How to Become the Serviceperson for BB Balloon Types

How to Become the Serviceperson for BB Balloon Types?

Kubicek Balloons organizes two types of courses. These are focused on examinations and maintenance (check up duty) as well as repairs (manual duty of service technician) of BB Type hot-air balloons. Courses take place at the Kubicek Balloons site in Brno and are lead by professional technicians accredited by Civil Aviation Authority of the Czech Republic.
It is easy to sign up through our Sales Departement. If necessary, our sales managers can help you accommodations, too.
To be enrolled in a course, you need only to fill out a form with all your information. We need to know which course you would like to attend, what experience you already have, and what knowledge you are looking for. Please send the completed form to service@kubicekballoons.cz or fax it to: +420 545 422 621.

Courses we Offer
Type Course - to receive authorization to perform annual inspections of Kubicek hot-air balloons. This course takes one day.
Service Course - to receive authorization to perform maintenance and repairs of Kubicek hot-air balloons. The duration of this course will be recommended by its chief, depending on the existing knowledge and needs of the applicant.

Course types and contents
Type Course targets those who want to perform regular balloon examinations for their own operations or for others. The course takes the apprentices through the basics of balloon construction, focusing step by step on what and where to check a balloon and where problems may occur. The course is not focused on repairs, only on regular and basic maintenance.
Service Course targets those who want to perform full balloon maintenance according to the Maintenance Manual and Approved Maintenance Organisation. To be able to put the balloon back into operation after a repair, it is necessary that at least one staff member of an organization has Type Course Certificate.

Who is eligible to attend the Type or Service Courses?
Type Course applicants should have at least basic knowledge about hot-air balloons and their construction. Sometimes there are more applicants from one organization who each apply for a only certain part of the course (envelope maintenance technician, basket or burner maintenance technician). This means that it is not necessary for one person to learn all the technical maintenance details of all parts of the system.
Service Course applicants can also apply for partial training rather than whole system training. An applicant interested in qualifications for envelope repairs should prove the basic ability to sew envelope parts. Applicants interested in qualifications for basket, burners, and other equipment repairs should prove basic knowledge of assembly techniques.
Participating and completing the Service Course does not enable a person to permit the balloon to be put into operation, unless this person also has a Type Course Certificate. A balloon can be put back into operation by a Type Course certified person who examines the balloon after the repair.

Qualification certificates
Type Course apprentices receive a Type Test Certificate after the training and successful examination. An example of this certificate can be found in attachment number 2 of this document. Certificates evaluate the knowledge of particular parts of its holder. It allows the holder to perform examinations, repairs, and practical maintenance of particular balloon parts.
This certificate should be also used for receiving Organization Approval for Maintenance Performance and Repairs from your country's Civil Aviation Authority. Without this authority approval, our certificate does not enable you to perform such work on balloons for other operators or on balloon used for aerial works. This restriction is valid in the Czech Republic and in EU countries. Elsewhere it is necessary to check with the local aviation authority.
Another document is the Approval Certificate. This document allows the bearer to perform maintenance and repairs to the extent stated, which is based on tested knowledge in Type tests, or alternatively according to the knowledge obtained in the Service Course.

Course conditions
At least two participants should be signed up for a course.
It is necessary to enroll in the course at least a month in advance. Three weeks prior to the course date, confirmation and details will be sent to the participants.

Related Documents

• Questionnaire for an Applicant of Type Course / Service Course [PDF - 87 kB]
• Type Certificate - sample [PDF - 51 kB]
• Approval Certificate - sample [PDF - 52 kB]