World View gets new lease from Pima County
Because the original lease was ruled unconstitutional under the Arizona state constitution, Pima County yesterday approved a new lease for the high altitude balloon company World View.
The original deal had the county build the building. World View would lease it for 20 years, guarantee employment of 400 people, and then buy the facility for $10 at the end of the lease. This was ruled unconstitutional.
Lesher said [the new lease] will give the county more flexibility and a safeguard when it comes to those terms and they’ll be able to base the appraisal price on a percentage of the fair market value. Another big change – the employee benchmark has been significantly lowered. In the original contract, World View was required to hire 400 workers, now that’s down to 125.
Until more details are provided, it is unclear what has changed to make the new deal acceptable to the courts. I suspect the big change is that World View will not have an option to buy for $10.
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Because the original lease was ruled unconstitutional under the Arizona state constitution, Pima County yesterday approved a new lease for the high altitude balloon company World View.
The original deal had the county build the building. World View would lease it for 20 years, guarantee employment of 400 people, and then buy the facility for $10 at the end of the lease. This was ruled unconstitutional.
Lesher said [the new lease] will give the county more flexibility and a safeguard when it comes to those terms and they’ll be able to base the appraisal price on a percentage of the fair market value. Another big change – the employee benchmark has been significantly lowered. In the original contract, World View was required to hire 400 workers, now that’s down to 125.
Until more details are provided, it is unclear what has changed to make the new deal acceptable to the courts. I suspect the big change is that World View will not have an option to buy for $10.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
“the county violated the state’s gift clause by building the $14 million headquarters for the company”
Seems to me all you need to launch a balloon is a vacant lot. I watched one launch from the parking lot of a pizza restaurant once.
It’s more than just a launch pad for a hot air balloon. It’s got the corporate offices – you know, finance, human relations (to help employees relate to humans, presumably), marketing etc. Plus it would have facilities for building and maintaining the balloons and gondolas (picture assembly area and one or more balloon hangers to store, inspect and maintain). Plus, I am sure the passengers expect a full scale reception area and lounge – not a shed or “stand over there” – to greet them once they arrive. Catering facilities to serve both the lounge and gondolas with potables and comestbles, of course You also need a base for the recovery equipment, vehicles and crew – methinks we’re not talking about the pick up truck my buddy, a hot air pilot used. And communication, flight prep and crew locker facilities. I am sure, I’ve left some items out. Think small airline and you’ll get the idea.
Just to emphasize – this is a hydrogen balloon, not a hot-air balloon. A hot-air balloon would have to be much larger to be capable of lifting such a weight to such an altitude.
I am not implying that commenters here are claiming it is a hot – air balloon, only reminding readers that there is an unfortunate tendency to assume that any modern balloon uses hot – air.
Hydrogen has been the lifting gas of choice for most of the history of ballooning. For applications such as this, only hydrogen or helium are feasible, and likely only hydrogen is affordable.
My impression is that the built-in parachute system would survive any hydrogen explosion, as it is located below the balloon.
Ray Van Dune: World View’s balloons use helium, not hydrogen. See:
https://worldview.space/technology-and-safety/
Apologies to all, but the reference I looked up specifically said hydrogen, but of course now I can’t find it!
No it wasn’t Wikipedia or ChatGPT.