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News - LatestMay 2013 - Australian National Championship resultsCongratulations to all competitors and organisers of the the 18th Australian National Ballooning Championship. All top ten pilots in the Nationals were flying Kavanaghs of one model or another but again the EX-65 and new EX-60 have taken out the top spots.
The event was well run and some fantastic task setting by David Levin and his team tested all the pilots over 6 flights and 23 tasks. Stock balloonsWe also have two stock balloons up for sale. The EX-60 demonstrator and a new C-77. As much as Sean does not want to give back the EX-60 he was flying at the Nationals, it is for sale with only 22.2 hours TTIS on it and no damage. After a week of serious competition, Sean had this assessment of the EX-60: "It is a fantastic little sport balloon that is a dream to fly - perfectly responsive and predictable. Like the EX-65 it has amazing top end performance in climbs and descents but it is in the small corrections that this balloon shines." Pricing and photos are on the stock page. News - LatestJune 2012 - Maintenance Manual Issue 4, Revision 5The Maintenance Manual has been updated to Revision 5 with the latest revision covering maintenance procedures and an illustrated parts catalogue for the Crossfire burner. Flight Manual Issue 1, Revision 2 ***UPDATE***Revision 2 of the Kavanagh Balloons Flight Manual is now available and covers operation of the Crossfire Burner. Additionally, the equipment lists have been updated detailing the new load frame configurations and additional baskets added to our range. Downloads for both the FM and MM are found in our documents section 
New 4.6m Double Tee basketIn addition to the Crossfire certification project, we have been busy with two new basket models. We have just certified the new K8DT4615 (4.6 x 1.5m) Double tee basket giving passengers a little more room in our B-350, B-400 and G-450 passenger balloons. The 4.6 fits neatly in between the traditional 4.3m and king sized 5.0m double tee baskets. New 2.8m Universal Access Single Tee basketTwo new modified versions of our KST2816 baskets are now available for passenger operations. The first model is the KST2816-A which sports a wider upright pole position to fit the KLF1710 load frame. The 1.7m long load frame moves the burner much closer to the pilots compartment in the Single Tee making everything more ergonomic and providing a larger heat shield for the passengers. Secondly, the KST2816-A-UA model adds a door for easy access to a passenger compartment by limited mobility passengers. The door closes with a simple latching mechanism and removable top frame section. In addition to the door, a seat belt system is now approved for passengers along with a foam seating system. The first of these baskets is being operated by Global Ballooning over Melbourne in partnership with Burt and Davies, a law firm that specialises in transport accident litigation. News - LatestMarch 2012 - The Crossfire burner is here
We know this has been worth the wait. After an extensive development and testing program, the all new Crossfire burner is going through the final certification stages for use on all Kavanagh Balloons. Double, Triple and Quad configurations are going to be available first with a single to follow later in the year. Key features in the new design are as follows;
Check out the photos in the Product shots gallery. The burner page will be updated soon with more details. New productsIt has been a busy year so far in the design office with work on our new burner nearing completion, new 13 and 5hp inflator fan designs, the all new EX-60 racer and a door access basket for Japan. 
More details on everything will be coming soon but we thought we would just throw this little compilation of photos together as a little tease. Australia Day 2011As part of the traditional Australia Day celebrations in Sydney, Parramatta Park was yet again filled with balloons. For the first time in many years no balloons free flew as the direction and speed were not favorable however many tethered for the crowds. Phil Kavanagh was one of the balloons taking tethered rides on the morning with donations going to charity. Photos from the morning and of his many passengers can be found here on our Picasa web album. 2010 Christmas rush!We are now closed for 2010 and we hope that it has been a great year for everyone. We finished the year with a rush of new orders and a number of stock items running out the door to fill Christmas stockings. 2011 is going to be full of surprises and exciting new products from Kavanagh Balloons so watch this space for launch event details and information as it becomes available. A special thanks to all of our customers and best wishes for 2011! 2010 Christmas closing datesOur Christmas closing dates will be from 12.00 Wednesday 23rd December 2009 until 7am Monday, 10th January 2010. We wish all of you a merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the new year. 20th September 2010Flight Manual updateAs a result of a fire on landing in 2009, CASA have suggested that pilot lights must be turned off prior to landing in all situations. The following amendments cover this request for both normal and emergency procedures. The Kavanagh Balloons Flight General Manual has been updated to revision 1 and the original C,D & E type flight manual has also been updated to revision 4. Please download a copy to make sure all your documents are up to date. 3rd September 2010Maintenance Manual update - again!Issue 4 of the Kavanagh Balloons Maintenance manual has been updated to revision 3. With the recent changes to AD/BAL/13 for portable fire extinguishers in balloons we have had to make a few changes to the MM. We have also added in a few new sections covering the latest modifications and options on our equipment. Please download a copy to make sure all your documents are up to date. 30th August 2010Maintenance Manual updateIssue 4 of the Kavanagh Balloons Maintenance manual has been updated to revision 2. Please download a copy to make sure all your documents are up to date. 15th December 2009Libra special shape takes to the air
The box is 19m high, 16m wide and 9m thick. With an active volume of 90,000 cu.ft and over 1000 sq.m of digital printing it is going to be a striking sight over Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane skylines in the coming months. Unique for a shape such as this is the Lite Vent deflation system making it a very friendly balloon to operate over built up areas where landing in parks and ovals will be an every day affair. A special thanks to Graeme Drummond of Balloon Sunrise marketing for signing us up for the project, Picture This Ballooning as the operators and Andrew Chapman for the fantastic photos from today's launch in Sydney. 2009 Christmas closing datesOur staff are taking a well earned break from 12.00 Wednesday 23rd December 2009 until 7am Monday, 4th January 2010. We wish all of you a merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the new year. Maintenance Manual updateIssue 4 of the Kavanagh Balloons Maintenance manual has been updated to revision 1. Please download a copy to make sure all your documents are up to date. December 2009A busy year!It has been a busy year here at the factory with lots of new developments in the works, impending finalisation of our EASA certification project and just to wrap up the year, our very first special shape balloon - details to come after the official launch by the client. Sadly this web site has not been looked after but plans are in place to keep it up to date and give it a freshen up in the new year. Among these are improved web site photo viewing with a new photo viewing technology in our web site. Where ever you see an image with a "+" in the top right corner, click on it to see a larger version or even a whole selection of photos linked to that image. Over time this will be introduced over the entire site including the main photo gallery. Flight manual updateThe all models flight manual is now available for download in the documents section of the web site. Please carefully check the serial number and type certificate number of your balloon before applying the new manual as it does have limited applicability. In changing over to the new manual you will need to have a weight control authority update the weight page in the new manual and you may need a new weight sheet issued for the aircraft if the GCW (Gross Certificated Weight) has been upgraded for your balloon. Also note that under the new manual, all load calculations are based on a 100 degree envelope temperature where some models may have used a 110 degree chart in the past. New banner printing technology
Printed on tyvek this banner uses the latest in UV ink technology to produce a bright, sharp and vibrant image for the client with the added bonus of durability, including rub resistance and light fastness. With the adoption of this technology to banner production we can deliver fast and cost effective advertising solutions with better results than ever before. New fan guardsA new style of fan guard has been developed in house for use on our 5.5hp inflator fan. The new guards feature extra strong bracing and captive nuts for fast assembly of the two halves. The first model is available now and will fit 24 inch blades. A larger guard for 9 and 13hp fans is still being finalised and should be ready soon. Stock envelopes
We have an E-120 and an E-240 awaiting test inflation and registration. Both of these envelopes feature the Lite Vent deflation system, rotation vents and scoop and are available for an amazing 17.5% discount. With prices like these it makes right now the perfect time to update to a new envelope. Stock BasketsAlong with the above envelopes we also have two single tee baskets on offer. For the E-120 there is a 1.2 x 2.0m single tee basket in stock, while for the E-240 there is a 1.5 x 2.7m single tee waiting for a new owner. Both of these baskets come with all standard equipment and also are available with the 17.5% discount. 10th December 2008Christmas closing dates
It has been a busy year at the factory and we have been just a little to over run to keep the news section of the web site up to date - sorry! As such here is a wrap up of some of the things that have gone on in the last twelve months. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year and hope you have a great break. Australian Altitude record
Unfortunately a complication with Glenn at altitude saw him leave the balloon before the planned altitude of 39,000 feet. The climb was immediately aborted. The full story will be reported in the January edition of Australian Geographic with fantastic photos and details of the flight. For those that can't wait, a link to the full 60 minutes story is here, or just the landing of the balloon can be found here 2008 World ChampionshipPoor weather again affected teams at the 2008 World Championship in Austria. Four teams represented Australia this year and while non achieved spectacular results, a good time was had by all. Congratulations to Sean Kavanagh, Paul Gibbs, Edwin Michell and Les Springett on making the long trip to Europe. Stock Balloon
The design can be found on the Stock Equipment page along with a few baskets and other gear that is ready to fly out the door. |
Christmas and New Year have snuck up on us again. The factory will be closed from 1.30 pm on Friday 19th of December through till 7am on Monday the 5th of January. 
In between regular production jobs, our staff have whipped up a stock E-120 which is ready for inflation and immediate delivery. The envelope is heavily discounted and is the perfect balloon for a group one commercial pilot. 
