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Aviation History
1979
1979 - 4517.PDF
'.-v.:S'.'.Vi''"••.->•.".''.;:""-'.";; •?*\^ Balloon Fiesta breaks all records by JOHN WILKINSON T HIS year's eighth annual Inter national Balloon Fiesta at Albu querque, New Mexico, broke all records for balloon meets. Four hun dred balloons came from all over America with solitary entries from Britain, Belgium and Canada. Albuquerque is claimed to be the capital of modern-day ballooning and the annual Fiesta seems to prove the point. But the city also has some notable ballooning residents to sup port this claim. Ben Abruzzo and Maxie Anderson of transatlantic balloon fame live here. The current world hot-air balloon xhampion, Paul Woessner, lives in Albuquerque, as does the current woman's world altitude record holder, Sue Hazlett. The city, which now covers more than 87 square miles, lies on the banks of the Rio Grande under the shadow of the 10,600ft Sandia Mountains. These mountains affect the weather in Albuquerque considerably. For balloonists they provide the best weather in the world. The dry, hot and dusty climate benefits from light winds most of the year. The mountains also produce a local phenomenon in wind direction called "the box," in which the wind changes direction through 180° in as little as 200ft vertically. So it is possible for a balloon to take off and land in the same spot. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the Fiesta is that the whole city becomes involved. Balloonists are made to feel welcome wherever they go. For example, a pizza restaurant offered a free drink to any balloonist who landed in the car park. The increasingly busy airport willingly co-operates, and the local police stop traffic to let a chase vehicle into a field or car park. The history of the Fiesta dates back to June 1971. Sid Cutter of Cutter Flying Services, the local Beech dealer, decided to buy a balloon as the centrepiece for his mother's birth day party. The balloon was tethered with Sid in the basket. Things went well until someone decided to release the tethering rope and Sid made his first unintentional flight. He has now obtained his licence. Later in the year Sid, with some friends, formed the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association and the first Fiesta was held with 16 balloons. The following year the first world hot-air balloon championships were held at Albuquerque and the Fiesta had become an important event on the calendar. In 1975, 170 balloons attended and this had risen to 273 balloons in 1978. This year's event was thus the world's biggest balloon meet. The Fiesta is a relaxed affair, but safety is not thrown to the wind. There is a large complement of launch directors and safety officers. Mass ascends for which the Fiesta is famous, take place at weekends with competition flying in the week. It is not mandatory to take part, but those pilots who do win prizes and, for the Americans, points gained go towards the national pilot grading for the championships. The competitions usually involve a "hare and hounds," in which one balloon takes off and the rest follow. The winner is the closest "hound" balloon to land next to the hare. Another favourite com petition is the "tumbleweed drop," in which a pilot has to drop a tumble- weed onto a cross. With the immense numbers of balloons this year, the hare and hounds was often flown with three or four hare balloons, and the launch site was soon strewn with tumbleweeds. I missed the opening mass ascen sion but arrived in time to see the grand parade of balloonists through the city. All the balloonists decorated their chase vehicles and drove through the streets accom panied by vintage cars, clowns, and what looked like a remnant of the US Cavalry. This year, with 400 balloon vehicles and associated followers, it took more than two hours. The mass ascension on Sunday had to be done in two waves, since there was just not enough room on the launch field to lay out 400 balloons. Wave One took to the air at 7.30 a.m., followed by wave two at 8.30 a.m. Because of the box wind con dition, the first wave returned over the field as the second wave took off. This produced an air-traffic congestion problem as the sky was already full of balloons. It was solved by sending wave two out at low level before they climbed to join the multitude over head. The sight of 400 multicoloured balloons against a clear blue sky was unforgettable. It was estimated that 40,000 spectators were at the launch field, with many roped in to help balloon crews. The organisers believe that if people can see ballooning at close quarters, they will become more airminded and perhaps join the ballooning fraternity. One problem that did develop was dust, and by the end of the launch a thick haze hung over the launch field. On Tuesday, I decided to see Albuquerque from the air. Bill Bussy, who flies a Barnes Firefly balloon, offered to take me up. One of the most noticeable things about American ballooning is power wires. A town like Albuquerque is littered with them. This makes landing difficult as they always seem to appear on suitable landing areas and are also a lot taller than the English variety. The weather was also intriguing. One minute you can be flying at a comfortable 12kt and then you are suddenly becalmed. So you climb 200ft and then find your self flying at lOkt in the opposite direction. Wednesday morning was devoted to the International Scout competition. The keys of two brand-new Scout pick ups are placed on top of 10ft poles. Balloons have to launch at least two miles away and try and fly to them. The pilot is not allowed to hang out of the basket in his attempt and if he
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