THE FAA AND ESSENTIAL WORKERS

According to William D. Sapp, Acting Manager of the FAA regional Flight Standards District Office, "The FAA has not issued an all stop order concerning aviation activities. Balloon fights are not violating FAA regulations."

Essential workers and services are not subject to the statewide stay at home order. This is based on updates to California's public COVID 19 website and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs).

The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 1, Section 1 (14 CFR 1.1) - Define aircraft to include Balloons, both through gas buoyancy or an airborne heater. Civil aircraft include balloons in both Class 1 and Class 2 of aircraft. Commercial operator is also defined in this same section.

The new California COVID 19 website covid19.ca.gov now defines Essential jobs by sector. Under section 6. Transportation and Logistics, it now includes a NEW paragraph (I have bolded the text for emphasis):

Aviation includes aircraft, air traffic control systems, and airports, heliports, and landing strips. Commercial aviation services at civil and joint-use military airports, heliports, and sea plane bases. In addition, the aviation mode includes commercial and recreational aircraft (manned and unmanned) and a wide variety of support services, such as aircraft repair stations, fueling facilities, navigation aids, and flight schools.

Simple reasoning means that the Essential Workforce includes commercial and recreational aircraft (manned and unmanned), where aircraft includes balloons with airborne heater. Another way of saying Hot Air Balloon.

The covid19.ca.gov/essential-workforce/ also states (under Section 6. Transportation and Logistics, further down past the sub sectors, Essential workforce, if remote working is not practical):

17. Employees who repair and maintain vehicles, aircraft, rail equipment, marine vessels, bicycles, and the equipment and infrastructure that enables operations that encompass movement of cargo and passengers.

18. Workers who support air transportation for cargo and passengers, including operation distribution, maintenance, and sanitation. This includes air traffic controllers, flight dispatchers, maintenance personnel, ramp workers, fueling agents, flight crews, airport safety inspectors and engineers, airport operations personnel, aviation and aerospace safety workers, security, commercial space personnel, operations personnel, accident investigators, flight instructors, and other on- and off-airport facilities workers.

The bold text applies to our staff descriptions specifically. We can't maintain and prep our equipment, nor train our workers without being able to get to our facilities and flight zones. BASED ON THIS LOGIC, WE ARE ESSENTIAL AFTER ALL!