AV Beat - Hot Air Balloons

Most of us have heard it, usually early on a Saturday or Sunday morning. If the wind is low and the temperature right, the intermittent throttling of a hot air balloon burner can be as common in AV neighborhoods as is the flop of the morning paper or the firing of your front yard sprinklers. One of the hot air balloon standard bearers in the area is Don Kissack, the owner and operator of Don’s Early Light.

Kissack is an FAA certified commercial balloon pilot that takes off from various locations in Lancaster just about every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. With his wife Kamma and a hodgepodge of helpful ground crew members, the Kissacks have been in operation locally since 1986.

Don got his start piloting back in 1970, and began ballooning in 1985. “I couldn’t even tell you how many flights I have,” said Kissack, “but I’m well over 1000 hours.”

Hot air ballooning is extremely popular in the AV, in spite of some very special circumstances that can make flight planning a bit difficult. “Ambient air temperature is one of the keys,” explained Kissack. “Colder weather is better, because when it gets hot here in the summer, the max temp we needed to get aloft can be damaging to the balloon fabric.” And, it will be no surprise that wind is a problem as well. “We need winds of 7 or 8 miles per hour or less at sunrise to go,” said Kissack. This combination of wind and temperature limitations means that the ideal balloon season locally is September through January.

Kissack’s rig has three main components; the balloon, the gondola, and the burners. The balloon has a volume of 105,000 cubic feet, which is a little bigger than average. “Balloons are measured by volume, and go from what is known as an AX1 all the way up to AX15,” explained Kissack. “Our balloon is an AX8. The most common size is an AX7.” Balloons are made of either rip stop polyester, like Kissack’s, or rip stop nylon.

Baskets, or gondolas, are sized in proportion to the balloon volume. Kissack can carry up to 6 passengers. Tourist balloons, common in Napa Valley and Temecula, can carry up to 16 passengers in a gondola, but the balloon volumes range up to 210,000 cubic feet.

Balloons larger than 105,000 cubic feet require two burners. “One can be considered a backup,” said Kissack, “but we burn them alternately to keep the fuel balanced.”

Kissack has loyal volunteer ground crew that is always there to help them out, including Bob & Anne Tyszka, Mike Willingham, Mark Oaks and Anya Beswick

Don can be reached at 661-943-7616.