BOYS AND THEIR TOYS
By K. C. LILLY
The following received from Ptero Carl Hankwitz via Jack McCormack. Picture NOTAL Reprinted from 'FORE 'n AFT' the Official publication of the Honolulu Council Navy League of the United States - February/March issue, 1999
On the evening of December
24th, we got a call from the RCC (joint Rescue Coordination
Center) telling us the balloon had run into bad winds, wasn't
making headway to the east any longer, and it was possible they
were going to have to ditch up to 100 miles off shore." -Commander
Robert Palatka, USCG, HH-65A Dolphin helicopter pilot.
That was the call which started into motion the rescue of Richard
Branson, Steve Fossett and Per Lindstrand from their aborted
attempt to circumnavigate the globe aboard the hot-air balloon
"Virgin," we say 'boys with their very expensive toy.
This is a story about what Christmas was like for the air crews
of a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft and two HH-65A helicopters. Please
keep in mind the people in the air (12) is only part of the
picture. There were also ground crews involved (an additional 12
to 15 people), not to mention the entire crews aboard the 110-foot
Coast Guard Cutter Washington and 225-foot Coast Guard Cutter
Kukui, plus the staff at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center,
which effectively put their holiday on hold for these three boys
with their toy. Am I getting a little sarcastic?
While most of you were sipping a Christmas Eve wine or eggnog, Lt.
Lance Isakson, USCG, got his first heads-up call. Isakson, a C-130
pilot said, "We had no C-130s available. No up aircraft at
the time. So Capt. Gunn, our executive officer, and I did a test
flight on an aircraft and as we taxied in they called me on the
radio and said 'get ready to go back out' because we've got a
balloon that's possibly going into the water.
"We scrambled the crew and got airborne within 30 minutes
and rendezvoused with the balloon at about 7:30 p.m. They were
about 250 miles north of Oahu so it took us a little less than an
hour to get there. Once we were in communication range with them
we could talk with them directly. Mr. Branson was on the radio
and he requested we fly a line 200 miles east of their current
position just to get the winds at 20,000 feet and then return
along that same track at 30,000 feet. The winds are different at
different altitudes," Isakson explained.
"The balloon was at 23,000 feet at the time," he
continued. "But since we had just taken off we were still
pretty heavy (with fuel) so we decided the only way we'd be able
to make 30,000 feet on the return trip was if we flew 300 miles
east just to burn a little more gas.
"Every 25 miles we reported our winds. There was a low-pressure
trough that they were stalled in. The winds were about 20 knots
where he was. They were hoping that we could tell them whether or
not the winds were going to improve out to the east.
"So we flew this track 300 miles east and the whole way out
the winds were 20 to 25 knots. It didn't look like it was
improving much for them. We climbed up to 30,000 feet despite [the
fact that] we had a pressurization problem. Our airplane was
unable to maintain as much cabin pressure as it normally does.
But we were able to [handle the problem] and climb to 30,000 feet."
The wind information was passed along to the three aboard the
balloon, to Air Traffic Control, the balloonists' London control
center and the joint Rescue Coordination Center.
"Everybody knew what the winds were," said Isakson.
"Based on our wind information they [knew they] would not be
able to make the mainland. They figured it would be safer to
ditch the balloon off of Oahu the next morning."
Isakson and his six-man crew were on scene from about 7:30 p.m.
Obviously it was dark. "Just moonlight and starlight,"
Isakson said. "They had a position light and we flew under
the balloon and got a look at it on the way out," he
continued.
Of course the balloon was on the C-130's Traffic Collision Alert
System radar, but it's worthy to report this was all taking place
at night on Christmas Eve.
At about 10:30 p.m. Isakson and his crew left the balloonists and
returned to their Barbers Point base on Oahu. "We asked them
if they needed any further assistance and they said 'no, thanks
for the information' and we headed back."
Upon return to Oahu, Petty Officer Ken Norris and Petty Officer
Tony Hernandez stayed and worked on the aircraft until 1:30 a.m.
to fix the auxiliary power unit which runs the electrical systems
in case of emergency.
"I got the call in my room at 4:45 a.m.," said Isakson,
"and told us I the balloon is ditching, get ready to go' and
that's when we scrambled again and got airborne about 5:30 a.m.
"Again we established what the winds were like from 8,000
feet, all the way down to the surface at different altitudes, he
continued.
The balloon, the night before, was 250 miles north of Oahu. What
they did was use our trade winds to bring it south, and thus
closer to Oahu and within range of the helicopters which would
pluck them out of the water.
Isakson and his-130 crew rendezvoused with the balloon north of
Molokai "We gave them wind information and sea stages how
high the waves were.
From that point Isakson and crew coordinated the on-scene
aircraft: the two HH-65A Dolphin helicopters, a Lear jet (the ICO
Global chase aircraft), plus the C-130.
Cmdr. Palatka got his call Christmas Eve to be ready to be
airborne early in the morning of Christmas day. He was the senior
officer among the two crews of HH-65A Dolphin helicopters to be
used for the actual rescues.
Due to continued slow wind conditions, Palatka and crew didn't
take off until 8:30 a.m. with an anticipated ditching slated for
9:30 a.m.
"We were on scene about 9:00 a.m, They were relatively high
then, about 2,000 feet and they were starting down. We just flew
around them"
The second helicopter was about a half-hour behind Palatka and
crew. "We had more fuel so we could stay on scene longer,"
he continued.
"They (the balloonists) started to descend into the water,
and that's when they started [to bounce]. They would descend, the
gondola would hit the water, it would drag for 10 to 20 Yards,
and then it would pop back up." Palatka said. "It would
get back down in there, drag, [and pop back up.] It did that
probably 30 times. After about 12 [times] stuff started breaking
off, falling off. It wasn't big pieces - - more like insulation
on fuel tanks.
"Eventually, with all the stuff breaking off, it seemed to
get lighter and
would go higher in the air and then when it came down it would
come down harder. They had a pretty good ride in there I think.
"Once the balloon was in the water and dragging along two
guys got out it was Branson and Fossett - -they got out on top of
the gondola and jumped in. The balloon, pushed by the wind, was
pushed away so they were in the water floating there.
"They had 'dry suits' on and floatation devises,"
Palatka continued. "I was the senior duty officer so I
picked up the first two and told Lt. Chris Hill to pick up the
third guy when he comes out.
"We moved in and hovered right by them and put Petty Officer
Sullivan in the water. He did a 'free fall deployment' from about
15 feet and swam over to them. He gave us the signal they were
alright and signaled for the basket."
All three were retrieved one-at-a-time using the basket and hoist.