Bob
Rhodes, pilot of the Electric Rainbow hot air balloon is an FAA certificated
commercial pilot with a rating for 'Lighter than Air, with Airborne Heater'
(the FAA's fancy name for a hot air balloon)
He has
been flying since 1996 and is joined by his wife Cathy who serves as the Crew
Chief.
He is
a member of the oldest balloon club in America, The BFA (The Balloon Federation
of America),
A member of the North America Balloon Association (NABA) and a member of the North Louisiana Balloon Association (NLBA).
Bob has flown in Monroe, LA, Rayville LA, Greenville MS, Alexandria LA, Greenwood MS, Canton MS, Decatur AL, Gonzales LA, Foley AL, Oak Ridge LA, Ruston LA, Longview TX, Houston TX, and during “1000 in 2000” in Albuquerque NM, a gathering of 1000 hot air balloons.
Some of our flights have included a flight to 10,500 feet, flown over Swampstock (Rayville LA), Flights over the Johnson Space Center in Houston TX and over the Tennessee River in Decatur Alabama, Beautiful flights near the Gulf of Mexico in Foley AL.The Electric Rainbow Balloon Team is located in Monroe La (the northeast part of the state). We fly out of love for the sport and as a means for meeting new people.
The Electric
Rainbow is manufactured by The Balloon Works of Statesville North Carolina.
As with most hot air balloons, it is a custom design built especially
to order by the owner.
The envelope
(balloon top part) has a volume of 77,000 cubic feet (enough room for 77,000
basketballs) and is 70 feet tall. The
fuel for the burner is 30 gallons of standard propane.
The burner generates approximately 22 million BTU and can raise the temperature of the inside of the balloon to over 100F in less than 30 seconds.