TT A W Y A R O: T PHO Above: Families help launch and safety officials with the flag flown from the Balloon of the Day. • Counseling pilots, including for violations of Balloon The Safety Officers’ job is not all enforcement. Tom Fiesta rules Bueno described the joy the team gets from letting • Making reports on pilots who need further families with young kids help raise the green flag of the counseling day, which indicates that the balloons will be flying soon • Helping to resolve pilot conflicts and that the fun is about to begin. Another satisfying • Monitoring Dawn Patrol, Mass Ascension, and part of this team’s job is helping the Weather and Launch Balloon Glow briefings and alerts Teams have a young balloonist (future pilot) release the • Working with AIBF Pubic Safety officials in liaison and Pi-ball at the morning weather briefing. Tom says the coordination efforts love of ballooning, of the people and camaraderie and • Checking propane refueling activities for safety teamwork of those involved, and the many friendships issues make this an important and return-to job. The Safety • Monitoring on-field and off-field target areas for Team often gets both positive and negative feedback safety issues, such as spectators who may interfere from pilots, spectators and others, making this an with scoring or balloon landings interesting learning experience. Plus, all the other • Patrolling the America’s Challenge gas balloon officials listen to the Safety Team when new ideas and launch area for safety issues and keeping guests out approaches about increasing flight safety arise. of the secured area while the balloons are being filled • Helping to monitor and enforce any safety issues Scoring occurring when balloons land on the field; Chief of Scoring Tammy Luna has an experienced • Monitoring, testing, allocating, and fixing audio group of helpers, including Rita Brennan, Assistant equipment used for inter- and intra-official team Scoring Chief, Mike Gilligan, Chief Scoring Tech, and Jay communications and the scooters officials use to get Luna, Chief of Targets. Although Tammy is not a pilot, around she has decades of working on a chase crew, and 30 • Coordinating, displaying, and updating official maps years as a scoring officer. that alert pilots to sensitive or prohibited areas The “tasks” pilots are asked to complete in • Producing, the pilot safety video and recording competition have varied over the years, but the basic viewership of same as well as completion of required principle always has been for the pilot to fly to a target. pilot documentation as pilots register The target is usually an “X”, but poles, giant playing ® 220 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta