Yesterday the gas balloons were inflated and waiting for the winds to die. By 9:00 pm all had pulled out and deflated.
At a noon briefing today (Sunday, October 4), race officials announced to America's Challenge pilots that the race originally scheduled to launch last night will not be rescheduled.
14th America's Challenge - launch cancelled this evening
The launch of the 14th America's Challenge race for gas balloons scheduled for tonight (Saturday evening, October 3) has been cancelled.
Winds at Balloon Fiesta Park are too strong and gusty to permit the balloons to launch safely. There will be a pilot briefing for the America's Challenge pilots at noon tomorrow (Sunday, October 4), at which time further plans for the race will be discussed.
This week's duration flight - the Friedrich Thode Wettfahrt - has been cancelled.
It was impossible to ascend last night because the wind would have taken the balloons to Belgium and the Netherlands, and in these countries night flights are still forbidden. Moreover there is a big chance on bad weather today.
If the balloons were to ascend on Saturday night they would find very little wind and all the balloons would float towards the Dusseldorf airport, resulting in a very short flight.
Because of these reasons the organisation decided to call off the meeting. Yet the pilots will have the opportunity to make individual flights from the Gladbeck launching field on Sunday.
The organisation has promised to try to organise the competition again later this year. We'll keep you informed!
During the Lorraine Mondial Air Ballon there will also be a gas balloon ascension on July 29th. The gas balloons will then fly the 6th Coupe du Nouveau Siècle.
For more information you can contact the Pilatre de Rozier Organisation:
Tel : +33 (0) 3 82 33 77 77
Fax : +33 (0) 3 82 33 72 72
Here at last the final results of this year's competition:
1 Klaus SCHMÖHL
2 Tomas HORA
3 Kurt FRIEDEN
4 Dominik HAGGENEY
5 Bepperl HÖHL
6 Gerald STÜRZLINGER
7 Bob BERBEN
8 Alfred DERKS
9 Markus PIEPER
10 Tobias ANZENEDER
Last weekend 14 teams from 6 countries participated at the "Deutsche Meisterschaft Gasballon 2009" in Mettingen:
The teams:
01 - Tobias ANZENEDER (D-OWBM) GER
02 - Bob BERBEN (D-OBYN) BEL
03 - Alfred DERKS (D-OWML) GER
04 - Kurt FRIEDEN (HB-QHJ) SUI
05 - Dominik HAGGENEY (D-OWNT) GER
06 - Bepperl HÖHL (D-OWBI) GER
07 - Tomas HORA (D-OSTZ) GER
08 - Markus PIEPER (D-OWBA) GER
09 - Klaus SCHMÖHL (D-OWBF) GER
10 - Gerald STÜRZLINGER (D-ORZL) AUT
11 - Rainer HERKENHOFF (D-OIBB) GER outside competition
12 - Axel HUNNEKUHL (D-OWBO) GER outside competition
13 - Ben MATTSSON (OH-ENI) FIN outside competition
14 Jan SMRCKA (OK-0001) CZK outside competition
The start had to be delayed because of the bad weather, but Friday at sunrise the "fox" finally ascended and herewith started the German gasballooning championship. After ten minutes the first team took off and 16 minutes later all the balloons were aloft for a new adventure.
The competitors had to accomplish 5 tasks before sunset.
Task 1: Judge Declared Goal
A goal was set near Jöllenbeck, N. Bielkefeld, approximately 60km from the starting field. Every team carried a gps to registrate every second their altitude and position. These track-logs are used after the race to determine the results.
Task 2: Fox hunt
At 08:15hr the fox landed near Bad Salzuflen. Jan Smrczka managed to throw the marker at 20,60 Meter, a Warsteiner balloon threw the marker outside the 50 Meter radius but the marker never turned up. For the other balloons the track-logs will be studied to see how close they came to the fox.
Task 3: Pilot Declared Goal
Using the weather predictions for the first 3 flight hours, the pilots had to declare individual goals before the start of the competition. All the goals had to be set east of the A7 expressway, between Göttingen and Ertfürt. The pilots had to show their ability to navigate to a place of their own choice.
Task 4: Hesitation Waltz
Before the competition the pilots had to set 3 goals, situated in the competition area between 12° and 14° East an north of 50° N. In flight the pilot had to decide which goal to fly to (taking the available wind speed an direction into account).
Task 5: Maximum Distance (with time limit)
The pilots had to travel the greatest distance from the launch point within the maximum time allowed (15 hours) before dropping the marker. 20:50hr: the last team (Kurt Frieden and Pascal Witpraechtiger) set foot to earth at 50 km south of Prague.
The teams returned to the competion center on Sunday, where the tournament organisation started to study the track-logs.
As soon as the results are known we will post them here too...
We much regret to inform you that the gas balloon contest planned to take place as part of the World Air Games is cancelled. The Turin Local Organising Committee was not able to obtain the necessary official clearances in time to allow the event to proceed. The FAI Executive Board regrets that the organisers are unable to fulfil their original commitments in this respect. It was however confirmed that the hot air event will proceed as planned.
With best regards,
Max Bishop
Secretary General
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Avenue Mon-Repos 24
CH-1005 LAUSANNE
Switzerland
Pilots flying in the Balloon Fiesta America's Challenge race for gas balloons are getting a birds-eye view of some of the most incredible mountain scenery in North America. Most of the competitors have been cruising over or near Colorado's Rocky Mountains since early today as they search for the right winds to take them the greatest distance and to victory in the race.
The America's Challenge Command Center reports that Team 9, Phil MacNutt and Phil Bryant, has landed safely. Their position is indicated as 103 miles SSW of Denver, CO. The other eight balloons are reported to be still in the air. Mike Wallace and Kevin Brielmann (Team 5), are still leading and are flying east of Grand Junction, CO. They had traveled more than 300 miles (nearly 500 km) by 12:30 PM MDT (1830Z) some 18 hours into their flight. Team 4, Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis, remain in hot pursuit about 35 miles (56 km) behind.
Late afternoon will be decision time for some of the competitors, as they decide whether they should land or continue flying through the night. You can follow the race via live tracking at www.balloonfiesta.com.
Pilots in the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race are converging on Balloon Fiesta Park, moving sandbags and readying their equipment for a 18:30 Hrs (LT) launch.
The competitors should begin inflating their balloons at 14:00 Hrs. Pilots go through extensive checklists, readying their balloons for flight, installing equipment, and putting aboard all of the provisions they'll require for two to three days in the air.
The balloons will be fly very slow to north and it will be a very tactical race this year.
All the balloons have left (he last one took off at 20:54 Hr). All of them are going direction Czech Republic or Austria. Tomorrow morning we'll get a first impression about the progress of the teams.
8 balloons are filling, among them the two Belgian teams. There is a flightplan for 36 hours. Christian Stoll wants to cross the Alps. Tomas will take off first.
After the disappointment and the frustrations of last weekend (cancellation of the Gordon Bennett competition), 7 teams wil take off tomorrow at 17:00hr LT in Stuttgart.
For the first time also the traditional gas balloons would take off at the European Championship in Magdeburg. At this moment the gas balloons are in the minority, there are only 75 active gas balloons in the world.
The ballons started in the Elbauenpark around 21 hours. Winner is the team that after 20 hours of flight has covered the longest distance. The direction is Denmark or Sweden.
You can see the current position on tracking site. The ballons use the same trackers as during the Gordon Bennett Race in Brussels.
The "Freundschaftswettfahrt" is canceled for this weekend. New date is next weekend ( June, 22 till June, 24)
You will get new information next Thursday between 6 and 7 o' clock in the evening.
D - OWBI - Wilhelm Eimers ~ 14:17 Hr
D - OLVE - Christian Eck ~13:00 Hr.
D - OWBA - Peter Krafczyk ~ 12:45 Hr.
D - OCOX - Philippe De Cock ~ 10:34 Hr.
D - OBYN - Bob Berben ~ 09:36 Hr.
PH - KTS - Rien Jurg ~ 08:40 Hr.
"And the winner is .... Gerarld Sturzlinger". However, he was the winner of the previous edition (2005) where he and Mark Sullivan made the longest flight over Le Mans, and landed in France.
But back to the flight of this year. All balloons started tonight between 00:00 Hrs and 00:30 Hrs. There were some limits for the pilots : maximum FL95 and 36 hours.
Direction is Belgium and France. The first balloons are already entering the north of Belgium.
You can see the HySplit with the track. More information later.
The weather conditions for Friday night are still uncertain. For Saturday we predict better and more quiet weather. The start is moved to the night of Saturday on Sunday.
Everyone is welcome on the field on Saturday 2 June at 15 o'clock (LT).
Briefing at 16 o'clock.
Next 7 participants have been registered and will start for a duration flight
Eck, Christian - Ricken, Volker - D-OLVE
De Cock, Philippe - van Havere, Ronny - D-OCOX
Jurg, Rien - van Houten, Ron - PH-KTS
Eimers, Wilhelm - Seel, Ulrich - D-OWBI
Stürzlinger, Gerald - Meierhofer, Helmut - D-ORZL
Krafzcyk, Peter - Schwingenstein, Florian - D-OWBA
Berben, Bob - Geerinck, Reginald - D-OBYN
Tomas Hora champion 2007 of the Deutsche Gasballon Meisterschaft in Bitterfeld
From May 16th - 20th the German Gasballooning Championship took place in Bitterfeld (G).
And the new German Champion is ..... TOMAS HORA !!! Congratulations, Tomas !
The first fligt was scheduled for Thursday 17th, but due to strong winds and continuous rain the flight was cancelled. Friday morning (around 6:00hr LT) the 10 balloons finally took off for a flight with 5 tasks. Fox Thomas Fink was the first to leave, and he layed out the first target cross east of Bad Düben. 5 of the 10 contestants managed to score within 100m of the cross. The best result was for Tomas Hora.
A second target was set west of Torgau, and there Tomas Hora was the only pilot who could score less than 100m from the cross.
Afterwards they had to fly direction Czech Republic where 2 other targets waited for them, and finally the balloons had to fly the fartest distance possible with a landing before sunset. The expectations were that landings would take place in Czechia or Austria. Eimers/Pieper/Zenge landed at about 21:00hr with their D-OWBI near Linz, and two other teams crossed the Austrian border.
On Sunday morning 8 teams (2 teams had to give up due to technical problems) took off again to accomplish 2 tasks. First they had to fly into 1 of 2 targets that were set at a distance of approximately 23 km from the launch field. The second task was to fly the shortest distance within a one hour period. Willy Eimers scored best for both these tasks. As our Belgian pilot Bob Berben ended second (as in 2005), it is Eimers who will be vice champion. But also this time Tomas Hora, who had as partner Volker Lösschorn, becomes The German Champion gasballooning.
Final results:
1 Hora, Tomas 6040 pts
2 Berben, Bob 5713 pts
3 Eimers, Wilhelm 5206 pts
4 Schmöhl, Klaus 4820 pts
5 Stahlkopf, Frank 4453 pts
6 Höhl, Josef 4382 pts
7 Wiechmann, Andreas 3890 pts
8 Naumann, Hans-Otto 1824 pts
9 Krafczyk, Peter 1815 pts
10 Derks, Alfred 700 pts
For those who are interested in this championship we have a complete bundle of information: the participants, the tasks, the weather forecasts, the results per task, the final ranking etc...
We are glad to invite you for our friendship competition from June,15th to June17th 2007 in Marl.
We will celebrate the 40th anniversary of our launch field there.
In case of bad weather the event will be held one weekend later- from June 22nd to June 24th.
We have space for many balloons, so the number of competitors is not limited.
Our idea is to start in the night to Saturday at 01:00 AM which allows us to be in the air for about 10 hours.
If the weather conditions do not allow a flight on Saturday, we will try it on Sunday.
The entrance fee is € 195, which includes 1 filling with hydrogen, a late-night-(or early-morning-)snack before the flight and the dinner at the price-giving-ceremony.
Lodging is at your disposition.
If you are interested in coming, please let us know as soon as possible. We will then send you our official invitation with more detailed information.
I am looking forward to see you flying in our event and hope we will have a great time together !
we are happy to invite you for the 10th. Friedrich Thode Endurance Flight from 2007, June 1st till June 3rd.
Launchfield: Germany ; Gladbeck – Wittringen
The competition is limited to 15 gas-balloons. We are planning to launch Friday in the night to make an endurance flight during the next days. Also the Co-Pilot must have a guilty Pilot License.
Following some information about the planning:
May, 31, Thursday: preliminary decision due to the weather prevision. June, 1st, Friday: 15:00-17:00 hrs Check-in on the launch field, following filling of the balloons. Evening 20:00 hrs Generalbriefing June 2nd, Saturday 00:00 hrs: lunch window is open and later on launch of the balloons June, 3rd, Sunday: the race must go on.
If balloons are filled on Friday, and against prevision, the weather conditions do not allow a flight on Saturday, then Sunday will be spare day for the flight.
The entry fee is 200,00 EUR.
Lodging is at your disposition.
We kindly ask your registration till 2007, May, 25th .
We will be happy about your participation and we hope to have a lovely flight together.
The pilots will have to accomplish 2 tasks. The first one is to fly the longest distance within a given period of time. Task 2 is a duration flight with a limit of 19 hours.
This weekend a beautiful competition is going to take place in Gladbeck, with on the programme a duration flight, a precision flight and a distance flight. Only 1 Belgian team will participate this time.
Friday, April 6th
15:00 Hr - Launch area open
16:00 Hr - Arrival of the participants
18:00 Hr - Balloons filled and arrival of the spectators
19:00 Hr - General Briefing
23:00 Hr - Opening launch window
Saturday, April 7th and Sunday, April 8th
Reserved dates in case of bad weather.
we are happy to invite you for the Linde-Wasen-Cup from March, 9th till March 11th.
Launchfield: Sattelplatz in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
The competition is limited to 13 gas-balloons. We are planning to launch in the early morning to made a long flight during the day.
Following some informations about the planning:
March, 8th , Thursday: preliminary decision due to the weather prevision
March, 9th , Friday, afternoon: 1500-1600 hrs Check-in on the launchfield, following filling of the balloons.
March, 10th , Saturday morning: Breakfast at the launchfield and launch of the balloons
March, 10th , Saturday evening: Coming back after the flight and informal meeting.
March. 11th , Sunday morning: Brunch and prize giving ceremony
If balloons are filled on friday, and against prevision the weather conditions doesn't allow a flight on Saturday, then Sunday will be spare day for the flight.
The provision of hydrogen is done by trailers, so the entry fee is 485 €. If the competition was canceled before filling the balloons, we will give you back the entry fee.
Board and lodging is at your disposition.
We kindly ask your registration till February, 20th
We will be happy about your participation and we hope to have a lovely flight together.
Invitation to the 11th Gasballoon Winter Competition
on 24th and 25th Feb. 2007
-------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
This year, we are trying again to make our Winter Competition happen…
Program Friday, 23th Feb.
From 12:00:
Check-In at the launch field Bruck/Burgkirchen
Filling of the sandbags
Preparation and inflating of the balloons
19:00
General Briefing at the launch field
Saturday, 24th Feb.
Ca. 6:00
Breakfast in our train wagon
2nd Briefing
Launch of the balloons
16:00
All competition papers must be handed over to the organizers
19:30
Closing ceremony and relaxed together
Place –to be determined-
Conditions:
Balloons
up to 1050m³ netted or netless
Entry fee
350,00 EUR as cheque
Here are included: competiton fees, sand, gas und dinner for 4 persons at the closing ceremony
Inflation
the balloons will be inflated by the FBC team. Help of pilots and crew are welcome :o)
Entry
till 07.02.2007 in written form through Pilot
Confirmation
immediately after receipt through Freiballonclub Salzach-Inn e.V.
Maps
every pilot has to bring his own, also ICAO
Every pilot is self-responsible that he is in charge of a valid licence and that his balloon is airworthy in enough insured.
We want to point out that only conductive velcros and filling hoses are allowed to use. Every netless balloon has to bring his own filling hose and Tülle (??)
The Freiballonclub Salzach-Inn e. V. does not take any liability.
A month ago, Andy Cayton was one frustrated guy. He was one of three U.S. representatives in the Coupe Gordon Bennett, a prestigious international gas balloon distance race much like the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta America’s Challenge. But his bid for victory in that race never got off the ground after his balloon developed a leak.
What a difference a month makes! This morning, Cayton and his co-pilot, Kevin Knapp (Team 5) have apparently claimed victory in the America’s Challenge, after a bold bid that included a transit over water along the Gulf Coast yesterday afternoon. The team then flew through the night, eating away at the distance posted yesterday by Wilhelm Eimers of Germany and American Greg Winker. This morning, Team 5 slipped past Eimers and Winker to become the unofficial winners.
Cayton and Knapp landed safely at 9:08 AM MDT (1508Z) a mile west of Citra, FL and about 15 miles north of Ocala. They report their crew was waiting for them and taking pictures as they came down.
The launch of the race was delayed for three days because of rain in Albuquerque, but the delay was worth it. The competitors enjoyed good weather all the way across the country, making for a safe race for the pilots.
The results are unofficial and provisional until analysis of the race data and scoring is completed and any penalties teams may have incurred for breaches of the event rules are assessed. The unofficial results, along with the tracking maps, may be viewed at www.balloonfiesta.com through the gas tracking page. Official results will be posted to the site once scoring is completed.
As sunset approaches along the U.S. East Coast, the America’s Challenge Command Center reports two balloons still on “flying” status. Team 5, Andy Cayton and Kevin Knapp, just crossed over the Florida coast north of Panama City after spending several hours over the Gulf of Mexico. Team 4, Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis, are also reported to still be in the air. The last position the Command Center received for them was north of Mobile, AL.
The Command Center reports that Team 3, Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo, have landed safely in the Pensacola, FL area. The leaders, Team 13, Wilhelm Eimers and Greg Winker, are safely on the ground south of Savannah, GA, very close to the Atlantic coast.
The torrid pace of the 11th America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race has slowed a bit this evening as the nine teams still flying settle in for the night. The German/American team of Wilhelm Eimers and Greg Winker (Team 13) recently passed Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo (Team 3), the leaders for most of today. Eimers and Winker have now passed the 900-mile mark. And there’s plenty of flying (and landing!) drama still to come when the sun rises over the American South in the morning.
Four teams are now confirmed as having landed: Team 2 (Tom Donnelly and Colin Butter of Great Britain), Team 6 (John Kugler and Dennis Brown of the U.S.), Team 10 (Mark Sullivan and Frank Wechter, U.S.), and Team 11 (Ruth Lind and John Davis, U.S.). The America’s Challenge Command Center reports teams as landed once it has a confirmed landing report from the pilots. Under the event rules, pilots have up to four hours to report they have landed.
After days of blustery, raining conditions, on a gorgeous clear night in Albuquerque, the America’s Challenge distance race for gas balloons is finally off and flying. At this writing, the competitors have already cleared the Sandia Mountains east of the city and are headed eastward across New Mexico.
The launch was delayed three days because of a stubborn weather system, and this evening was delayed yet again -- by two hours -- because of strong winds on the launch site that persisted later than expected. But at sunset the winds quit and spectators were treated to a beautiful southwestern sunset as the balloons completed launch preparations. At 8:30 PM MDT (0230Z), the first competing balloon soared skywards, piloted by David Levin and Ron Martin. The 13 balloons were launched without incident in about 40 minutes, cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd.
Last year’s champions Janet Folkes of the UK and Bill Arras of the USA have some stiff competition as they try to defend their title. Five-time winner Richard Abruzzo is back in the America’s Challenge this year after a disastrous flight in the 2005 Gordon Bennett (held simultaneously with the 2005 America’s Challenge). He is flying with Carol Rymer Davis, the co-pilot in his 2004 Gordon Bennett win. Other former winners in the field include Levin, Peter Cuneo and Barbara Fricke. The rest of the field is loaded with talent, and it’s truly anybody’s race.
The balloons are expected to head east across the southern United States. It will most probably be a fast trip. Weather data presented to the pilots at today’s preflight briefing suggests competitors could reach the coast in the Carolinas, Georgia, or Florida in about 48 hours.
We’ll provide regular updates as the race progresses and, of course, you can follow the competitors’ progress across the country live on our tracking page, http://www.balloonfiesta.com/Gas/tracking/index.php.
Start inflating the balloons : this afternoon.
Launch period will begin at 6:30 pm, launch window will be 45 min.
Temperature at 1 pm in Albuquerque 17°C, wind 2-3kt west. For the launch period they expect a wind 5-8kt west. Forecast 6000m up to 50kt.
The balloons have to cross the snowy top of Sandia Peak. They will fly behind the bad weather but between two front systems.
America's Challenge did not start on monday either. The briefing was canceled because the meteo announced thunder storms in the evening.
The next briefing is tomorrow at 1200.
Tomorrow looks better but maybe there will be too much wind (around 10 knots) to inflate the balloons. If they start tomorrow or on wednesday the pilots will fly to the east, behind the bad weather.
13 Teams from 3 different countries will compete against each other in this beautiful race that normally starts today.
Also in Europe everybody is anxious for the results of the America's Challenge, as the three American teams that manage to fly the farthest distance from Albuquerque will represent the USA at the next edition of the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2007 in Belgium!
After many wonderful competitions in the last years, the Freiballonclub Salzach Inn e.V. is organizing the 29. Bavarian Gasballoon Autumn Competition from 22. to 24.September 2006.
We warmly invite you.
Attached you will find the official paperwork in German. If you need any translation, please contact us.
If you are interested, you can send us the complete application form and we will forward it to the club.
Because of the bad weather forecasts the 14th Teuto Wettfahrt has been postponed for 24 hours. We expect a lot of rain on Saturday, accompanied by some thunder storms. But according to the meteorologists the weather will improve on Sunday.
Tomorrow, Friday, at 14.00h an update with be published on the website of Ballonclub Teuto e.V.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed for a balloon-friendly Sunday...
The Richard-Schuetze-Wettfahrt / European Challenge 2006 will take place between April 29th and May 1st in Bitterfeld. Here you can download the English invitation.
You'll find more information, and the German invitation, on this website.
I hope to see you all in Bitterfeld!
Friendly greetings, Volker
--
Volker Lschhorn
Brachetweg 10
70619 Stuttgart
Phone: +49 711-1288190
Fax: +49 941 599 254625
E-Mail: volker@loeschhorn.name
The task was very simple: "stay in the air as long as possible". So the team that would land last would also be the winner of the competition. Because of unfavourable weather conditions the start had to be postponed till morning. But then some teams could not avoid the control zone of Dsseldorf and had to land early. Moreover some teams did not get the permission to fly over France during the night so they had to give up too. Those who went to high altitudes from the start obtained a good direction and could make a beautiful flight over several European countries. At sunrise only 2 teams were still aloft and in the running for the victory.
Our sincere congratulations for the team of Mark Sullivan and Gerald Strzlinger: their very first participation in this 20 years old competition and they managed to take the first place. After a flight of 32hr and 9 minutes they landed on the steep shores of Normandy near Caen.
Rolf Eck
1. Sullivan, Mark - Strzlinger, Gerald -- 32:09 Hr
2. van Havere, Ronny - van Geyte, Luc -- 26:32 Hr
3. Hhl, Bepperl - Handl, Stefan -- 17:50 Hr
By now many beautiful pictures of Gordon Bennett and America's Challenge 2005 can be found on the internet. As for us, we promised to publish some of the gas balloonist's stories and we want to keep that promise.
Let's start with John Kugler and Dennis Brown. They were the last pilots to take off from the Balloon Fiesta Park, on board of balloon N61553...
Friday night we got out of bed again at 2:30 hr LT. We had come to Albuquerque to see gas balloons ... and we certainly didn't want to miss a flight with a Rosire balloon!
Traditionally the first weekend of the Warsteiner Mongolfiade is reserved for a gas balloon competition. And so it happened this year too. The mission was: fly as far as possible...
Sunday evening, September 4th, 7 gas balloons were inflated. Three of them took off by 21:00hr. These balloons also obtained the best results. The other balloons took off in the second part of the night.
Because of the south wind the balloons went in the direction of Sweden. Four teams crossed the water, while the last three teams chose to land in the north of Germany. Marcus Pieper put his balloon down on a small island, Heinrich Brachtendorf chose to land on Swedish soil.
Astrid Gerhard and Dominik Haggeny got in a more western current and landed in Riga.
Wilhem Eimers and his copilot Ulrich Seel ... that was quite another story! Once they had crossed the water they didn't find a suitable landing spot. They had to continue and to spend a second night in the air, flying low over the water. Direction: Finland, where Wilhem had never landed before! After almost 60 hours in the air, a flight of over 2000 km and a final result of 1790 km, they not only scored a well-deserved victory but also set up a new German distance record.
The local police and fire brigade helped to retrieve the balloon and to transport balloon and crew to the nearest railway station. Two buoyant men landed at Schiphol on Thursday (the balloon followed later): they had had a magnificent experience and a very good preparation for Gordon Bennett 2005...
After two flights and 6 tasks the German gas balloon Championship is over. During the Sunday afternoon flight the balloonists had to accomplish 2 tasks: a Hare & Hound, and a Minimum Distance. Tomas HORA and co-pilot Volker LOSCHHORN are the German Champions 2005! You can find the results of all the tasks on the site of the DFSV
The final ranking:
1. Tomas Hora / Volker Loschhorn... D-OSTZ
2. Bob Berben / Reginald Geerinck... D-OBYN
3. Philippe De Cock / Ronny Van Havere... OO-BCX
4. Dominik Haggeney / Astrid Gerhardt... D-OWNT
5. Peter Krafczyk / David Stasmann... D-OWBA
6. Andreas Michels... D-OASH
7. Klaus Schmhl... D-OLIB
8. Andreas Munz... D-OSTY
9. Wolfgang Oberloher... D-OWBL
10. Frank Stahlkopf / Torsten Gottsmann... D-OAVA
11. Alfred Derks / Hedwig Nieland... D-OWML
12. Josef Hhl / Sabrina Handl... D-OFVA
13. Rainer Herkenhoff... D-OARH
14. Walter Beermann... D-OPMB
Yesterday morning at 5:00 am they took off for 4 tasks: Judge Declared Goal, Maximum Distance in a limited area, Pilot Declared Goal and a Maximum Distance with a time limit of 5 hours from the start.
The results of this flight are not known yet.
At 5:00 am this morning the balloons will make a second flight.
Around 5:00 am on Saturday morning 8 balloons took off for a long flight: OO-BCX, D-OWBI, D-OWBA, D-OFVA, D-OSTZ, D-OLVE, D-ORZL and D-OBCW. Only 2 balloons flew through the night to land on Sunday. We have no official results yet. The pilots have 20 days to send the necessary information (track, flight report, baro) to the organisation.
As soon as the final results are known, we'll publish them on our site...
We've had to wait for a long time, but at last the weather forecasts are very positive for a gas balloon competition. In other words: the Friedrich-Thode will take place!
18:00 hr pilots start to gather
19:00 hr general briefing
Take-off in the course of the evening
All the balloons will start with a northeasterly wind, that will turn to the east later on.
This weekend the 9th Gasballon-Dauerwettfahrt for the Friedrich-Thode-Wanderpreis will take place in Marl. Maximum 15 gas balloon teams can start in this endurance competition.
The teams aim to stay in the air as long as possible. So this competition certainly is a good training for the upcoming Gordon Bennett Race too. Thursday evening the organisation will decide whether the competition can go on. If it's a "Yes!", the balloons will be prepared on Friday evening.
At last the big moment had come! D-OOWS was going to partake in the NRW-Cup in Dsseldorf and that was the perfect occasion to baptise the balloon.
In 1994 (!) it was manufactured in the Ballonbau Wrner factory, with Warsteiner publicity. Yet no one ever wanted to make the 640m3 balloon airworthy: too expensive, too small, insurance problems...
Ten years later 10 members of the 'Startplatsgemeinschaft Gladbeck' decided to lay their heads together to get the balloon in the air. They bought a basket and all the necessary accessories, the balloon was made airworthy and passed through the inspection, the insurance premium was paid, etc.
Since then D-OOWS has already made several flights, but it appeared to be very difficult to gather the 10 pilots for the baptism ... until last weekend. Their balloon has received the name Gladbeck, which obviously refers to 'Startplatzgemeinschaft Gladbeck'.
We'd like to wish the balloon and all of its pilots many beautiful flights and good landings!
The 14th Richard-Schtze-Wettfahrt (and European Cup) will take place in Bitterfeld from May 5th till May 8th. This duration flight is organised by the Bitterfelder Verein fr Luftfahrt e.V.
The program:
Thursday May 5th 2005 - arrival of the participants Friday May 6th 2005 - Briefings - and at 21:00 departure of the balloons Saturday May 7th 2005 - Reserve day Saturday May 7th / Sunday May 8th 2005 - Landing of the balloons
The 11. Gasballon Landesmeisterschaft 2005 will take place in Dsseldorf-Eller from March 25th till March 28th (Easter).
Herewith we invite more pilots to participate and ask eager supporters and spotters to grab the opportunity to lend a hand in the preparation of the balloons during this weekend.
All the information can be downloaded by clicking the following links:
A lot of people asked us gently to put the Gas Balloon Events Calendar back online. So ... here it is again (click on the 'Events' button on the navigation bar). At this moment there are ten gas balloon meetings/competitions listed.
- 12 Winterwettfahrt for Gas Balloons
- 9 Linde-Wasen-Cup
- 14 Richard-Schtze-Wettfahrt
- 9 Gasballon-Dauerwettfahrt um den Friedrich-Thode-Wanderpreis
- Deutsche Meisterschaft Gasballon
- 7 Ballonfreunde Lechfeld Cup for Gas balloons
- 8 Internationale Bitterfelder Gasballonwoche
- 10 Linde-Cup for Gas Balloons
- 30 Oberbayerische Herbstwettfahrt
- 49 Gordon Bennett
We're sure that several gas balloon events are still missing. As club/organisation you can now ad your activities without any help from us. All you have to do is click the button "ad gas balloon events".
To compose your own calendar
Another novelty is the ability to make a selection of meetings/competitions in "my calendar". Very interesting for ballooning teams or spotters who want a calendar with just the meetings they intend to visit...
A survey of the five upcoming events on the frontpage
All gas balloon meetings/competitions also appear on the frontpage of the calendar. When the activity is over the information is automatically removed.
It had always been my dream to fly in a gas balloon over America. During the event of the Albuquerque International Balloonfiesta in New Mexico the Americas Challenge Gas Balloon Race was scheduled too. Stefanie Watermeier, Gerd Strasmann, Bettina and I flew together from Amstardam to the USA. Via Atlanta and Dallas we arrived at the Albuquerque (ABQ) airport. Four other teams planned the trip to ABQ. Hedi Nieland/Alfred Derks, Willi Eimers, Peter Krafczyk/Sepp Scherzer and Anja Kmmerlein/Volker Ricken, Marita Krafczyk, Werner Redeker, Thorsten Samsel.
All the people in the Fairfield Inn Hotel in ABQ formed one great German team.
The start was on Saturday the 2nd. All the balloons, the majority of them inflated by Thorsten Samsel (he worked very hard), were ready to start. Gerd and I started at 7.42 pm in a clear and cold night. ABQ is with 750.000 inhabitants very densly populated, and the sight of all the lights in the city is fabulous.
In the weekend between Gordon Bennett and the World Championship in Bitterfeld we visited the annual balloon meeting in St-Niklaas, where each year some gas balloons are admitted too. Both on Saturday and Sunday 1 gasballoon was to take off. As there are always enough photographers for the hot air balloons we decided to follow the gas balloon instead. This one is a tale of following the balloon and attending the landing, the aim of every good spotter :-))
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Also on Sunday 1 gas balloon took off, and this time 'entire' gas balloon loving Belgium was present! Not so much because of balloon D-OOWS, a very common Warsteiner balloon, but because the crew was completely Belgian: Luc Van Geyte nd Philippe De Cock, accompanied by a young female passenger who thought she was going to fly an hour or so.
In the weekend between Gordon Bennett and the World Championship in Bitterfeld we visited the annual balloon meeting in St-Niklaas, where each year some gas balloons are admitted too. Both on Saturday and Sunday 1 gasballoon was to take off. As there are always enough photographers for the hot-air balloons we decided to follow the gas balloon instead. This is a tale of following and loosing a balloon, something almost every balloon spotter has to go through at a certain moment ;-)
It's apparently a three-peat in the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race for Albuquerque's Richard Abruzzo. Abruzzo, flying with former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson (Team 18), landed safely south of Tulsa, OK shortly after 8:00 AM local Albuquerque time (1400Z), They flew about 600 miles, were in the air approximately 36 hours, and were the last balloon to land.
Former America's Challenge and Coupe Gordon Bennett winner David Levin, flying with his brother Alan (Team 4), is the apparent second place finisher. He landed yesterday evening north of Oklahoma City. The third place team, German pilots Gerd Strasmann and Rainer Herkenhoff, landed yesterday afternoon northwest of Oklahoma City. Lesley Pritchard, flying with Jack Mullen (Team 1), finished fourth. All results will be unofficial for several more days, while the electronic tracking and position data and landing certificates are verified.
Three America's Challenge Balloons Land Sunday Evening
As the sun rises over the United States this Monday morning, just one balloon is stil flying in the Ninth America's Challenge -- the last to launch. Team 18, with Richard Abruzzo and Gary Johnson aboard, continues to move slowly eastward across Oklahoma. Team 18 moved into the lead early yesterday evening when the German team of Gerd Strasmann and Rainer Herkenhoff landed just outside Oklahoma City.
The other three competitors who were still flying yesterday evening, Team 4 with David and Alan Levin, Team 1 with Lesley Pritchard and Jack Mullen, and Team 10 with Andy Cayton and Stuart Enloe, all landed during the night and are all reported to be safe. Preliminary data indicates that the Levin brothers exceeded Team 8's distance before they landed, moving them up a position in the race.
Abruzzo and Johnson have now been in the air about 34 hours and have flown more than 600 miles.
David and Alan Levin have landed, but also the balloon of Richard Abruzzo and Gary Johnson seems to be drifting... we presume they are watching out for a good landing spot too.
You can follow their track best on a 5 mile or 25 mile map.
Still 2 teams aloft...
Team 18 Abruzzo/Johnson with 620 miles and team 4 Levin/Levin with 508 miles.
But ... nothing is final yet!
David Levin is a tough man, at this moment he is the only one (amongst the men who are still in the race) who went through Gordon Bennett 2004 nd the World Championship 2004.
Just four balloons remain aloft as the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race enters its second full day. The new race leaders are Team 18, Richard Abruzzo and Gary Johnson. They took over the lead when the balloon that set the pace throughout the first day of competition, that of Team 8 piloted by Gerd Strasmann and Rainer Herkenhoff, landed northwest of Oklahoma City, OK.
The other three teams still flying are Team 4, David and Alan Levin, Team 1, Lesley Pritchard and Jack Mullen, and Team 10, Andy Cayton and Stuart Enloe.
Meanwhile, we're pleased to report that Bruce Hale and Bob McGimpsey are safely out of the wilderness east of Chama. They and their balloon were retieved late this afternoon. Both pilots were taken to an Albuquerque hospital and are listed in satisfactory condition. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are working on a determination of what led up to the balloon's hard landing.
All 18 America's Challenge competitors are still in the air as sunrise approaches in New Mexico.
The first two balloons to make the swing to the east last night are the current leaders. The German team of Gerd Strasmann and Rainer Herkenhoff (Team 8) crossed the Texas border about 50 miles north of Clovis within the last hour. Last year's winner Richard Abruzzo, flying with Gary Johnson (Team 18), is not too far behind.
The balloons have more or less split into three groups. The second group, including most of the competitors, flew north through much of the night and is now beginning to head east. The remaining two balloons -- Team 5, Willie Eimers and Greg Winker, and Team 16, Bruce Hale and Bob McGimpsey, have continued north and slightly west throughout the night.
We're looking forward to a great competition, and the action should get even more interesting as the sun rises over New Mexico
18 balloons launch in quest to fly the longest distance
The launch began on schedule at 7 PM MDT (0100Z), with the team of Lesley Pritchard and Jack Mullen leading the way. Each team's balloon was brought to a central platform on the launch site, so all teams began their quest to fly the longest distance from Balloon Fiesta Park from the same location. The national anthem of the pilot\'s home country was played as each balloon soared aloft. Because of the large number of international competitors, launch commentary was provided in English and German.
The Balloon Fiesta's famous "box" winds kept many of the competitors right over or in the immediate vicinity of the field. As sometimes happens during hot-air launches, Launch Master Thomas Hora, Event Director Pat Brake, and their team had to hold some competitors on the launch platform until other balloons launched earlier could slowly drift out of the way. Even with the short delays, all 18 balloons were launched in approximately one hour and 15 minutes.
The Ninth Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race is set to launch at approximately 7:00 PM MDT (0100Z). Inflation of the balloons should begin around 3 PM.
A distinguished field of 18 international teams will try to fly the longest distance from Balloon Fiesta Park. Previous America's Challenge winners have flown in excess of 1,100 miles and stayed in the air as long as 67 hours.
The long-range weather prognosis for the race is very good, and the teams are expected to head east across the United States. Balloon Fiesta meteorologists John Ground and Randy Lefevre say that some mild convective activity around the mountains in the Albuquerque area should dissipate in time for a Saturday evening launch.
Last may not necessarily mean least for Richard Abruzzo and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson in the Ninth Americas Challenge Gas Balloon Race, scheduled to launch Saturday evening, October 2, from Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, NM.
Abruzzo and Johnson will be last of the 18 competing teams to set off on their quest to fly the longest distance and capture what would be, for Abruzzo, a fifth Americas Challenge win. Abruzzos reaction on finding out hed be the last competitor aloft: Again? He was among the last to launch in both the 2002 and 2003 Americas Challenges. He won both events.
Have a look at the slideshow of the 13 edition of the Teuto Wettfahrt. This gas balloon race starts every year at Ibbenbren in the Teutoburger Wald. 14 teams participated in the race. And ... after 4 years of absence the Dutch Festo Flyer did fly again. Starting from Friday noon the first balloons were prepared, to take off at dawn for a beautiful trip.
As the tradition wants, here again a great slideshow online. Our gas balloon photographers put aside their preparations of the two imminent big gas balloon events to share their pictures with us all.
The 24-Stunden Voll-Gas of the Ballonsportgruppe Rapperswil was a great success ... although the promised weather improvements came later than expected. Our Swiss Meteo, Daniel Gerstgrasser, compared the different surveys and could inform us correctly during the meteo briefing. At that moment it was still raining, but 3 hours later it finally got better. Yet the night flights had to be shifted to the morning hours.
At 6:00h the first 3 balloons took off under a grey sky. But soon the blue spots became more dominant and the sun could send down its first rays.
All the balloons flew south-west, in the direction of Bazel, at a speed of 15 km/hr.
In the afternoon the wind turned a bit to the north-east. Some of the teams taking off by then decided to make a flight over the Jura Mountains to France.
We say 'Thank You' to all the pilots present at the event, also because they never lost their patience... The spectators could enjoy the sight of the balloons till 13:30h.
Click on the photo to see more photo's of this beautiful meeting OR surf to the website of Ballonsportgruppe Rapperswil
It is becoming a real tradition: there is a new slideshow of the Carl G�tze Nachtwettfahrt online. Our gas balloon photographers made a beautiful survey of the preparations and the atmosphere in D�sseldoor-Eller.
Did you know that gas balloon flights originating out of Albuquerque have set more long distance records than any other gas ballooning event in the world? Thats one of the reasons we think this race is special! Again this year we will have both helium and hydrogen balloons competing against each other and we will allow mixed nationality teams. If you wish to fly hydrogen your balloon must be able to pass a conductivity test. Failure to pass this test will result in the loss of your entry fee since we will already have purchased the gas.
For the 10th FAI Gas World Championship competitors have to propose an observer to the organizer. If the observer is accepted, he is part of the competitor's crew. The competitor is responsible for food, beverages and accomodation.
10th Landesmeisterschaft & 2nd Cup of Europe in Marl
After days of anxiety concerning the weather conditions for the Easter weekend, the organisation decided on Friday to launch the balloons on Saturday. 19 of the 20 inscribed balloons showed up: a real success.
During the briefing it became clear that is was going to be tough: a distance - duration and precision flight limited to 18 hours. 1,5 hours before the start each participant had to announce where he planned to land.
The organisation has decided to postpone the flight till Saturday.
Program:
Saturday, 10 April 2004
11:00 hr launching area open
12:00 hr gathering of the participants from NRW
13:00 hr the NRW balloons have to be ready to fill
16:00 hr arrival of the foreign balloonists (and those who have to travel far)
17:00 hr arrival of the guests
18:00 hr briefing at the launching place
Sunday, 11 April 2004 (Easter)
01:00 hr start of the competition
The next announcement will follow tomorrow, Friday, at 19:00 hr local time.
Here is the full list of participants for the 10th 'Gasballon Landesmeisterschaft' and the 2nd Cup of Europe for gasballoons. Gasballoon spotters will certainly find some novelties at this meeting!
This competition takes place in Marl-Nonnenbusch from 09.04 - 12.04.2004 (Easter weekend 2004).
You don't know what to do next week? Well, come to Marl-Nonnenbusch on Good Friday (09/04) and give us a hand (or even better: both of them ;-) ). There is a good deal of work to do; 1500 bags are waiting to be filled with sand, but you can also help with the preparation of the balloons and so on. It is a unique occasion to experience a gasballoon meeting from very near.
If you really want to come and help you can e-mail us and we'll send you all the information you need. You don't have to bring your own food-supply, at the starting area you'll get plenty of food and beverage for free!
It goes without saying that this message no longer stands in case the flight is cancelled...
Herewith we want to invite you to the 13th Teuto Cup for gasballoons.
As usual we have ordered splendid ballooning weather.
We're counting on the participation of 16 - 18 balloons.
2nd Cup of Europe for gasballoons & 10th Gasballon-Landesmeisterschaft des DAeC LV NRW
Marl-Nonnenbusch from 9 till 12 April 2004 (Easter weekend)
The DAeC LV NRW (Freiballonkommission) organises this gasballoon competition for 20 balloons from Germany and other European countries.
The balloons will be launched 9-10 April (Easter) from the launching area Marl-Nonnenbusch for a precision and duration flight till the next evening. Flights of 15 to 20 hours will be possible.
Thanks to the financial support of the Deutscher Aero Club NRW and the DFSV Gasballoon Nationalteam the starting fee is set to only 150 Euro.
Foreign participants are accepted with priority.
Of course we are hoping for favourable weather conditions. Anyway, a weather prognosis will be made 24 hours before the start of the competition. By doing so we can avoid unnecessary trips to Marl.
Just like last year the Linde-Wasen-Cup has been postponed till next year because of the weather conditions: rain and strong winds at higher altitudes.
Well, let's hope the next edition will be blessed with bright sunshine and a gentle breeze...
Welcome to the 10th FAI Gas Balloon World Championship
Dear Balloonists
I am sure some of you will be surprised that Rainer Haold and I as reigning champions do not want to defend our title anymore. I want to explain the reasons for that and to present my plans for the agenda of the 10th FAI Gas Balloon World Championship.
This year too, Ballonsportgruppe Stuttgart e.V. organises the Linde-Wasen-Cup. As usual we'll start at the Sattelplatz am Cannstatter Wasen, from 12 March till 14 March 2004.
We plan an amicable flight with 13 gasballoons (max. capacity 1000 m3).
The program:
Friday 12 March: arrival of the participants till 16:00hr Saturday 13 March: breakfast at the launching area and flight, in the evening Landing party and price giving Sunday 14 March: reserve day (just in case the balloons have been filled on 13/03 and launching won't be possible till 14/03)
Considering the fact that we are filling from a trailer, the starting fee will be 485 Euro. You can find more info and an inscription form on the website of Ballonsportgruppe Stutgart e.V.
! Inscriptions have to arrive at Ballonsportgruppe Stuttgart utterly at 13 February...
During America's Challenge the WARSTEINER team of Willy Eimers and Greg Winkler finished in a well-deserved third position.
Their story...
Because of the weather conditions the launch was postponed one day, something that hardly ever happens in Albuquerque. On Sunday however the balloons had to be launched precisely at 17:00h, so the hot-air balloons could prepare in time for the candle-light.
Low thermals made it possible to inflate the balloons without problems in the afternoon sun.
The evening flight over Albuquerque was simply breath-taking. Up to 4000m the winds were very weak. Our flight over ABQ Airport caused no problems.
The Eighth America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta came to a congenial end Saturday evening, October 11, with toasts, trophies, and the announcement of the final official results:
Abruzzo/Rymer-Davis unofficial winners of Americas Challenge
Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis have safely landed in Wisconsin, not too far from Lake Superior. Their balloon was the last of 14 in the race to set down.
The race started Sunday in Albuquerque as part of the citys annual international balloon fiesta. The balloon that travels the farthest from Albuquerque wins the race.
Only one balloon remains aloft in the Americas Challenge gas balloon race. Its the team of Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis.
Race spokeswoman Kim Vesely says theyre about four miles south of Iron River in Minnesota.
The only other race balloon that had been aloft earlier Wednesday has now landed. Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo have set down safely near Hinkley, Minnesota.
It's down to the final two, and they're neck and neck racing northeast some 45 hours into the Eighth America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The German/American team of Willie Eimers and Greg Winker (Team #2), remains in the lead of the Eighth America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race at the 42-hour mark. They're headed east from the vicinity of Abilene, Texas and have now traveled nearly 500 miles (775 km). The other two remaining teams, Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis (Team #4) and Barbara Fricke and Peter Cuneo (Team #6) are tracking northward through Kansas and are still nearly neck and neck.
It's drizzling in Albuquerque after a beautiful morning of competition flying, but the weather in the areas where the America's Challenge balloons are flying is generally favorable - much better than the weather yesterday.
Here is a list of the balloons and their approximate, unofficial positions as of 11:00 AM MDT (1700Z):
#2 Eimers/Winker, 125 mi. W of Waco, TX, 482 mi/775 km
#4 Abruzzo/Rymer-Davis, 55 mi. WSW of Hays, KS, 420 mi/676 km
#6 Fricke/Cuneo, 73 mi. SW of Liberal, KS, 403 mi/649 km
Only three competitors remain aloft this morning as the Eighth America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race passes the 36-hour mark. Eleven balloons landed safely in New Mexico and west Texas.
through the night as the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race continues into its second day. Eleven balloons landed safely in New Mexico and west Texas.
Two balloons have assumed -- for the moment -- a clear lead, and two others have landed as the Eighth America's Challenge Race for gas balloons continues at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
At this hour (10:00 PM MDT), the leaders in the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race are in the vicinity of Vaughn, NM, approximately 80 miles ESE of Albuquerque. All 14 balloons launched safely within a 40-minute period beginning at 5:00 PM MDT, and all are still flying as of this report.
The balloons are strung out along a line extending eastward from the Manzano Mountains to the vicinity of Vaughn. Teams 4 (Abruzzo/Davis), 5 (Kugler/Sheeshe), 6 (Fricke/Cuneo), and 11 (Robinson/Martin) are currently the leaders, but it's very early and still anybody's race.
Fourteen competitors in the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race are safely aloft and flying. The launch began at precisely 5:00 PM MDT before a record crowd for a gas ballooning event at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. All 14 balloons were launched in just 40 minutes -- which we believe to be a record for this type event. The Team 11 balloon, piloted by Shane Robinson and Ron Martin, briefly made ground contact immediately after liftoff. No one was hurt and the flight continued.
Gas balloon pilots and crews are beginning to lay out equipment at Balloon Fiesta Park in preparation for the scheduled 5 PM launch of the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race. The 14 competitors are expected to begin inflation at around 3 PM. Weather forecasts at Balloon Fiesta Park are favorable for the launch and for the Balloon Glow immediately following.
Headline: America's Challenge Gas Race Rescheduled to 5 PM on Sunday
The America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race, originally scheduled to launch Saturday evening, has been placed on a 24-hour hold. Launch is now expected at approximately 5:00 PM MDT on Sunday, October 5. The America's Challenge launch will precede the Balloon Glow already scheduled for Sunday evening.
Officials decided to postpone the launch because of the possibility of convective activity lingering in the Albuquerque area this evening, and because showers and thunderstorms are continuing to the east of the Sandia Mountains and into Texas along the balloons' expected flight path. The 24-hour delay will enable the pilots to take advantage of improving weather conditions.
Pilots will receive updated weather and information at a briefing scheduled for 10 AM tomorrow.
Further updates will be posted to the Fiesta Web site, www.balloonfiesta.com, and e-mailed to Gondola Club members, as information is updated.
Pilots and officials with the Eighth America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race are still optomistic the race may begin Saturday evening as scheduled. At the pilot briefing this afternoon, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta weather forecaster John Ground expressed optomism that the weather system currently dropping rain in New Mexico will move out of the area in time for the launch to proceed as scheduled.
The weather conditions were very good at the start of the 28. Oberbayerische Herbstwettfahrt, the 12 participants flew away in all directions ... spread over a sector of 90!
It is becoming a real tradition: our two 'gasballoon photographers' have put another beautiful slideshow online, this time with their impressions of two days gasballooning in Sint-Niklaas.
Watch and enjoy! (in the menu: choose tools -> slideshows)
Today was a success too. In the morning 32 hotairballoons left for a flight and also in the afternoon and in the evening everything went as planned.
We spoke to one of the gasballoon pilots who took off yesterday. He told us the forecasts for today were much better than yesterday as they got very wet after the landing. But were sure that after reading this report he will be glad he could fly yesterday!
The first day of the balloonmeeting at Sint-Niklaas, Ballon 2003, has been very successfull. All 48 balloons + some special shapes have been able to take off from the town square.
3 Gasballoons are planned to fly today (Saturday), and 3 other ones will do the same tomorrow. In case of unfavourable weather this afternoon, all six balloons will take off on Sunday.
According to the weather forecasts a front with strong winds and CB’s from the west will be passing on Saturday evening in the direction of Warstein. This bad weather will maintain itself also on Sunday (click on the pictures for more info).
Therefore the gasballoon flight has been moved to Saturday morning 7:00 am. At that time the wind will be S/SE and weak. In the course of the day it will turn West. At an altitude of 1000 / 2000 / 2500m the wind speed will be 20-30km/hr and direction 010-030. This will enable a flight direction Northern Germany, Mnsterland, where it is possible to perform perfect landings. More weather info will be given at the General-Briefing, today at 22:00
As the sun rises over the United States this Monday morning, just one balloon is stil flying in the Ninth America's Challenge -- the last to launch. Team 18, with Richard Abruzzo and Gary Johnson aboard, continues to move slowly eastward across Oklahoma. Team 18 moved into the lead early yesterday evening when the German team of Gerd Strasmann and Rainer Herkenhoff landed just outside Oklahoma City. 
All 18 America's Challenge competitors are still in the air as sunrise approaches in New Mexico. 
This weekend the Teuto Wettfahrt takes place. At the start 13 gas balloons, amongst which 8 netless ones.
Only three competitors remain aloft this morning as the Eighth America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race passes the 36-hour mark. Eleven balloons landed safely in New Mexico and west Texas.
The America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race, originally scheduled to launch Saturday evening, has been placed on a 24-hour hold. Launch is now expected at approximately 5:00 PM MDT on Sunday, October 5. The America's Challenge launch will precede the Balloon Glow already scheduled for Sunday evening. 
This weekend you can visit the ...
Today was a success too. In the morning 32 hotairballoons left for a flight and also in the afternoon and in the evening everything went as planned.
Saturday around 7:00am 11 gasballoons took off in Warstein and - despite of the pessimistic forecasts - also in Sint-Niklaas the show could go on.
