COPY
AIR COORDINATING COMMITTEE
FORT WORTH REGIONAL AIRSPACE SUBCOMMITTEE
P. O. BOX 1689
FORT WORTH 1, TEXAS
September 2, 1947
MEMORANDUM
TO: L. C. Elliott
Chairman, Ft. Worth Regional Airspace Subcommittee
Lt. Col. Hall F. Smith, War Dept. Member, Ft. Worth
Regional Airspace Subcommittee
FROM: Secretary, Ft. Worth Regional Airspace Subcommittee
SUBJECT: Procedure for Release of Free Balloons in the White Sands Danger Area
The writer met with Mr. James R. Smith of New York University and Lt. V. D. Thompson of Alamogordo AAF, at El Paso, Texas, on August 27 to discuss procedures to be followed during the descent of free balloons released within the White Sands Danger Area.
Mr. Smith advised that he had met with the Commanding Officer at Biggs Field who had stated he desired no further coordination other than what the Civil Aeronautics Administration might require and that he would write a letter to Mr. Smith to this effect. Mr. Smith will forward this to the Chairman of the Subcommittee for the record.
Mr. Smith outlined their program, which consists for the most part of testing various types of balloons. Their program will probably be of 5 flights per month for the next 6 months, the first flight to be released on Sept. 6, weather permitting. Weather minimums were agreed on as not more than 4/10 of the sky covered or forecasted to be covered within the expected descent area (60 mile radius).
Balloons are tracked by VHF DF stations at Alamogordo and Roswell for the present plus an aircraft. When the balloon descends to 20,000 feet, if not in the clear, positions will be given every hour or so and will be put out as notams on Schedule "A" from the Roswell AAF. This will serve to advise the Army Fields, the airlines, and some itinerant traffic. In any case if the balloon is outside the assigned danger area, notams will be issued when the balloons descend below 15,000 feet.
The balloons are for the most part 15 feet in diameter and plastic. Suspended from the balloon is a 100 foot one thousand pound test nylon line which carries the airborne equipment. Releases are usually made at dawn and the flight terminates in an average of 8 hours time; it may be from 6 to 12 hours duration.
It is believed the notam procedure will serve to advise pilots of this activity effectively enough to provide the desired amount of caution. It is understood
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