[Az-Geocaching] Arizona Adventure Racing series - DesertRageAR.com

[RopingThe Wind]

>From: barry.neely@prudential.com
>Reply-To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
>To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
>Subject: RE: [Az-Geocaching] Arizona Adventure Racing series - 
>DesertRageAR.com
>Date: Thu, 30 Oct 2003 11:24:54 -0700
>
>
>I know that it might be hard to believe but there was a time before GPS.
>All you had was map and compass.  And yes there are some of us that can use
>one real well. Has anyone heard of Orienteering?
>
>Hiker

Although a bit off topic... an interesting side note to my last post. As 
Barry mentioned above, there was a time before GPS. Well, when GPS's were 
just coming round' for civilian use, they were not legal in ballooning 
competitions. You had to 'fly the map'. But, a few pilots found a way to 
bring a GPS on board with them (I guess the older GPS units were not tiny 
handheld things like they are nowadays?). They would sew an antenna into the 
top of the balloon (in one of the 'gores' or large seams) and within that 
seam, they would run the antenna wire down into the basket). Once in the 
air, they could just connect to the GPS. Of course, they eventually got 
cought! Nowadays, we cant get away with anything! They now use a 'black box' 
in each balloon. This is basically a Garmin supplied GPS that tracks your 
every move, from the time you leave the pilot briefing, your drive around 
town to a launch site, your actual flight track and altitudes flown (there 
are some altitude requirments/restrictions in certain areas on a map). The 
officials will then lay your track out on the Garmin Mapsource software 
after the flight for review!

Scott
Team Ropingthewind

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