LOW LEVEL CIVIL FLT INVOLVING ONE OR MORE HOT AIR BALLOONS.

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BEFORE LAUNCH; WINDS FROM 250-290 DEGS AT 8 NM/HR WITH FORECAST OF 6 NM/HR. ALONG WITH 5 OTHER PLTS; TOOK OFF ON W SIDE OF CITY EXPECTING TO CROSS TO E SIDE WHERE AMPLE LNDG SPACE WAS AVAILABLE. ABOUT 30 MINS INTO FLT; THE WINDS SLOWED AND I COULD NOT FIND AN ALT BTWN 1000 AND 2000 FT AGL WHICH WOULD GIVE A HIGHER SPD. ON LAUNCH FROM FIELD; I WAITED FOR THE BALLOON NEXT TO ME TO CLR THE AREA SO WE WOULD NOT BE FLYING CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. HOWEVER; DURING THE FLT WE CROSSED EACH OTHER AT DIFFERENT ALTS DUE TO THE VARIATION IN THE WINDS. ON LNDG; I NOTICED THAT WE WOULD BE CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AND; SINCE ON THE SAME RADIO CHANNEL; NOTED THAT WE WOULD BE LNDG IN THE SAME FIELD. BOTH CREWS WERE WAITING AT THE LNDG SITE. SINCE WE WERE SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER; I GRADUALLY DSNDED TO HIS LOWER ALT AND WE BOTH DSNDED GRADUALLY TO THE LNDG SITE XING ONLY A COUPLE HUNDRED FT ABOVE THE CLOSEST HOUSES; WITH THE BALLOONS 'KISSING' BARELY AT THE ENVELOPE OUTER EDGES. WE RADIOED TO EACH OTHER AS TO THE SPECIFIC LNDG POINTS IN THE FIELD WITH EXCELLENT LNDGS OCCURRING. NOTE THAT SINCE I HAD LIVED IN THE AREA FOR 12 YRS I KNEW THAT THE AREA BEYOND THE LNDG SITE WAS FULL OF PWR LINES AND COULD NOT EASILY BE CROSSED BY SUNSET. WE MUST MAKE BETTER ANALYSIS OF LAUNCH SITE VERSES WIND SPD IF THE WINDS CALM DOWN. IF THEY PICK UP; YOU CAN ALWAYS HIT YOUR TARGET LNDG SITE; BUT IF THEY CALM DOWN YOU GET STUCK OVER CONGESTED AREA. TRY TO AVOID LAUNCHING OR LNDG IN CONGESTED AREAS.