Balloon Drawings

Balloon Drawings

Safety nets below the unit have special "open zipper locks" which allow a rope to pass through a net vertically without disturbing the net. The system is designed for travel in terrible weather, over bad terrain, with a minimum crew (4) and with limited resupply. See US Pat No 5,857,645 for more details.

Figure 1 -- Stacked Unit -- shows a unit (6 balloons) in a side view stacked 3 over 3.The platform (9) shows 3 typical let-down wall sections (10) on the near side. These can be lowered to a level position to extend the platform or they can be let down fully. The winches (3) are contained in the corners of the top frames (2).

Figure 2 -- Flat Unit -- shows a unit (6 balloons) in a flat configuration. Not shown are; the utility boxes/control room, three grapple launching platforms, three grapple launchers, the safety nets, the hammer-headed saw, the steam hoses & nozzles (for snakes) and the drill stem.

Figure 3 -- Bottom View -- shows a unit from the bottom in a flat configuration. The Y frames are shown in schematic form -- for their true shape please see Figure 4. A balloon ring (8) provides attachment points for the support lines which originate at the equator of a balloon. A balloon ring is then attached directly to a support point at the tip of a Y frame or to a corner of a top frame. In the center of the platform are miller's doors (2 rectangular pieces) which open upward. Two utility boxes (13) are shown cantilevered out away from the top frames. A third unit, the control room (43), is also cantilevered out away from the top frame. It is larger and taller than the utility boxes. (see Figure 4 for true Y frame shape).

Figure 4 -- Top of Frame -- shows the framing of a unit from the top (from just below the balloons). The top frames form the triangular frame which supports the corners of the Y frames and the inner framing including the center platform.

Three balloon rings (8) are shown centered over the top frames (2). In the center is a top ring which is connected by framing (42) to the stash boxes which are situated on top of the top frames (8). The top ring allows a central control panel to be lowered and rotated to a convenient position above the center platform. The tops (40) the gunner's boxes (14) are shown in the open position.

The cross hatched framing of the Y frames is made of up/down walkways (lighted from below at night with red lights) which can be used to walk in either direction depending on the position of the Y frame.

Figure 5 -- Pivot Details -- shows a bottom view of corner details of the framing.

The front (facing outward) of the gunner's box (14) is a roll-up door which gives access to the grapple launching platform. When a Y frame is level, the roll-up door is normally closed and can be used as a platform for sleeping inside of the G box.

Reballasting is normally a delayed process which takes several minutes. For subarctic conditions, the ballast is 120 proof ethyl alcohol (gin or vodka) which must be flash distilled for drinking, cooking and for washing or showering.

Three pairs of adjustable cables (11) determine the position of a Y frame. They are reset by first reballasting a balloon (to take the load off of these cables.

Figure 6 -- System in Use -- shows a top view of a full system of 14 balloons from about 2,000 feet. Two grapples (20) and their lines (16) are shown attached to remote points. In the arrangement shown, for a no wind situation, the lead unit has thrown two grapples. Two T balloons are tethered to the lead unit and the trailing unit is just towed along behind.

When operating in a cross wind or in an up wind situation, the main units winch forward independently. In down wind operations, when the winches are used as generators, the T balloons remain near the two grapple attachment points. When a T balloon is at a distance from a main unit, the grapple near it is released and the T balloon floats down wind and catches up with the main units.

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