I'll see if I have a Parrot I could loan for this experiment. The DC20 data can be recorded somehow, right? We could compare GPS altitude vs. barometric altitude. The Parrot will record for about 30 minutes.

Mike, I use this website http://www.weather.com/maps/activity/aviation/us34000footwindsaloft_large.html?clip=undefined&region=undefined&collection=localwxforecast&presname=undefined

note the drop-down menu where you can select alternate altitudes.

That is a terrific idea about sending up a "trial balloon" 🙂

Believe it or not, I have a ultra high altitude balloon project I've been working on - meant to go to over 100K at least at some point of the project. I have a slew of websites to check into on this topic. Almost as fascinating as rocketry and far far easier to get a waiver for too.

This is a good starting place:
http://www.pegasushabproject.org.uk/wiki/doku.php

Balloons are available at:

http://www.novalynx.com/400-balloons.html

They're cheaper than I expected. Biggest expense is helium which has gone up radically in price over the last couple years.

Warren

Mike, I use this website http://www.weather.com/maps/activity/aviation/us34000footwindsaloft_large.html?clip=undefined&region=undefined&collection=localwxforecast&presname=undefined

note the drop-down menu where you can select alternate altitudes.

That is a terrific idea about sending up a "trial balloon" 🙂

Excellent. Very handy. I assume those are mean sea level altitudes so 18000 feet MSL will be about 12,000 feet AGL. A balloon will tell us real time, as the forecast data is extrapolated.

Biggest expense is helium which has gone up radically in price over the last couple years.

FYI, Here's a quote on Helium that I got from Wagner Welding Supply in Longmont. They supply Argon for my TIG welder.
(bottle lease is $7/mo or $10 for a single weekend)

Bottle Size - Volume - Fill Cost - ($/cuft)
Q 66 cuft $36.30 ($.55/cuft)
M 110 cuft $89.60 ($.81/cuft)
H 219 cuft $129.40 ($60/cuft)
L 356 cuft $147.23 ($.41/cuft)

Yeah, I get my Argon and Argon/CO2 mix from the same place. Interesting thing, ALL helium production is tied to natural gas, but only a few natural gas fields produce significant quantities of helium. The US has been the world's supplier for the last 100 years and the major field is in Texas and Oklahoma and is slated to run out in less than 5 years. While there are other countries producing it, I believe they only produce about 15% of the world's supply. New fields are apparently coming online, but at nowhere near the production level the US has had in the past. Helium prices is more than quadruple what it was 10 years ago and is going to keep going up.

Warren

Biggest expense is helium which has gone up radically in price over the last couple years.

FYI, Here's a quote on Helium that I got from Wagner Welding Supply in Longmont. They supply Argon for my TIG welder.
(bottle lease is $7/mo or $10 for a single weekend)

Bottle Size - Volume - Fill Cost - ($/cuft)
Q 66 cuft $36.30 ($.55/cuft)
M 110 cuft $89.60 ($.81/cuft)
H 219 cuft $129.40 ($60/cuft)
L 356 cuft $147.23 ($.41/cuft)

just buy it

scott e

My understanding on the helium supply was that most of it is currently in storage and only gets added to by production. I have never verified this, but that is what is taught/discussed in the Tech Diving world. I was getting into HE blends at one time..... On that note, if you guys need a digital fill whip, I have one set up for O2, HE and AR transfills. I'm certified to play w/ up to 100% O2 and do fills. I don't know what kid of setup you would be using for the balloons, so just tossing that out.....
Greg

if you guys need a digital fill whip, I have one set up for O2, HE and AR transfills. I'm certified to play w/ up to 100% O2 and do fills. I don't know what kid of setup you would be using for the balloons, so just tossing that out.....
Greg

That sounds great. Thank you.

Bottle Size - Volume - Fill Cost - ($/cuft)
Q 66 cuft $36.30 ($.55/cuft)
M 110 cuft $89.60 ($.81/cuft)
H 219 cuft $129.40 ($60/cuft)
L 356 cuft $147.23 ($.41/cuft)

It is cheaper then petrol, can we get our cars to run on it? 🙂

Mike,
I don't think we really needed them did we 😀 I forgot you were talking about doing this when we were discussing the DC20s. Thanks for getting me straight on the tracking basics..... I forgot to introduce myself, you were talking to Jeremiah and I while we were in line, I was doing the L2 flight with the Black Brant single deploy on the J350 (FYI - it went 7012').

Greg