Some favorite sighting objects are a power pole as the near  object and the line of a road, field, or orchard as the far  object—lines may be observed moving up and down the  poles. Water towers with checkerboard or striped markings  are also good sighting objects. Vigilance is required for  constant scanning of the terrain along the flightpath, and  the pilot must be alert to avoid becoming fixated on sighting  objects. Again, the pilot should look where he or she is going,  not where he or she has been. When flying in proximity to  other balloons, particularly at lower altitudes, it is easy to  become fixated on the other balloon(s) and attempt to follow  their lead. The balloon pilot should remember to fly his or  her balloon and let the other pilots fly theirs.  When flying at low altitude, the pilot must be vigilant for  obstacles, especially powerlines and traffic, and not rely  solely on instruments inside the basket. The pilot should  always face the direction of travel, especially at low altitude.  The pilot’s feet and shoulders should be facing forward. The  pilot should turn only his or her head from side to side (not  the entire body) to gauge altitude and to detect or confirm  climbs and descents. Facing the direction of flight cannot  be overemphasized; there are many National Transportation  Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA accident reports describing  balloon contacts with ground obstacles because the pilot was  looking in another direction. Contour flying requires somewhat shorter burns than  the standard burn. To fly at low altitudes requires half or  quarter burns. One disadvantage in using small burns is the  possibility of losing track of the heat being created. Precise  altitude control requires special burner techniques. Another  hazard of a series of too small burns is the accumulation  of added heat before the effects of the last burn have been  evaluated. The balloon actually responds to a burn 6 to 15  seconds after the burner is used.  The particular pleasures of contour flying can best be enjoyed  in a balloon. It is wonderful to fly at low level over the trees,  drop down behind an orchard, float across a pond just off  the water, watch jackrabbits scatter—see sights up close.  No other aircraft can perform low level contour flying as  safely as in a balloon, and in no other aircraft is the flight  as beautiful. Contour flying can be great fun, but remember  that the balloon should always be flown at legal, safe, and  considerate altitudes. One technique to determine if the balloon is ascending,  flying level, or descending is to sight potential obstacles in  the flightpath of the balloon, such as the power lines shown  in  Figure 7-10 . As the balloon approaches the wires, the pilot  should determine how the wires (or other obstacles) are moving  in his or her field of vision relative to the background. If they  are moving up in the pilot’s field of vision (shown by the red  arrow), or staying stationary, then the balloon is on a descent  that may place the pilot and passengers at risk. Conversely,  if the wires are moving down in the pilot’s field of vision (as  indicated by the green arrow), then the balloon is either in level  flight or ascending, and able to clear the obstacle.  The line between contour flying and unsafe, inconsiderate,  and misunderstood practices can sometimes be very fine. Observers often misinterpret aborted landings on the ground  as buzzing or rude flying. Sometimes landing sites seem to be  elusive. A typical situation is the pilot descending to land at an  appropriate site, but miscalculating the winds below and the  balloon turns away from the open field toward a farmhouse.  The farmer sees the balloon descend, turn towards the house,  and, with noisy burners roaring, zoom back into the air and  proceed. The pilot was not being rude or inconsiderate, just  inexperienced. The pilot did not mean to swoop down to buzz  the house; the wind had changed. If the pilot had watched  something drop from the basket to gauge the winds below or  been more observant, the pilot would have known the balloon  would turn towards the house as it descended. A squirt of  shaving foam from an aerosol can or a small piece of rolled  up tissue could have alerted the pilot of the different wind  at lower altitudes. Two or three of these swoops over a sparsely populated area,  and people on the ground may not only think the pilot is  buzzing houses, some people may think the pilot is having  a problem and is in trouble. That is when the well-meaning  landowner calls the police to report a “balloon in trouble.”  Flying too close to a house (a friend’s house, for example)  to say hello, dragging the field, or giving people a thrill by  flying too low over a gathering are examples of buzzing,  which is illegal and can be hazardous. 7-11 Contour Flying Cautions — Aborted Landings $_{Figure 7-10}$  The movement of the power lines either up or down in  the pilot’s field of vision can indicate whether or not the balloon  has sufficient obstacle clearance.