Have you ever experienced or been concerned about flight into IMC? Nearly half of all weather-related accidents happen because of continued VFR flight into IMC, sadly most of those accidents are fatal. Here’s the challenge: Aviation weather forecasting is broad, in coverage area and time.
To help solve this challenge, this presentation will dive into the world of non-powered flight and hot air balloons to explain how a balloon pilot masters microscale meteorology for everyday flight. Balloon flight requires the pilot to be fully immersed in aviation weather on a small scale as being non-powered means there’s no leaving the weather once in it!
Learn the forecasting tools balloon pilots use for wind, fog, clouds, and rain to keep safe and apply those tools in your own powered flight and instruction to avoid IMC.
Adam Magee is a Commercial hot air balloon pilot/Flight Instructor, NAFI Elite Balloon Instructor, Designated Pilot Examiner, and active FAA Safety Team Lead Representative. He serves NAFI on the Board of Directors as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee. In 2021, Adam earned the National FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year Award. In 2019, Adam earned the District and Central Region FAA Flight Instructor of the Year awards.
Adam is co-founder and President of The Balloon Training Academy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to training new balloon pilots and providing safety and educational resources to balloon pilots and instructors. Adam is also a frequent writer in the FAA Safety Briefing Magazine on hot air balloon safety.
Adam received his Bachelor's and Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri and is a Certified Public Accountant working as a Financial Director at a credit union.
Aaron Dabney earned his Flight Instructor certificate in 2009, and has been an active instructor ever since. He has provided more than 5,000 hours of instruction in more than 30 models of aircraft, mentoring pilots from their first hour through becoming accomplished instructors themselves, and all points in between.
Dabney grew up in an aviation family. His maternal grandfather Joe was a World War II fighter pilot, and much of his childhood was spent in the family J-3 Cub with his grandfather or his uncle Mark. Aaron completed his first solo in that Cub in 1999 and is now its caretaker.
Aaron is a 6-time NAFI Master Flight Instructor, owns a small flight school, and has served as an adjunct lecturer for Baylor University's Aviation Sciences program since 2010. He serves on NAFI's Board of Directors and serves in several volunteer roles including coordinating MentorLIVE
Aaron lives in Waco, Texas with his wife of 20 years Alisa.
NAFI MentorLIVE is made possible through generous donations of our members, the aviation community, and our sponsors.
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