BFA Continuing Education Program

The BFA Continuing Education Program sets criteria for BFA sanctioned hot air balloon seminars and approves annual programs based on those criteria.

Program Types:

Core Subject includes a total of eight class hours and at least an hour spent on the six core subject categories:

Weather FAR’s (14CFR) Pilot Decision Making Ground and Crew Safety

Maintenance & Repair Balloon Accidents.

Other presentations are generally classified as Enrichment.

Single Subject is similar to a core subject program yet does not address all six core subjects but spends six hours on at least one core subject category.

Special Subject still includes eight hours of class time but is not limited to six hour of general core subject categories. It will focus on enrichment.

Open Sanction may be awarded on an annual basis to organizers with a history of successful seminars. The program requirements remain the same, only the approval process is changed.

Program Schedules:

Programs can be scheduled as a single day, two day, both considered as a single event. Phased seminars can be a series of shorter events over multiple weeks or months. Phased programs beyond six months are discouraged. A phased seminar format with an open sanction can offer proven organizers flexibility for their programs.

Seminar Schedule

>In all cases except for an open sanction, a pre-planned schedule is necessary for approval.

>The class time does not include breaks or administrative tasks that do not address the core subjects or enrichment.

>Lunch can be used as class time if there is an organized presentation or moderated discussion.

>Consider some break time in morning or afternoon.

>Each presentation can be wholly allocated to one subject category or have time split to several categories.

>Total class time must sum to eight hours

Instructors

>The instructors must be knowledgeable in the subject of their presentation and prepared for the event.

>At the time of application, a list of proposed instructors with qualifications and intended subjects is necessary.

Seminar Venue

>The venue of any event must be conducive to learning.

>Successful venues include rented meeting halls, public meeting rooms, school class rooms or lecture halls or church facilities.

>A location free of distractions, comfortable for eight hours of class time, good acoustics and lighting is necessary.

Questionnaires:

>A form is included in the SeminarRecordForm.xls file that can be filled with the various presenters and subjects, printed and passed out for attendee evaluation.

>Following the event, evaluate the forms, then compile the data on the ‘Evaluation Summary’ tab.

>Data from the attendee questionnaire is useful for speaker evaluations and general quality control of the program.