[Kelly W]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a team of 3 to 4 experienced R/C flyers in the Kamloops Area. The Sandman Hotel Chain has been flying a 20ft arena blimp at BC Lions and Vancouver Giants (WHL) games this last season. (photos below) I'm not with the Sandman Hotels group, rather I'm just the lead operator that's managing the group here in Vancouver. The sponsor has recently purchased a 2nd 13 ft blimp for use at the Kamloops Blazers (WHL) home games, where it will be expected to fly and drop prizes in the 1st and 2nd intermissions. I told the sponsor we would select a group of pilots for them, train them, sort out the procedures in the arena, etc. Kevin Forsyth and I will be attending the Blazers games on Jan 26 and 27 (next weekend) with the new blimp and a lot of extra batteries for training flights. It will be flown at the game, and we plan to provide training, etc for the selected team of operators a few hours prior to the doors opening. After these 2 games, the local pilots are to continue with flights for the remainder of the season, and on from there...

I must make it clear in the beginning, this is a job and not to be considered a 'hobby project'. By that, I mean that the operators must act professionally, they must not take any unnecessary risks, they must stick with routines they are familiar with, they must maintain the equipment in good working order (and properly charged), and they must be on time. 2 operators are likely to be required at every game, leaving the other 1 or 2 for scheduling conflicts, balanced workload, etc. The 1st operator flies the blimp, while the other catches, releases, loads prizes, changes batteries, etc. The operator that pilots the blimp must be calm under pressure, have good sight and depth perception, and needs to be OK with flying in front of large crowds. It is also a decent time commitment, which we would expect to see operators stick with for more than just a few games. Once we start, the blimp will fly at every home game, including playoffs.

As this is a job, there is a payment and I will publicly state that it is quite reasonable for both operators working the game. Both operators will be provided with free access to the game, but that is not considered as part of the compensation. The operators will likely work for ~4.5 - 5 hours at each game, and the payment is justified for that time commitment. It pays well, but this is not what I would consider suitable for a primary income. Liability insurance for the operators is also provided by Sandman.

Prior R/C blimp experience is an asset, but not a necessity. For those unaware, flying a blimp is not difficult but it does take some time to get use to. Its not quite like flying a helicopter, or an airplane. Its basically a challenge of maintaining buoyancy, while managing the blimp's momentum and correcting for air drafts from the air conditioning units. Some blimps are commonly thought of as under powered in some venues. From experience, Kevin and I selected the motors and hardware for this blimp and the quality of equipment will not be a problem.


A good friend of mine, Bob Fowler, may have already spread some word of this opportunity amongst the local clubs. If you are interested, please email me some information about yourself or your group, including R/C history. My address (for this purpose only) is sandmanblimp@telus.net. I would prefer to get a group that already knows each other and will work well together, so long as at least 2 of you meet the piloting criteria. If you're an individual pilot and interested, please don't hesitate to apply on your own. I'd like to know what you fly, for how long, at what events, etc, etc, etc... Also , if you can please provide a reference that is familiar with R/C (club pres / safety officer, MAAC rep, etc.).

Thanks! Looking forward to meeting some of you next weekend.
Kelly Williams

[Kelly W]

Just to let everyone know, as of tonight all 4 positions have been filled. Thank you all for the interest.

For the many, many applicants that were not successful, please keep in mind that a blimp that operates well in an arena will often wind up sharing it with another as soon as more companies recognise the benefits of this unique advertising opportunity... I'll keep a record of all who replied.

Thanks again,
Kelly