![]() One of his goals will be flying over the Rio Grande and getting low enough to dip the gondola into the river. He's piloting a special-shaped balloon that was modeled after a chalet at the top of a famous Swiss bobsled run. This year will mark Roman Müller's first time flying in the fiesta. “Ballooning is infectious,” Dennis said, describing being aloft like drifting in a dream, quietly observing the countryside below. He was on the hook again, as pilots hope predictions for the rest of opening weekend are fair. The weather was perfect when he got to New Mexico, said Dennis, who flew under the alias “Captain Phairweather.” He was quoted at the time as saying he had brought good weather with him. ![]() He had to rearrange his flight plans from Michigan so he could make it to Albuquerque in time. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Pilot Gene Dennis, 78, remembers the snow storm that almost caused him to miss that first fiesta. It also serves as the launching venue for the America's Challenge Gas Balloon Race, one of the world's premier distance races for gas balloons.Ĭopyright 2022 The Associated Press. ![]() More than 20 countries are represented this year, including Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Taiwan and Ukraine. ![]() The fiesta has grown to include a cadre of European ballooning professionals. “There were a lot of firsts that I took for granted back then but really look back and appreciate so much now.” And then the other thing was the first balloon glow at night. “I remember the first time being down in the balloons with them all standing up and inflating and not being able to see the sky because it was all colored fabric. She recalled a childhood full of experiences centered on ballooning. Wiederkehr McDonald, who went on to set her own ballooning records before becoming a commercial airline pilot, was wearing one of her father's faded ballooning jackets and held a cardboard cutout of him as the balloon she was riding in lifted off. and held numerous world records for distance and duration and built a successful advertising business with his fleet of balloons. Her father, Matt Wiederkehr, was one of the first 10 hot air balloon pilots in the U.S. She made the trip from Colorado to participate in a re-enactment of that 1972 flight on Friday. Tens of thousands of people packed the field Saturday, wide-eyed with necks craned as they tried to soak in the spectacle.ĭenise Wiederkehr McDonald was a passenger in her father's balloon during the first fiesta. One thing that helps, he said, is the phenomenon known as the Albuquerque box - when the wind blows in opposite directions at different elevations, allowing skillful pilots to bring a balloon back to near the point of takeoff.ĭennis said it took a few years of holding the fiesta to realize the predictability of the wind patterns allowed for balloons to remain close to the launch field, giving spectators quite a show. “This is my plan,” he said, with a wide smile while acknowledging that it's not always easy to fly a balloon. Pilot Gene Dennis, 78, remembers the snow storm that almost caused him to miss that first fiesta.
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