Bang Fai Rockets Pose Hazard To Flights: Special Report

[Bagwan]

Interesting but not as entertaining as Spike Milligan's Irish rocket to the Moon. Check it out on YouTube.

[Just1Voice]

Hypothetically, one of these, at maximum velocity, could definitely wreck some havoc slamming into the body or wing of an aircraft. And could create a possible multiple death situation if one of them happened to be sucked into the intake of a jet engine, or hit the blades of a prop engine.

Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it couldn't.

[wildorchid]

government trying to control people and custom and culture,

1. kom loy (balloons) in Chiang Mai making problems with air craft,
2. can not ride in pick up and throw water, Songkran
3. now ban fai is now a problem,

just make at limited times and days.

Thailand has a lot more things to worry about than such small things like this

[Card]

It will need an incident involving an airliner before these rockets and the hot air balloons are even considered for banning of sale and use.

[hellodolly]

Pretty impressive ... good demonstration of Isaan ingenuity. I know some posters here consider the northeastern farmers to be not much smarter than water buffalo, but perhaps this will show them how far off they are in their 'assessment'. But I doubt it. They will likely simply find something else to criticize them for (like 'why are they having a festival when they should be working'?).

Anyway, after they ban this festival because of a threat to air traffic, they should ban the fire lanterns because they could start a fire, and should ban Songkran because a bike could slip on the water, etc etc. Then we can be safe and bored in front of our TVs.

Go to America they have laws against every thing that might go wrong 1 out of a trillion times.

[Cuban]

Hypothetically, one of these, at maximum velocity, could definitely wreck some havoc slamming into the body or wing of an aircraft. And could create a possible multiple death situation if one of them happened to be sucked into the intake of a jet engine, or hit the blades of a prop engine.

Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it couldn't.

Seems there are a lot of self appointed Health & Safety experts in tonight. Please check the commercial flight paths over Thailand in relation to the known and well publicised Bang Fai Naga launch sites and days of competition. I know some locals that do their test firings and they are not rocket scientists by any means but not daft either, they observe some safety practices as there are plenty of cases where a rocket made from a water pipe becomes a pipe-bomb if not well designed. the mixing of the 'gunpowder' is almost always a bought in product and not home-made, it's just too dangerous even for Somchai.

Away from the airport planes will be at 8 - 10,000 ft and climbing and there are few commercial routes that come close to the launch sites anyway. Roi-Et airport being an exception but affecting a few flights over the festival weekend.

As for keen farang rocketeers, I wouldn't touch them with a barge-pole. Where a Thai "owned" rocket where to hit someone/something the damages will be discussed and resolved locally. When your wallet gets involved it will be an open ended liability situation.

We bought loads of the small 15cm toy rockets for about 2 Baht each, amusing.

As for why they do this, the origin is in farming to deliver Silver Iodine into a rain baring cloud to encourage rain, it's called cloud seeding: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_seeding In Thai competition the objective is straight flight or maximum height.

Related: http://www.universetoday.com/16728/the-chinese-weather-manipulation-missile-olympics/

Don't ban it - go enjoy it.

[HarryMilton]

It will need an incident involving an airliner before these rockets and the hot air balloons are even considered for banning of sale and use.

The rockets cannot be bought, they're homemade.

[IsaanUSA]

This is one of those things that I would really like to see some day. Homemade fireworks / rockets? I'm in for that!!

[HeavyDrinker]

This is one of those things that I would really like to see some day. Homemade fireworks / rockets? I'm in for that!!

You've missed them this year (as far as I know) however you really should make the effort. It's the best thing in the world.

Beer, wenches, friendly folks and loud explosions....

Can't fault it...

[Tywais]

This video is a pretty good representation of the party mood - wenches and all. Have to admit, does look like it could be a lot of fun. Maybe next year.

[hawker9000]

Here's an idea, have a safety officer who has a schedule of flights in the area and some kind of communication with airports in the area. Planes are only at 10,000 ft during climb out and decent.

It's not rocket science.

That's true for commercial aircraft. But most small GA aircraft can't get much above 10K ft if at all. If one of these rockets can do significant damage to an airliner, they must be able to blow a small acft to pieces! I wouldn't think you could even any longer SEE one of these Bang Fai rockets at 10,000ft from the ground; what's the point of sending them that high?

[IsaanUSA]

what's the point of sending them that high?

Competition. Pride. Excitement. What's the point of anything?

[Joe Mamma]

When they started banning fireworks on 4th of july in America, Myself and the rest of the neighborhood kids made a run to Mexico and got the very first M-1000's, among other goodies.

We celebrated our tadition with zeal.

[Oxpilot]

What a potential headline, " domestic flight brought down by friendly fire, government vows to crack down ".

In 1998 I was a Capt at Orient. I was flying a trip from Udorn back to Chiang Mai and the flight path went directly over my wifes farm. We passed over at about 5,000 feet climbing. two weeks later when visiting I was told that my brother-in-law had just lit the fuse on a large bangfai when he saw a lower than normal airliner approaching from the direction of the airport. he pulled out the fuse and that was it. But after hearing the story I gave my son the name "Bangfai" for his middle name.

Just a family story, but maybe of interest. Could it have "shot us down"? I doubt it, but those huge ones could. if it was still burning and hit a fuel tank or hit the cockpit, then sure it could. Probably an airliner would not be knocked down, but it is possible.

The people firing these things have no concept of how to limit the range. And it is a souce of pride if yours goes the highest.

[Noistar]

If the government puts the same zeal into dealing with the problem, as they do into dealing with ILLEGAL crop burning in Northern Thailand ....................................

[Noistar]

Pretty impressive ... good demonstration of Isaan ingenuity. I know some posters here consider the northeastern farmers to be not much smarter than water buffalo, but perhaps this will show them how far off they are in their 'assessment'. But I doubt it. They will likely simply find something else to criticize them for (like 'why are they having a festival when they should be working'?).

Anyway, after they ban this festival because of a threat to air traffic, they should ban the fire lanterns because they could start a fire, and should ban Songkran because a bike could slip on the water, etc etc. Then we can be safe and bored in front of our TVs.

Or maybe there's a middle road?

Oops, sorry, TIT, inaction is the best policy.

[Docno]

Pretty impressive ... good demonstration of Isaan ingenuity. I know some posters here consider the northeastern farmers to be not much smarter than water buffalo, but perhaps this will show them how far off they are in their 'assessment'. But I doubt it. They will likely simply find something else to criticize them for (like 'why are they having a festival when they should be working'?).

Anyway, after they ban this festival because of a threat to air traffic, they should ban the fire lanterns because they could start a fire, and should ban Songkran because a bike could slip on the water, etc etc. Then we can be safe and bored in front of our TVs.

Or maybe there's a middle road?

Oops, sorry, TIT, inaction is the best policy.

'Inaction' IS the middle road. I learned that after 14 years in Singapore, which the rest of the world mistakenly believed was an oppressive police state. The technical word for 'inaction' in this context is 'selective enforcement'. It means that there lots of laws on the books, but they are only enforced when necessary (i.e., when people are clearly put at risk or there are significant complaints from the general population. For example, there were only a couple of legal 'red light' districts in Singapore (which, alone, surprises a lot of people), but there are places where large numbers of 'female tourists in skimpy outfits' congregate without having to worry about the police (some will have heard of 'Orchid Towers' for instance). The laws are on the books so enforcement can be done quickly when necessary (usually preceded with a warning), but it gives the authorities a lot of flexibility, Thailand and other Asian countries follow this model to some extent, but it is of course undermined by police corruption (where individual officers can decide to 'enforce' a law capriciously to make a little tea money). Still, I prefer it to the more black-and-white enforcement seen in a lot of western countries (and I used to work with the police!).

[Sydebolle]

Many years ago a flight from Chiang Mai, bound for Bangkok, did an unscheduled landing in Buriram and one passenger got off. I never found out, who the person was but now I think that maybe, just maybe, the plane deviated the rockets flying all over the place?

[Noistar]

Pretty impressive ... good demonstration of Isaan ingenuity. I know some posters here consider the northeastern farmers to be not much smarter than water buffalo, but perhaps this will show them how far off they are in their 'assessment'. But I doubt it. They will likely simply find something else to criticize them for (like 'why are they having a festival when they should be working'?).

Anyway, after they ban this festival because of a threat to air traffic, they should ban the fire lanterns because they could start a fire, and should ban Songkran because a bike could slip on the water, etc etc. Then we can be safe and bored in front of our TVs.

Or maybe there's a middle road?

Oops, sorry, TIT, inaction is the best policy.

'Inaction' IS the middle road. I learned that after 14 years in Singapore, which the rest of the world mistakenly believed was an oppressive police state. The technical word for 'inaction' in this context is 'selective enforcement'. It means that there lots of laws on the books, but they are only enforced when necessary (i.e., when people are clearly put at risk or there are significant complaints from the general population. For example, there were only a couple of legal 'red light' districts in Singapore (which, alone, surprises a lot of people), but there are places where large numbers of 'female tourists in skimpy outfits' congregate without having to worry about the police (some will have heard of 'Orchid Towers' for instance). The laws are on the books so enforcement can be done quickly when necessary (usually preceded with a warning), but it gives the authorities a lot of flexibility, Thailand and other Asian countries follow this model to some extent, but it is of course undermined by police corruption (where individual officers can decide to 'enforce' a law capriciously to make a little tea money). Still, I prefer it to the more black-and-white enforcement seen in a lot of western countries (and I used to work with the police!).

As a police employee, presumably you witnessed discretion in how the law WAS applied, rather than IF it was applied.

I feel that the motorcycle laws should be enforced vigorously for the benefit of riders and more importantly innocent 'bystanders'. A 3-up motorbike driven by helmet-less school girls is an accident waiting to happen. But the policy of inaction clearly shows that Thai society puts a low priority on life. If these illegally ridden machines veer into unsuspecting pedestrians/other road users, who's to blame?

At least when the law is enforced there is some protection. I assume that laws are implemented for some purpose.

TIT