Confidential and proprietary. Do not distribute without consent. Copyright© 2023. eVRgreen Arts, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Handbook of UAS Contractor Policies
Balloon Fiesta 2023 - Drone Crew
Independent Contractors : 1 RPIC , 2 VOs per pilot
Balloon Fiesta UAS Contractors - Roles / Duties / Expectations
Please only sign up for the events that you can commit to. If I have insufficient crew for any of these timeslots I will be unable to fly specific missions.
This experience something completely unique that only a small handful of people have ever done. Connect with me directly if you want to bring friends and family with you into Fiesta. I will pay for entry fees for up to three people who are able to fit into your vehicle on a single day. You may bring additional guests, but you will need to pay their entry fees. We basically get VIP access, so this is a nice perk for your friends and family to avoid traffic .
There are flight maps and an operational brief below. Please keep this page confidential, you are the only people I trust seeing this info :)
Training flights will be conducted the week prior to the event at multiple convenient times to include all those who haven't crewed in the past.
I need at least 2 crew for all AM missions, and at least 2 for all PM missions. The critical missions are in highlighted in red below:
Event Schedule
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7
Session1 : 5am -10 , Session 2: Gas Balloon Race / Balloon Glow 2:00 -10pm
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8
Session 3 : 5am-10 , Session 4: 4 -9pm
MONDAY, OCTOBER 9
Session 5 : 5am-10,
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10
Session 7 : 5am-10
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11
Session 9 : 5am-10
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
Session 11 : 5am-10, Session 12: 4 -9pm
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 (Chick Fil A)
Session 13 : 5am-10, Session 14: 4 -9pm
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14 (Solar Eclipse)
Session 15 : 5am-10 , Session 16: 4 -9pm
SUNDAY, OCTOBER
Session 17 : 5am-10
Sign up for sessions via the Google Form that was emailed. PLEASE only sign up for sessions you are SURE you can commit to attend. Failure to arrive on time, or missed sessions will put great strain on the entire operation. We are counting on each and every crew member to arrive on time for their scheduled sessions. If you are unable to make it, PLEASE communicate immediately with the me so I able to make arrangements to cover your absence. If you become sick (fever, coughing, etc) please stay home. It is very important that we do not spread any illness.
Fiesta 2023 - UAS Operational Brief:
Flight Area #1:
West Arroyo. Flights directly over concrete with an East boundary of the field fence line. North and South boundaries at the pedestrian bridges.
Flight Area #2:
Directly above Sid Cutter, expanded to include the airspace above the Fiesta Office trailers
Flight Area #3:
Empty parking lot with a South boundary of the fence line along the arroyo
Flight Area #4:
Arroyo blocked on all sides, no foot traffic
Flight Area #5:
Steep native embankment, no foot traffic
Flight Area #6:
Fireworks columns
Flight Area #7:
Balloon Museum, approved by Museum Director
Flight Area #8:
NEW area. Roped off fireworks safety area to be flown during balloon glows, ending before fireworks
Flight Area #9:
NEW area. Special capture sorties. Specific permission requests for each mission. Radio authorization required. Team will form a roped off 60ft x 60ft square being held by UAS personnel. UAS team will form the flight area and prevent visitors from entering the area and inform RPIC immediately of any issues. This will create a 30ft distance from the crowd for take off and landing.
UAS Personnel - Operational Guidelines:
All UAS personnel will be briefed and trained according to the outline below. Multiple VO will be implemented whenever possible to create a redundancy of tasks.
VO responsibilities:
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Constant visual site of UAS while airborne. Situational awareness of direction of flight path, speed, and location of UAS and all balloon traffic. Constant communication with RPIC regarding see and avoid well in advance of any issues. All flights will be conducted in a conservative manner as to never be in a situation that requires abrupt maneuvers.
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Alert the RPIC immediately if you loose VLOS. Repeat until you get a verbal response.
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Personal Conduct. Be courteous and respectful to all visitors. Obey and relay instructions from AIBF staff.
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Safety above all. UAS team is expected to adhere to all FAA and AIBF regulations and, through constant communication, commit to ensuring safe UAS operations for all involved.
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UAS team members will attend pre-event training and complete and pass the nighttime operations test with a 100% score.
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Make sure you are briefed on emergency protocol to land the drone.
Crew Conduct:
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BE ON TIME.
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Should anything go wrong, like a crash, DO NOT speak to anyone accept me, Fiesta personnel, FAA, or law enforcement.
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Be respectful and courteous. There are 50,000 people on that field that are NOT paying attention to anything but the balloons. There are another 10,000 idiots that want to know what we are doing and will come ask questions mid flight. Kindly tell them that you cannot help them until we land. Do not get distracted, I am counting on you to keep this operation safe.
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Be sure to return your vest and parking pass to my vehicle if you are not working the next subsequent session. This will prevent having to track you down to retrieve these critical items.
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Bear with me, there are a lot of moving parts in this operation and a LOT on the line. I'm typically pretty easy going but at Fiesta I can get easily uptight if things go sideways. Try to only communicate with me outside of flight times. I will do my best to respond to any questions via phone or text, but try to avoid this during missions. This is a 150+ hour week for me and this event takes everything I have to pull off. I usually run out of steam by the last day, and typically do not fly on the last Sunday.
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Below is the info for how to enter the park and where to park. DO NOT drive your vehicle onto the field at anytime. I will have an ATV that can be utilized to transport people and equipment. Be sure your guests are aware of these details:
How to get on the field. MAP DIRECTION LINK:
Confidential and proprietary. Do not distribute without consent. Copyright© 2023. eVRgreen Arts, LLC. All Rights Reserved.