INFLUENCES OF HOT-AIR BALLOON CROSSINGS O N ANIMALS IN THE OPEN-AIR

Since the middle of the eighties owners of animals increasingly claime d compensation from balloon pilots. They asserted, that their animals got restless due to strange optical and acoustical stimuli caused by l ow altitude crossing of hot-air balloons and were damaged while trying to get out of the way or to escape. Very low altitude ''Contour cross ing'' of hot-air balloons, mainly forming the basis of complaints, is only left possible in a limited degree in Germany since the air traffi c regulations were changed to a higher minimum safety altitude (Air Tr affic Act, LuftVO, version of March 21, 1995) and the violating balloo n pilot may be disciplined. The paper is dealing with the principle of hot-air ballooning, with the feasibility of the pilot to avoid and re strict damages, with the possibilities to assign damages to a potentia l cause and with the legal basis.