Examine  Figure 3-12  in Chapter 3. If the pilot can make  the mental extrapolation between known wind directions  at different altitudes and the desired direction of travel,  maneuvering the balloon becomes a simple exercise in direct  control, that is, vertical movement.  determine what is happening between the balloon and the  ground, watch other balloons, if any. Another means of checking winds below is to drop a very  light object and watch it descend to the ground. However,  exercise caution with this method. Title 14 of the Code of  Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 91 allows objects to be  dropped from the air that will not harm anything below.  14 CFR section 91.15, Dropping Objects, states “No pilot  in command of a civil aircraft may allow any object to be  dropped from that aircraft in flight that creates a hazard to  persons or property. However, this section does not prohibit  the dropping of any object if reasonable precautions are taken  to avoid injury or damage to persons or property.” Some items that may dropped without creating a hazard are  small, air-filled toy balloons, small balls made of a single  piece of tissue, or a small glob of shaving cream from an  aerosol can. A facial tissue, about 8" x 8", rolled into a  sphere about the size of a ping-pong ball works well. These  balls fall at about 350 fpm, can be seen for several hundred  feet, and are convenient to carry. Counting as the tissue ball  descends, a pilot can estimate the heights of wind changes  by comparing times to the ground with the altimeter reading.  Experiment by dropping some of these objects, practice  reading the indications, and plan accordingly. Contour flying may be the most fun and most challenging,  but, at the same time, may also be the most hazardous and  misunderstood of all balloon flight maneuvers. A good  definition of contour flying is flying safely at low altitude,  while obeying all regulations, considering persons, animals,  and property on the ground. Safe contour flying means never  creating a hazard to persons in the basket or on the ground,  or to any property, including the balloon.  [Figure 7-7]  At first glance, the definition is subjective. One person’s  hazard may be another person’s fun. For instance, a person  who has never seen a balloon before may think a basket  touching the surface of a lake is dangerous, while the pilot  may think a splash-and-dash is fun. Legal contour flying has a precise definition. While the  FAA has not specifically defined contour, it has specified  exactly what minimum safe altitudes are. 14 CFR part 91,  section 91.119, refers to three different areas: anywhere,  over congested areas, and over other than congested areas,  including open water and sparsely populated areas. There are several methods of accurately determining the  balloon’s direction at any given moment, particularly with  the advent of low-cost hand-held global positioning system  (GPS) units. However, the pilot should be familiar with  “old-school” methods, as GPS units break or fall overboard,  and batteries fail. More balloonists are issued FAA violations for low flying  than for any other reason. Many pilots do not understand the  minimum safe altitude regulation. Many balloonists believe  the regulation was written for heavier-than-air aircraft and  that it does not apply to balloons. That is a false belief; the  regulation was written to protect persons and property on  the ground and it applies to all aircraft, including balloons.  Since this regulation is so important to balloonists, the  following is the applicable portion of 14 CFR part 91, section  91.119—Minimum safe altitudes: General. The pilot should first be positioned in the front of the basket,  relative to the direction of flight. Then, the pilot should create  a “sight picture,” using part of the basket’s superstructure,  making an allowance for any possible spin of the basket, and  then select a landmark along the route of flight. This process  takes a few seconds if the landmark does not change position  in relation to the “sight picture.” Then, the line that may be  drawn between the balloon’s current position and the selected  landmark is the ground track of the balloon. It is important  that the pilot maintain a constant altitude while performing  this evaluation; any change in altitude may put the balloon  into a different wind flow, which requires the evaluation to  be performed again.  It can be helpful to carry a magnetic sighting compass on  the flight. Identifying the bearings to a couple of distant  landmarks and comparing this to the ground track can provide  useful information to the balloon pilot.  “Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person  may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes: (a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit  fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to  persons or property on the surface. (b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a  city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly  of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest  obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the  aircraft. 7-8 Minimum Safe Altitude Requirements Direction Contour Flying