When they weren’t in the air, pilots (from left) Nick Peacock, Bill Sax, Eric Hoolihan and Herb Ballou took on a number of projects in their host community of Watford City, including construction of a new playground near the city’s visitor center.

Community spirits soar with the efforts of UND Pilots

By Brenda Haugen

Four UND pilots used their downtime during a weather modification project to spread a little sunshine in Watford City last summer. And townspeople say the positive impact will remain in that western North Dakota community for years.

“Their presence here this summer was a great public relations boost for the Weather Mod Project, not only in our area but for the entire state,” McKenzie County Treasurer Linda Svihovec said. “These young men will be greatly missed.”

Bill Sax, a UND graduate prior to his summer in Watford City, and Herb Ballou, who graduated from UND in May, were hired by Weather Modification, Inc., as pilots in its cloud-seeding program. Through a program sponsored by the North Dakota Atmospheric Resource Board, the pilots were joined by interns and commercial aviation students Eric Hoolihan and Nick Peacock.

The goals of the weather modification project are to extend growing seasons, increase rainfall, and limit crop hail damage, said Darin Langerud, Atmospheric Resource Board director. The work is entirely weather-dependent, and the pilots were on call 24/7.

“You can’t plan ahead at all,” Ballou said.

While the pilots received daily weather updates at noon, they had to be available even on projected clear days. If a storm popped up, planes and pilots were ready. Hoolihan said he loved not knowing what he’d be doing from one moment to the next.

“I enjoyed the 2 a.m. calls,” he said. “You learn quickly not to leave your cell phone behind.” But the region’s often sunny weather meant there would be many hours they weren’t in the cockpit. That’s when Watford City residents called with requests for help, often in exchange for home-cooked meals.

“I didn’t have a problem at all finding something to do every day,” Hoolihan said.

If they weren’t flying, the pilots were happy to help in the community, regardless of the task. The biggest project? Building a new playground. Folks in town had worked for a year to raise funds for the structure. Located across the street from the city’s new visitor center, the facility gives children an opportunity to play when their parents stop for information. Sometimes, Svihovec said, it even entices parents to make unplanned stops. And the local children love it.

The playground, with slides, swings, ropes, and forts, took a week and lots of effort to construct. Svihovec said the pilots’ expertise with tools really came in handy.

“It’s not your ordinary playground,” she said. “The UND pilots were valuable assets. They were there every single day from 9 to 9. Some of those days were 100 degrees. That’s when members of our community said, ‘We really love these guys.’”

“We’d get back and just scrape off the sawdust and sweat at the end of the day,” Hoolihan said. “Those were five really long days, but they fed us, which was nice.”

The pilots became valued members of the 1,500-member Watford City community. They helped set up and tear down the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, helped move equipment at the Wellness Center, mowed the city’s golf course, and even competed on
the local coed softball team.

“Every day was something new,” Hoolihan said. “We had a lot of fun.” Ballou agreed. He said he was on his way to pick up his mail with Sax when they met a woman from the local Chamber of Commerce who was searching for nonpartisan judges for a barbecued ribfest contest in town. When she saw the two pilots, she knew they fit the bill, and they jumped at the opportunity.

Hoolihan said working on the weather modification project included some of the most enjoyable time he’s spent flying an airplane. Though Ballou admits that the odd hours could prove a little difficult, he enjoyed it so much that he’s spent two summers in the internship. He hopes the work they accomplished in Watford City reflects well on both the weather modification project and the University of North Dakota.

The pilots often promoted the weather modification project and UND when meeting people and were happy to answer questions, Svihovec said. Their positive attitudes and friendly faces made them approachable.

“Being from UND shaped us,” Ballou said. “I hope we had a positive impact.”