Take a look at this

[treemandan]

This was what i got my wife for Christmas and we finally went a couple of weeks ago

 

[treemandan]

Now listen to this

I just was told that the pilot of that ballon on that day, Earl, is DEAD. And not very nicely at all.
He was incinerated last night when, after an emergency landing, the tanks blew leaving 7 passeangers hurt pretty bad and Earl...

I met Earl a few times, he was an older gentleman around 60 and had been flying for a long time. He was nice, he was gentle, he was safe. We had attempted flights before ours but he had been leary of the weather before.
My tears flow with anyone who has ever met this man as with his family.

The story at nbc10.com.

 

[yooper]

wow cool.........hurd about the story on the news, "man" Im glad you wernt on that trip...but still an unforgetable "trip" for xmas ya had I bet even in the summer...lucky wife.

 

[Ghillie]

My prayers go out to his family and to the injured passengers.

 

[gdb]

Very sad. Take a little comfort in the fact that he went while doing the thing that he loved doing. gdb

 

[treemandan]

I read about that balloon accident this morning. Sorry to hear about your friend.

The article said that a gas line had come loose and was ignited by the burner.

http://delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080908/NEWS/80908008/-1/updates

I can not beleive the lack of saftey devices on these things. No, sheild for the burner so the flame is right above your head, and get close to the balloon( very nerve racking). The tank set up is nothing more than what I have on my grill . The sqirrels eat my gas hose on it and it was blowing up my shorts when I was trying to lite it.
Here, Earl is standing to the left of my as I take a pic

When he first hit the trigger I thought " Goodbye world"

This is a more typicall landing

 

[treemandan]

Earl knew a lot of people, alot of people knew Earl. I imagine a lot goes through your mind when you find yourself in his last position, I think one of his thoughts was that the 7 others got out alive, I like to think that was what comforted him as ...

 

[Ghillie]

Earl knew a lot of people, alot of people knew Earl. I imagine a lot goes through your mind when you find yourself in his last position, I think one of his thoughts was that the 7 others got out alive, I like to think that was what comforted him as ...

That was my first thought as I read the story.... Sometimes a person commits to making a bad situation better (or at least not any worse) without thinking of himself.... Ultimate sacrifice.