Balloon pilot shifts launch site after drone launch
Greg Ashton moved his Treasure Valley Balloon Rides operations to Ladybird Park to avoid Amazon Prime Air drones in Nampa.
By Justin Brooks ·
Hot air balloon pilot Greg Ashton moved his launch site this week to keep his passengers further away from Amazon delivery drones.
Ashton, who operates Treasure Valley Balloon Rides, has flown in the region for nearly 50 years. He usually takes off from various locations including Nampa, Star, Middleton, Caldwell, and Meridian. Last week, he learned that Amazon had begun operating its Prime Air drones out of Nampa. He changed his launch location to Ladybird Park near the Boise Fairgrounds to create more distance between his flights and the drone activity.
"I've had lots of drones, but I haven't had big drones that drop packages," Ashton said. He expressed concern about potential collisions because he was unsure if the drones could detect and avoid obstacles like balloons. "If we're flying over Meridian or something like that and then we got a 40-mile-an-hour drone coming at us, it had potential to be scary," he said.
Ashton reached out to Amazon to ask how the technology works. An Amazon representative stated that Prime Air drones use cameras and sensors combined with a detect-and-avoid system. This system continuously monitors the airspace and makes real-time safety decisions. The representative said the design allows the drones to detect other aircraft, including those without radio or computer communication systems, such as hot air balloons.
Ashton has also been in direct contact with Amazon. He plans to meet with the company, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other hot air balloon community members in the next couple of weeks. "They're going to learn about us. We're going to learn about them, and then we're going to hopefully coexist in the same airspace," Ashton said.
Ashton noted that after decades of flying in the area, he does not want new technology to alter his operations. "This is our favorite place to fly. It is in the Treasure Valley," he said. He hopes the upcoming meetings will result in a plan that allows both balloons and drones to fly safely in the same space.
