Dear BFA Members:

It’s no secret that the balloon insurance industry is again in turmoil, rates are increasing and underwriters are decreasing. The insurance companies tell us this is due in part to a number of incidents involving commercial ride operators. A series of high-profile tragic accidents over the past couple of years have forced a new focus on this segment of our sport.

To that end the BFA Board, in conjunction with our prime insurance suppliers and a committee of professional ride balloon operators have been working hard trying to determine how best to address this issue before the FAA and other regulatory elements step in. Along the way some have insisted we do nothing, but so long as we attempt to self-police our sport we maintain a level of control that we may never recover if we do nothing and allow the regulators to solve the problem for us. It’s not unreasonable to expect that another accident like the one in Canada last year and our sport might be changed forever.

This is a very complex issue and raises many questions. What is the definition of a professional  ride operator? What can we do? What will be the effect is we choose to do nothing?

The BFA is not a governing body, we have no enforcement power.  Realizing this, our committee has begun to develop a Professional Ride Operators Code of Ethics.  Both the British and Australian ballooning organizations have similar Codes in place. Unlike the UK and Australia, it should be noted here that this would be a strictly voluntary program. Our only purpose is to create an environment that will motivate participants to take responsibility in ensuring that their operation is the safest and best it can be.

The adoption of such a Code does not mean that accidents will no longer happen. It does not mean that insurance rates will decrease. It does mean that the BFA will once again have taken a proactive step to help protect the future of our sport, just as it did more than two decades ago when the Sanctioned Safety Seminar program was developed.

Our committee is nearing completion of the working draft of this Code of Ethics. Once completed, we plan to post this draft on the website and make it otherwise available to give ALL, members, professional  ride operators and other interested parties the opportunity to comment freely and openly on this document. Based on your received comments and input the committee will then decide how best to proceed. Only with the complete participation of professional ride operators large and small can we develop a program that is fair and just and achievable by all.

Please watch these future emails for our call for comments. likely sometime in the next few weeks.  Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you.

Don Edwards
BFA SE Region Director