, not

Tom Fisher Gets Sid Cutter Award

Oct 12, 2021 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Education, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, General Club Business, Special Events

Tom Fisher was recognized at the AIBF Awards Ceremony with the Sid Cutter Award for his outstanding contribution to the sport of hot air ballooning. Tom

September Cloudbouncer online!

Sep 28, 2021 Cloudbouncer, Flying Events, General Club Business

Timely information has just been published online. The September Cloudbouncer is now available. Download it today. and Check out the Safety Corner about Flying in ABQs Class

Calculate Weight and Temp

Aug 28, 2021 Education, Flying Events, General Club Business

Balloon pilots need to be calculating max temperature and lift before each flight. Not only is it important for safe flights, it’s something the FAA

August Event Update

Aug 14, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

Winds kept us from flying balloons, but not from a breakfast of hamburgers and hot dogs, and a Cornhole competition with a sudden-death toss-off. Check the

July Update

Jul 16, 2021 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

July has been and continues to be a busy month for AAAA. Check your email for that latest info about Flying Events, Crew-D, Special Events,

Mid July Updates

Jul 13, 2021 Cloudbouncer, Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

July Flying Event Scores are posted on the Flying Events page. Crew-D July Scores posted on the Crew-D Page. The July Cloudbouncer is available from the Cloudbouncer

It’s a Four for All Sunday!

Jul 8, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, Special Events

This Sunday, July 11, we have a flying event, a Crew-D contest, a Crazy Hat contest, and FREE ICE CREAM!!! Flying is from Balloon Fiesta Park,

What’s the Word Contest

Jul 5, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

‘What’s the Word’ Contest? Create a Safety Legacy to Protect Crew! Leaving the ground outside the basket never ends well. Though universally understood, “Weight off!” has no redundancy or

And the results are in….

Jun 12, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events

28 pilots scanned in, 17 scored and at the top of the heap, Ray Bair with a throw of just 1.98 meters. It’s making for

June Flying and Crew D

Jun 7, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events

It’s June Competition time. Flying Events is Saturday, June 12, Rio Rancho Launch Field. In-person check-in (scanning) and briefing. Registration 0530-0600. Briefing 0600. Crew-D competition is ONLINE.

May Scores Posted

May 12, 2021 Flying Events

May Flying Event Scores are posted. Not that it does much with the competition canceled. But show-up points were awarded and those not in attendance

May Flying

May 4, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events

Mother’s Day and May Flying are back together again this year! Sunday at Balloon Fiesta Park. Members check your email for details. Pilots look for

April Flying and Flinging

Apr 10, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events

Congratulations to Steve Coffing, Sam Parks, and Al Lowenstein for their first, second, and third place, respectively, throws at April’s Flying Event. Twenty-two pilots scanned

Flying & Crew Event on Saturday

Apr 5, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business

Saturday, April 10, 2021, it’s Flying and Flinging. Email sent to all members on Monday evening at 8:40 pm MDT. Read it for how you

Flying and Crew Events this weekend

Mar 10, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events

CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER FORECAST Flying Event-Balloon Fiesta Park Saturday, March 13 Gate Opens at 5:45 am Sunrise at 6:19 am Pilot Zoom Briefing at 6:30 am Competition Window: 6:45 am-8:30

FnL Weekend Update

Feb 13, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

Hey Friends and Lovers… We’re in the middle of the weekend. Flying Events had a great competition this morning, see the results on the Flying Events page,

Email alert!

Feb 11, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events

An e-mail was sent to the entire membership this afternoon (Thursday 2/11/21) announcing this weekend’s Crew Competition. Remember ALL crews can participate, whether your pilot

Registration (Reservation) Now Open

Jan 28, 2021 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

The Friends and Lovers Hot Air Balloon Rally is taking shape a little differently this year. Traditionally, the club has a wonderful weekend of friends, flying,

December Results

Dec 17, 2020 Crew Development, Flying Events, General Club Business, Special Events

December found us without our usual Jingle Bell non-rally, but with a Flying Event and Crew-D competition. Two pilots made it to the target Mike Heffron

September Meeting Notice

Sep 18, 2020 Flying Events, General Club Business

In addition to regular club business, our program will be Ken Tuley talking about the Pilot Aircraft Database (PAD) that he has devised to streamline

July Events, 1-Canceled, 1-Game On!

Jul 8, 2020 Crew Development, Flying Events

As you might have expected we have had to cancel the July 2020 Flying Event due to the ban on mass gatherings, but that’s not

Friends and Lovers Rally 2020 – Love you to the Moon

Jan 29, 2020 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

2020 Schedule of Events Friday, February 7th 5:00 pm – Doors Open for Pilots, Sponsors and Crew. Baggie Drop-Off Opens Brunch Tickets available for Sunday $5/person Dinner Buffet Opens 5:30 pm

2020 Board Meeting Schedule and Flying Events Schedule

Jan 2, 2020 Flying Events, General Club Business

The 2020 Board Meeting schedule can be found at https://hotairballooning.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/AAAA-2020-Board-Meeting-Schedule.pdf The 2020 Flying Events schedule can be found at https://hotairballooning.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-Flying-Events-Schedule.pdf or on the events calendar.

2019 Banquet Tickets now on sale!

Dec 14, 2019 Flying Events, General Club Business

“was a ticket order form”

2019 Jingle Bell (non) Rally

Dec 4, 2019 Crew Development, Flying Events, Special Events

The Jingle Bell event is schedule for December 14. The first 50 pilots to show up will receive a pilot gift. Spectators of all ages

New Green Zone

Sep 30, 2019 Flying Events, General Club Business

The Balloon community are welcome to launch from the horse arena/5 acres anytime throughout the year. The horse arena does not house any horses. This

New PZs

Aug 28, 2019 Flying Events, General Club Business

We have 3 landowners with some serious complaints about low flying balloons. They have reached out to Rainbow Ryders, City Council members, the FAA, and

We have a Waiver!

May 30, 2019 Flying Events

The FAA has issued a Certificate of Waiver for our Flying Events. It’s only in effect for scheduled AAAA Flying Events and only during a

Wind Profiler Back Online!

Apr 3, 2019 Flying Events

The Wind Profiler at Double Eagle Airport is back online! Same URL as before… http://detect.rwp.abq.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com But if you want a shortcut to easily get to the data….

March Flying Event

Mar 1, 2019 Flying Events

Don’t forget to move your clocks forward! March 10thBalloon Fiesta Field 6:45am Registration7:15am Pilot Briefing

Tonight! Balloon Fiesta Field Usage Meeting

Jan 23, 2019 Flying Events, General Club Business

We want to start a new practice here at the Balloon Fiesta Park (BFP). We will be holding yearly, pre-season meetings with the different user

Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally

Jan 15, 2019 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

Love is in the … AIR! Please read entire post for all the dates, times, rules and details about this event. Below is our flyer with all

CANCELLED – January Flying Event

Jan 12, 2019 Flying Events

I’m sure you have all already seen the crummy weather forecasts. Everyone should sleep in and enjoy the likely snow. We look forward to seeing you all next

January Flying Event

Jan 9, 2019 Flying Events

Jan 13th Rio Rancho Launch Field Registration 6:45am Briefing 7:15am If you have a trailer we suggest you enter the field off Northern, on the road that goes along

2019 Board Meeting Schedule and Flying Events Schedule

Jan 7, 2019 Flying Events, General Club Business

The 2019 Board Meeting schedule can be found at https://hotairballooning.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/AAAA-2019-Board-Meeting-Schedule.pdf The 2019 Flying Events schedule can be found at https://hotairballooning.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-Flying-Events-Schedule.pdf or on the events calendar.

2018 AAAA Banquet Tickets

Dec 23, 2018 Flying Events, General Club Business

“was a link to a form”

2019 Friends and Lovers Registration is open!

Nov 20, 2018 Crew Development, Flying Events, Friends and Lovers, Special Events

Registration for the 2019 Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally is now open! It will CLOSE (with no exceptions this year due to the new paperwork

2018 Year End Banquet – January 5th, 2019 @ 6pm

Nov 14, 2018 Flying Events, General Club Business

Banquet tickets are available for purchase at the November 27 AAAA General Meeting (Cash/Credit/Check) or Online (Coming Soon!). Tickets are $20 each or $180 for a 10

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