Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Gas Balloon Race Suspense Over - Unofficial Winners Declared
America's Challenge Ends With American Team Going the Greatest Distance
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - 1:20 PM MT - At 1:03 PM today Balloon Fiesta officials announced that the American Team of Richard Abruzzo, and Carol Rymer-Davis had landed around 8:25 AM after flying 1,100 miles. They landed safely about 40 miles SE of Duluth, just short of Lake Superior.
The Fricke/Cuneo team, also from America, flew 1,020 miles from Albuquerque to land safely shortly after 8:30 AM near Hinckley, Minnesota, Southwest of Duluth and North of Minneapolis.
The German/American team of Willie Eimers and Greg Winker finished third, landing near Waco, Texas late yesterday afternoon. The American team of Mark Sullivan (Balloon Fiesta board member and creator of this prestigious event) and Cheri White are the apparent fourth-place winners.
If declared official, this will be Richard Abruzzo's third America's Challenge victory. In 1995 Abruzzo won the first America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race, flying 1,393 miles in 60.2 hours. His co-pilot for that year was David Melton. Abruzzo won for the second time in 1997 when he teamed with Jacob Traub to fly 910.5 miles and 45.7 hours.
Fricke and Cuneo won the 2001 America's Challenge with Cuneo as the pilot in command.
The top three American pilots to place in the America's Challenge qualify to compete in next year's Coupe Aèronautique Gordon Bennett, the world's premier gas balloon competition. The Gordon Bennett is traditionally held in the home country of the previous year's winner. On September 16, the French team of brothers Jean-François and Vincent LEYS won the 2003 Gordon Bennett after flying over 50 hours. The French brothers also won the Gordon Bennett in 1997, 2001 and 2002.
Results for this year will not become official until Challenge race judges have the opportunity to review all flight data. This should happen sometime Saturday, October 11. Official results will be posted on the Balloon Fiesta web site at balloonfiesta.com.
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - 1:20 PM MT - At 1:03 PM today Balloon Fiesta officials announced that the American Team of Richard Abruzzo, and Carol Rymer-Davis had landed around 8:25 AM after flying 1,100 miles. They landed safely about 40 miles SE of Duluth, just short of Lake Superior.
The Fricke/Cuneo team, also from America, flew 1,020 miles from Albuquerque to land safely shortly after 8:30 AM near Hinckley, Minnesota, Southwest of Duluth and North of Minneapolis.
The German/American team of Willie Eimers and Greg Winker finished third, landing near Waco, Texas late yesterday afternoon. The American team of Mark Sullivan (Balloon Fiesta board member and creator of this prestigious event) and Cheri White are the apparent fourth-place winners.
If declared official, this will be Richard Abruzzo's third America's Challenge victory. In 1995 Abruzzo won the first America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race, flying 1,393 miles in 60.2 hours. His co-pilot for that year was David Melton. Abruzzo won for the second time in 1997 when he teamed with Jacob Traub to fly 910.5 miles and 45.7 hours.
Fricke and Cuneo won the 2001 America's Challenge with Cuneo as the pilot in command.
The top three American pilots to place in the America's Challenge qualify to compete in next year's Coupe Aèronautique Gordon Bennett, the world's premier gas balloon competition. The Gordon Bennett is traditionally held in the home country of the previous year's winner. On September 16, the French team of brothers Jean-François and Vincent LEYS won the 2003 Gordon Bennett after flying over 50 hours. The French brothers also won the Gordon Bennett in 1997, 2001 and 2002.
Results for this year will not become official until Challenge race judges have the opportunity to review all flight data. This should happen sometime Saturday, October 11. Official results will be posted on the Balloon Fiesta web site at balloonfiesta.com.
Another Team Has Landed in Challenge Race
Abruzzo/Rymer-Davis Team Assumed Challenge Winners
Albuquerque, NM – Oct. 8, 2003 – 12:30 PM MT – At 10:30 AM this morning Kim Vesley, AIBF spokesperson for the Challenge Race reported that the Fricke/Cuneo team had landed near Hinckley, Minnesota. An hour later Kathie Leyendecker, Balloon Fiesta Director of Media and Community Relations, confirmed the team had landed after flying over 60 hours and 1,020 miles from their Challenge launch site. Peter Cuneo reported to the Command Center that they had a safe landing and a great flight.
She added that the last reported position for the Abruzzo/Rymer-Davis team was about 40 miles East, Southeast of Duluth, a distance of approximately 1,100 miles. Officials assume Team 4 is still flying. If they stay aloft past 1:00 PM MT, they will break the Challenge Race duration record of 67 hours.
According the last map renderings by the Balloon Fiesta’s Live Tracker service at http://tracker.balloonfiesta.com, the Abruzzo/Rymer-Davis team was tracked in Wisconsin, due east of Gravel Pit Road in Bayfield County. They appeared to be approximately 25 miles South of Lake Superior, South of Ino and West of Benoit. The Live Tracker service stopped tracking the contestants around the same time the Fricke/Cuneo team landed.
Albuquerque, NM – Oct. 8, 2003 – 12:30 PM MT – At 10:30 AM this morning Kim Vesley, AIBF spokesperson for the Challenge Race reported that the Fricke/Cuneo team had landed near Hinckley, Minnesota. An hour later Kathie Leyendecker, Balloon Fiesta Director of Media and Community Relations, confirmed the team had landed after flying over 60 hours and 1,020 miles from their Challenge launch site. Peter Cuneo reported to the Command Center that they had a safe landing and a great flight.
She added that the last reported position for the Abruzzo/Rymer-Davis team was about 40 miles East, Southeast of Duluth, a distance of approximately 1,100 miles. Officials assume Team 4 is still flying. If they stay aloft past 1:00 PM MT, they will break the Challenge Race duration record of 67 hours.
According the last map renderings by the Balloon Fiesta’s Live Tracker service at http://tracker.balloonfiesta.com, the Abruzzo/Rymer-Davis team was tracked in Wisconsin, due east of Gravel Pit Road in Bayfield County. They appeared to be approximately 25 miles South of Lake Superior, South of Ino and West of Benoit. The Live Tracker service stopped tracking the contestants around the same time the Fricke/Cuneo team landed.
Flight of the Nations Event Officially Cancelled
The "International" Celebration of Fiesta Heritage Rained Out
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - 6:43 AM MT - Fiesta officials have just announced the Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension originally scheduled for today will not be added to tomorrow's event line up.
One of the more popular Fiesta traditions, the Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension honors pilots from all the nations participating in the Balloon Fiesta. The ascension begins with flights by each country’s pilot representative. Participating pilots fly their nation’s flag from their balloon baskets and launch as their country’s national anthem is played.
It is currently raining at Balloon Fiesta Park. Weather is around 55 degrees. Fiesta officials remain optimistic for pulling off tomorrow's special shape mass ascension.
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - 6:43 AM MT - Fiesta officials have just announced the Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension originally scheduled for today will not be added to tomorrow's event line up.
One of the more popular Fiesta traditions, the Flight of the Nations Mass Ascension honors pilots from all the nations participating in the Balloon Fiesta. The ascension begins with flights by each country’s pilot representative. Participating pilots fly their nation’s flag from their balloon baskets and launch as their country’s national anthem is played.
It is currently raining at Balloon Fiesta Park. Weather is around 55 degrees. Fiesta officials remain optimistic for pulling off tomorrow's special shape mass ascension.
Day Four of Balloon Fiesta Aimed to Win with 21
Start of Field Competitions at the Great Motion Picture Show
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - 6:22 AM MT - [AIBF] Yesterday, the fourth day of the 32nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, was the first day of exciting field competition at the Great Motion Picture Show.
LIGHTS
Dawn Patrol launched in the dark early hours of Tuesday morning. The Dawn Patrol began at Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when two California balloonists developed position lighting systems that allowed them to fly at night. Dawn Patrol pilots take off in the dark and fly until it is light enough to see landing sites. Fellow balloonists appreciate the Dawn Patrol because they can watch the balloons and get an early idea of wind speeds and directions at different altitudes. On mass ascension days, about a dozen Dawn Patrol balloons perform the Dawn Patrol Show, a choreographed inflation and launch set to music that has been part of the Balloon Fiesta since 1996. Dawn Patrol inflations begin, weather permitting, at about 5:45 a.m., with launch around 6:15 a.m.
CAMERA
Once the sun was up, pilots readied their balloons for the day's events. Competitions at Balloon Fiesta would not be possible without our producers (a.k.a. corporate sponsors). Tuesday's events were the New Mexico Challenge Hot Air Balloon Race sponsored by Contractors Bonding Ltd and Sandia Casino's Blackjack Race. The executive producer for the day was the Coca Cola Company.
ACTION
It's a little hard to line balloons up on the starting line and have them race to the finish, but balloonists are inventive folks and have come up with some interesting forms of competition. Tuesday was a great day for flying competitions. The day's first event, the New Mexico Challenge, is similar to the America's Challenge gas race in that the winner is the balloon that flies the furthest without breaking any rules. The New Mexico Challenge became part of the Fiesta about five years ago and is open to all Fiesta pilots. Balloons compete in three size classes. These flights take a lot of planning in determining how much propane to carry and what strategies to use to, for example, get around or over the Sandia Mountains. Previous New Mexico Challenge winners have landed as far away as the area south of Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The day's second event, Sandia Casino's Blackjack, truly tested the pilots flying skills. In a ballooning competition, pilots must use the winds at different altitudes to steer the balloon to a target—usually a big "X" on the ground. The pilot then drops a marker from the balloon so that it lands as close to the center of the target as possible. Closest drop wins. On competition days, some balloons take off at Balloon Fiesta Park and fly to targets located north or south of the launch site. Other balloons launch at least a mile away from Balloon Fiesta Park and fly to targets at the park. The overall competition winners are determined by individual pilots' scores over all competition events flown during Fiesta week. The Sandia Casino Blackjack race uses a similar premise, but pilots must drop two markers on giant playing cards laid out on the field and score as close to "21" as possible.
CAN I HAVE THE ENVELOPE PLEASE
Winners for all Balloon Fiesta competitions will be announced on Sunday.
NOTE TO THE PAPARAZZI
During flying competitions, balloons fly very low to the ground. In order to ensure everyone's safety, spectators, including members of the media, are not allowed on the field during competition. Registered media, who wish to take photographs from the playing field, must gather at the southeast corner of the field by the yellow "Media" flag. Balloon Fiesta volunteers will escort photographers onto the field on a first-come, first-serve basis in 10-minute increments.
Due to wet conditions on the field, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has cancelled this morning's Mass Ascension Flight of the Nations sponsored by Continental Airlines & Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort. Join us Thursday morning for the Wells Fargo Special Shape Mass Ascension and Thursday evening for the Wells Fargo Special Shape Glowdeo and AfterGlow Fireworks Show presented by the Albuquerque Journal.
Source: Kathie Leyendecker, Balloon Fiesta Director of Media and Community Relations
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - 6:22 AM MT - [AIBF] Yesterday, the fourth day of the 32nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, was the first day of exciting field competition at the Great Motion Picture Show.
LIGHTS
Dawn Patrol launched in the dark early hours of Tuesday morning. The Dawn Patrol began at Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when two California balloonists developed position lighting systems that allowed them to fly at night. Dawn Patrol pilots take off in the dark and fly until it is light enough to see landing sites. Fellow balloonists appreciate the Dawn Patrol because they can watch the balloons and get an early idea of wind speeds and directions at different altitudes. On mass ascension days, about a dozen Dawn Patrol balloons perform the Dawn Patrol Show, a choreographed inflation and launch set to music that has been part of the Balloon Fiesta since 1996. Dawn Patrol inflations begin, weather permitting, at about 5:45 a.m., with launch around 6:15 a.m.
CAMERA
Once the sun was up, pilots readied their balloons for the day's events. Competitions at Balloon Fiesta would not be possible without our producers (a.k.a. corporate sponsors). Tuesday's events were the New Mexico Challenge Hot Air Balloon Race sponsored by Contractors Bonding Ltd and Sandia Casino's Blackjack Race. The executive producer for the day was the Coca Cola Company.
ACTION
It's a little hard to line balloons up on the starting line and have them race to the finish, but balloonists are inventive folks and have come up with some interesting forms of competition. Tuesday was a great day for flying competitions. The day's first event, the New Mexico Challenge, is similar to the America's Challenge gas race in that the winner is the balloon that flies the furthest without breaking any rules. The New Mexico Challenge became part of the Fiesta about five years ago and is open to all Fiesta pilots. Balloons compete in three size classes. These flights take a lot of planning in determining how much propane to carry and what strategies to use to, for example, get around or over the Sandia Mountains. Previous New Mexico Challenge winners have landed as far away as the area south of Las Vegas, New Mexico.
The day's second event, Sandia Casino's Blackjack, truly tested the pilots flying skills. In a ballooning competition, pilots must use the winds at different altitudes to steer the balloon to a target—usually a big "X" on the ground. The pilot then drops a marker from the balloon so that it lands as close to the center of the target as possible. Closest drop wins. On competition days, some balloons take off at Balloon Fiesta Park and fly to targets located north or south of the launch site. Other balloons launch at least a mile away from Balloon Fiesta Park and fly to targets at the park. The overall competition winners are determined by individual pilots' scores over all competition events flown during Fiesta week. The Sandia Casino Blackjack race uses a similar premise, but pilots must drop two markers on giant playing cards laid out on the field and score as close to "21" as possible.
CAN I HAVE THE ENVELOPE PLEASE
Winners for all Balloon Fiesta competitions will be announced on Sunday.
NOTE TO THE PAPARAZZI
During flying competitions, balloons fly very low to the ground. In order to ensure everyone's safety, spectators, including members of the media, are not allowed on the field during competition. Registered media, who wish to take photographs from the playing field, must gather at the southeast corner of the field by the yellow "Media" flag. Balloon Fiesta volunteers will escort photographers onto the field on a first-come, first-serve basis in 10-minute increments.
Due to wet conditions on the field, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has cancelled this morning's Mass Ascension Flight of the Nations sponsored by Continental Airlines & Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort. Join us Thursday morning for the Wells Fargo Special Shape Mass Ascension and Thursday evening for the Wells Fargo Special Shape Glowdeo and AfterGlow Fireworks Show presented by the Albuquerque Journal.
Source: Kathie Leyendecker, Balloon Fiesta Director of Media and Community Relations
Balloon Fiesta Events Cancelled for Wednesday Morning, October 8
Wet Field and Rainy Weather Conditions Ground Today's Flying Events
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - Due to wet conditions on the field, Fiesta Officials called off the flying events for today. While the rains have stopped, the field is sopping wet and more rain is expected throughout the day. Balloon Fiesta Park remains open for shoppers.
Officials, optimistic the rains will break for tomorrow's events, are currently juggling tomorrow's schedule line up. Their tentative plan is to include the Flight of the Nations event (cancelled for today) after the special shapes mass ascension.
Albuquerque, NM - Oct. 8, 2003 - Due to wet conditions on the field, Fiesta Officials called off the flying events for today. While the rains have stopped, the field is sopping wet and more rain is expected throughout the day. Balloon Fiesta Park remains open for shoppers.
Officials, optimistic the rains will break for tomorrow's events, are currently juggling tomorrow's schedule line up. Their tentative plan is to include the Flight of the Nations event (cancelled for today) after the special shapes mass ascension.
