"Happy Valentines Day!

Looks like we will fly at midnight from Minot or Grand Forks, ND on Friday.  The location will depend on the path taken by the approaching high pressure system.

Temperatures look gloriously COLD, between -5F and -25F so get your mittens ready and find someone to shovel your snow on Thursday AM here in Omaha.

If the flight is from Minot, we would leave Blair at noon on Wednesday, (tomorrow).   If the flight is from Grand Forks, we would leave at 7AM Thursday.

More Later,

Rich J."

February 13, 2006 - We are back to level 2 tonight as the weather condition in ND did not warrant the crew taking off work and a 12 hour trip for an iffy situation.  At this time, conditions for a flight from SD on Saturday remain possible.  Should a trip to South Dakota become feasible, the crew would be leaving Friday morning.

February 13, 2006 at 4:30 p.m., Rich called his command center to put the crew and alternate crew on a level 4 alert.

There is a chance the weather at Grand Forks, ND may suit our purpose and launch at 0230 AM Wednesday, February 15th.  The landing may be in Iowa before sunset 1751 on Wednesday, February 15th.  "Lou and I will confer this evening and provide an update. We would need to leave Blair at 0700 Tuesday mourning." The crew can expect a wake up call between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Hopefully this one will work. Our next opportunity is Saturday from SD.

We could move through or skip the higher levels, so please be available in the next few hours and days for updates and sudden changes in schedule.  Updates will be made as quickly as possible.

Feb. 10, 2006 - We are still waiting for the first colder & calmer opportunity to put Adventure into the air.  Lou thinks that there's a good system coming sometime between February 17 - 19th.  There is definitely no weather for us to fly in this weekend unless you have a jet like Steve Fossett's.  Be patient, we will have our chance." - Rich Jaworski

Jan. 7, 2006 - Omaha, NE  Media event/tethered flight is scheduled for 0830 Saturday, January 7, 2006 at Lake Zorinsky in Omaha.  (Pilot and crew to arrive at 0730. Use the 156th & F Street entrance.)  Although Rich had hoped for a 5- to 7-hour flight starting from Blair in the early hours of this morning, forecast strong winds blowing toward Eppley just above the surface, and temperatures rising into the 50s, force a postponement of the next free-flight performance test.

If/when cooler weather returns, we can look forward to an early morning launch to practice night inflation, launch, and flight procedures, setting down an empty tank during flight, and test harness comfort enhancements made since the last flight.

Dec. 17, 2005 - Blair, NE Adventure of the Heart's Maiden Flight Completed - Rich reports some lost feathers out of the down suit during landing but everything came through the 2 hour 55 minute, 44 mile flight unruffled. The balloon system performance met or exceeded expectations.  Rich extends his thanks to Orv Olivier and Sean Kelly for getting him through Eppley Airfield airspace.

Rich shared these impressions of the first flight: "This flight involved more speed and distance than was expected.  It was a surprise to find myself going 18 mph within the first minute.  Flying with speed in a harness makes you appreciate the protection provided by the basket and burner support.  Not being able to see where the balloon is going when facing backwards with no capability to rotate the system is also concerning.  Being dragged thirty feet across a frozen, tilled bean field and tangled so tightly in the suspension system it takes ten minutes to wiggle out. . . Priceless!"

Click here for photos of Adventure's maiden flight.

Dec. 12, 2005 - Omaha, NE  Maiden flight of Adventure. At 8:05 PM CST, pilot Rich Jaworski lifted off in Adventure's first ascension, a tethered inflation at Lake Zorinsky Park. This evening was an opportunity to test inflation procedures, rigging, handling, and deflation.

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