This weekend, after 6 years of waiting, my boy and I installed new fuel hoses on our 1995 Firefly balloon. I used it for an advertising tool for my business instead of other forms of advertising. It did work well. Anyway the FAA dictates that every ten years, all fuel hoses need to be replaced as well as all pressure relief valves on the tanks themselves. Bummer, 4 tanks and a 2 burner fuel crossover system. Lots of hoses. The certified hoses were so expensive, its been grounded ever since. Also, the economy wasn't quite what it had been. My kids now, who were little and in strollers ect at the time we flew alot, are all bigger and want to learn to fly. So we raised the money by craigslisting a bunch of stuff we don't use anymore, sort of a money shuffle. It was fun though. We got the hoses changed and the basket and envelope get its annual this week when the guy comes through town.
The next step would be getting "current" and a "biannual flight review" by another commercial pilot. Propane sure went up from years ago. Its like $3.15 a gallon here, used to be $1.69 maybe on a high day. That equates to 1 Ben Franklin every flight
.
Chipping away, getting closer.
Good news for all Shopsmithers who pass through, if all goes well, free flights over the Boise valley this summer. Once airborn, we can discuss that SPT you were going to sell me....
