British Airship Pioneer Inducted as Living Legend of Aviation
With an emphasis on the science, technology, engineering, and math-related contributions of world-renowned balloonists, the redesigned International Ballooning Hall of Fame at the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, now open to the public, delves into the groundbreaking advancements and achievements of Hall of Fame inductees. The new exhibition traces the stories of inductees, beginning […]
Results for America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race, 2017
Official results for 22nd America’s Challenge–distance race for gas balloons Updated 16th October 2017 Place Teams Pilots Distance Duration Landing Location 1 Team 6, Switzerland Nicolas Tièche / Laurent Sciboz 2,280.9 miles 3,670.76 km 59h 19m Labrador City, Canada 2 Team 4, Poland / USA Kryzstof Zapart / Andy Cayton 2,191 miles 3,526.06 km […]
Balloonists Break Many Records in Exciting Race; Nicolas Tièche and Laurent Sciboz Win America’s Challenge
Updated 16th October 2017 Gas balloon teams taking part in the 2017 America’s Challenge–a distance race for gas balloons–broke many records in an intense and exciting race that kept witnesses on the edge until the last team landed after a 69-hour-04minute flight, on Tuesday, 11th October. This Polish/American entry of Krzysztof Zapart and Andy Cayton (Team […]
Balloonists Locked in Tight Race Across America
As of this writing, it’s been more than 38 hours since eight teams took off on their gas balloon journey across America. They launched on 7th October 2017, Saturday around 9 PM, from Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One team has landed. The teams have spent two cold nights in an open basket and […]
2017 World Long Distance Balloon Championship Results
Twenty-one gas balloon teams took part in the 61st Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett Race. They took off on 8th September 2017, between 17:30 and 18:33 UTC from Epagny, Gruyères, Switzerland. Source: World Air Sports Federation ( Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI). Landing Result Rank Team Pilots Time (UTC) Location Distance (km) Duration 1 FRA-1 Vincent LEŸS […]
Gas Ballooning FAQs
What makes gas balloons fly? Gas balloons ascend because the gas inside is less dense and lighter than the air on the outside of the balloon. Heating up regular air makes its molecules expand, becoming lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. That’s what causes hot-air balloons to lift off. Gas balloons used in races such as […]
French Pilots Win World’s Prestigious Gas-Balloon Race
French balloon pilots Vincent Leys and Christophe Houver won the 61st Gordon Bennett Cup over the weekend of 8-10 September 2017. The Gordon Bennett Cup is the oldest and most prestigious gas-balloon race in the world. The pair traveled 1,836.06km having launched on Friday 8 September 2017 from Gruyères near Fribourg, Switzerland. 61st Gordon Bennett […]
21 Gas Balloon Teams Race Across European Skies
61st Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett Launch -gas balloon race. All photos courtesy of FAI, Marcus King. Yesterday, 21 gas balloon teams from 13 countries took off from Gruyères airfield, in Switzerland to compete in the 61st Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race. Each team consists of two qualified pilots. In gas balloon races, one […]
Rope-Walk at a Terrifying Height Between Balloons
Photo courtesy of Aeronautic Montgolfier Stanislav Paniuta walked on a wobbly rope 2,165 feet above the ground, between two floating hot-air balloons, above Uman, in Ukraine’s Cherkasy Oblast region. It was his first time “slacklining” between balloons as onlookers watched with bated breath while he kept calm and concentrated on scaling the 33-foot rope. The […]
A Japanese War Weapon and Don Piccard’s Famous Flight
Historic Balloon to Become Museum Exhibit in Michigan (Part 1 of 2) During World War II, the Japanese used knowledge of atmospheric science and lighter-than-air technology to attack US mainland from November 1944 through April 1945. About 9,300 balloons strapped with explosives, called FU-GOs, were launched from Japan to ride a jet stream –30,000 feet […]
