This week, aviation lost one it’s finest, Chuck O’Neil. I knew Chuck as the station chief for the Albany office of the Federal Aviation Administration (GADO). First and foremost, Chuck was a pilot who loved flying, and secondly was a respected government administrator. I got to know Chuck through my early work in the mid ’70s with a fledgling Adirondack Balloon Festival. In 1975, we moved the balloon festival from the local college to the airport, plus added an airshow to the billing. Using the airport and having an airshow added immensely to our organizational headaches. Chuck was my go-to-guy in clearing many of the regulatory hurdles for putting on this show, and many times later in my hot air ballooning career with some of the publicity stunts we were doing with balloons back in the late 70′s and early 80′s. The usual joke about the government and it’s employees is, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”. Well, usually this makes people run the other way, especially when it’s a regulatory agency like the FAA, but for Chuck, he was one who was truly here to help. One of my favorite Chuck O’Neil stories, and there are many, was from when Chuck was working out of the Buffalo regional GADO office for the FAA in the early 70s when he got a request to do a certification flight for a student pilot for an early balloonist, Walt Thompson, who was in the southern tier of NY. Well, never having a request like this before and since nobody in the office knew anything about hot air balloons, Chuck contacted the eastern regional office at JFK on Long Island for guidance. They knew nothing and contacted the national. The guidance that Chuck ended up getting was, first, don’t get in the basket with him, stay on the ground. Have the student take off and land the balloon. and if he bounces more than 3 times, flunk him! Well, Chuck being Chuck would have none of that. He went on and got a rating to fly balloons himself from a guy named Bill Meadows who operated an early flight school down in North Carolina for hot air balloons. So Chuck became the FAA’s expert and spokesman for hot air balloon matters. Thanks for everything Chuck, you were a great friend and are truly missed.
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Archive for the ‘Stuff’ CategoryChuck O’NeilFriday, July 2nd, 2010Stuff Part IISunday, May 9th, 2010Last post, I talked about possibly not putting our 8 passenger balloon into service this year. In case you were wondering, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to be flying passengers this year, just not big balloon rides. I also have my smaller and newer 4 passenger Peacock VIII that gets used for our Private rides and rides with small parties sharing the flight.  Peacock VIII last fall  A engagement last spring on a Private Flight in Peacock VIII  A shared ride in Peacock VIII last year StuffSunday, May 9th, 2010Way to windy to do any Mother’s Day flights, and cold – brrr. Tomorrow off to Stumpf Balloons w/Baker to annual the big 175 eight passenger balloon, Peacock VII. Originally, I wasn’t going to put it in service this year and sell it on the used market. Last year we only flew it 6 times, not worth the expense of insuring and maintenance. But, this year, business appears to be picking up over this time last year. The economy had some effect on demand during our 2009 flight season, but the weather (rain) had more. It basically rained more than it didn’t, especially on weekends, starting right after last Memorial Day weekend right through October, with only short flying windows and soggy fields between the showers. So, we’re hopeful for 2010.  Peacock VII  A Shared Group ride last fall in Peacock VII Trip Down Memory LaneFriday, April 30th, 2010I’m just back from a quick trip out to Elkhart Indiana to meet up with my bro Dick, who flew-in from Vero Beach FL, for a visit with our Aunt Joan and Uncle Dean. They are the last of our family on my father’s side who are “living in the country” where our Jackson family comes from. Elkhart is where we first lived before the fam moved to upstate New York. It was a fun trip for us to visit with our Aunt and Uncle, revisit what’s left of the old places and relive the early days.  Ran into buddy Skip Dickstein, who was on his way to photo shoot the Kentucky Derby for Blood Horse Magazine. We shared the ride on SouthWest to Chicago.  Leaving Albany in the rain  Above the weather  Coming into Chicago  Taxiing-in at Midway Airport  Picked-up the rental and on the road to Elkhart - god, the mid-west is flat!  With Aunt Joan, their daughter Sharon, Uncle Dean and me at their current place  The fam's original digs in Elkhart before moving to NY.  The grandparent's place on Laurel that was just a little down the street from our place. It's no longer the place that I remember as a child, and I have no recollection of our first place on Laurel.  Joan and Dean's old place on Beardsley still looks good.  The Main St bridge over the St Joe River into downtown Elkhart.  After moving to NY, my bro and I would spend our summers back in Elkhart with our Granparents, and Aunt Joan and Dean. Our parents would put us on the train at Schenectady NY, and give a Porter some $ to see that we got off the train ok at Elkhart. The New York Central's 20th Centry Limited would go right through Elkhart on it's way to Chicago. This pic is the old Elkhart train station that our Granparents, or Aunt and Unc would get us off the train.  A model of the 20th Century Limited we rode to Elkhart in the railroad museum at Elkhart Depo  Museum rolling stock similar to what we rode to Elkhart from Schenectady NY  What a train dinning car looked like, except that back in-the-day, it was very plush with fine china service, heavy silverware. A big treat was oatmeal and cream served in the dinning car for breakfast.  Northern Indiana Iron and Brass Co. that was started by my granfather, Laz Jackson, and Casper Sweitzer back in the 1920s.  This is the original NIBCO on Plum and Mishawaka that my gran built  The original, original part of Nibco that my granfather built brick by brick as my Aunt described.  Bro Dick and I in Harry Caray's Restaurant at Midway Airport waiting to fly out. Harry Caray was the Chicago Cub's announcer who was famous for his rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch. Safety SeminarSunday, April 18th, 2010Yesterday was safety seminar day down in Saratoga Springs for hot air balloon pilots from the northeast. It was a good event, hosted by a group of local flyers who did a great job of organizing an good group of speakers with timely and interesting topics.  That's Mario looking over handout material during the "Pilot Decision Making" session  Some of the group in attendance  That's Baker, one of my ground crew  Bill Hughes speaking on Risk and Complacency  Paul Stumpf - who spoke on Maintence and Repair, and Alan Jones  Greg Livadas - who spoke on History of Ballooning in NY (The Flying Allen Family of Smoke Balloonists) with Rick Pollock and Tom Ford  Russ Barber, one of the event organizers Flying?Friday, April 9th, 2010In case anyone is wondering, we haven’t done any of our passenger flights just yet this season and won’t be this weekend. Weather doesn’t look that great to do any rides, and anyhow, we are being invaded by friends from the north, the Leahy’s.  Yup, that be lil' Johnnie Leahy Spring WeatherMonday, March 22nd, 2010Spring is starting to show itself in the Lake George area. Temps reached into the 60s over the weekend, but have retreated to the 40s/50s for this week. Just to show how much the area is progressing toward spring and away from winter, I’ve included a couple of pics from Lake George taken on Sunday the 21st.  There still is some ice on Lake George, but it probably will be gone by next weekend.  What's left of the ice and snow on Lake George  Folks were out walking at the head of Lake George on a beautiful early Spring day. Olympic MemoriesMonday, March 8th, 2010We made our trip north this past weekend to visit friends up on the St. Lawrence River – 1000 Islands area, who live in Clayton. Weekend weather was beautiful, mild temps for this time of year and beautiful blue skies. On the way home, we went through Lake Placid, the home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and the “Miracle On Ice” hockey game. Lake Placid was bustling with people on this beautiful late winter day, taking advantage of the many “Sale” signs posted on shop windows, and busy checking the menu’s posted outside restaurants.  View down Main Street Lake Placid  The Lake Placid Olympic Arena  This is the entrance to the ice rink that's the home of the "Miracle on Ice" hockey game of 1980 where a group of USA college hockey players beat the powerful USSR Olympic Hockey Team, a team that had beaten the best of the NHL's pro teams as a warm-up tour prior to the 1980 Winter Olympic games.  There was an International Pee Wee B Youth Hockey tournament playing on ice  The outdoor oval where Eric Heiden won his 5 speedskating gold medals  Pic of the outdoor Opening Ceremony for the 1980 Winter Olympics. I was there and it was real cold!  As it now stands, the Olympic Cauldron for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games Sorry, no pics from the luge and bobsled tracks. If you ever visit Lake Placid and you are into thrill activity, you can experience the real thing and pay to ride the bob and the luge. I noticed a poster at the Olympic Center advertising tourist skeleton rides, something new for the daredevils out there. By the way, on the luge and skeleton, it’s only you on the sled doing the driving. On the bob, you are riding as crew, not as the driver. Recent 2010 Vancouver OlympicsWednesday, March 3rd, 2010Hope you all had a chance to see some of the Olympic coverage. Great events. The site of the 1980 winter Olympics and the “Miracle on Ice” hockey game was held in Lake Placid, which is about 2 hours north of us. I am planning on visiting friends up north soon and will try to go through Lake Placid to get some winter pics of the old Olympic venues that were used. Lake Placid is still an Olympic training site for the USA team. They train for ski jumping and free style both during the winter and summer months. They have a bob and luge runs that are used for international competition and training, and also offer tourist runs down both tracks. When my boys were young, we all took runs on the bobsled and the luge, usually when we would get Olympic fever. When you do the bob, there is a driver and you go for the ride experience on a 4-man sled. Now the luge, you’re the driver (not sure they still allow this) and even tho they start you about at the half-way point, it still is fast – not 90 mph fast like at the Vancouver Olympic track – but still fast enough since you are on the sled alone, on your back, going feet first down an ice chute! Yes I know, nuts! Just in case I get the Olympic urge again, I have an old Shoe cartoon on the refrig showing a character going down a hill on a sled wondering what Luge means? Then as he careens down the hill feet first, the comment bubble says, “probably Swedish for ‘Knuckelhead’”.  The ski jumps on the way into Lake Placid - a fall view  The Lake Placid ski jump towers through the fall foliage  Whiteface Mountain and Mirror Lake. The Village of Lake Placid is actually on Mirror Lake. Whiteface Mountain was the location of the ski events during the 1980 Olympics.  Noon Mark Diner in Keen Valley - on the way to Lk Placid. A great place to eat, especially their pie!! A Beautiful Day to SkiThursday, February 11th, 2010As per usual this winter, the latest snow misses us to the south and we only get a dusting. Oh well, it’s a beautiful late winter day, too nice not to be out doing something, like skiing. Even with a snow drought this winter, and the rain and thaw of a couple of weeks ago, the ski areas have been able to make a ton of snow to play on. Conditions today were great! Lots of sun and moderate temps, the birds were chirping. You can tell that spring is not long in the future. Our local hill, West Mountain, is just 5 minutes from my door and provides easy access to some fun at a kind of throw-back type of ski hill – as you can see by the old fashioned chair lift in my pics.  Great Conditions!  From the top of West Mt looking East across the valley with a frozen Hudson River down below.  My ski buddy Mike 
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