PHO T O: BILL W AL T ON FL YNT Above: This photo shows the contrast between the traditional netted balloons and Dame Blanche, one of the earliest of the “quick fill” balloons that now predominate in America. With four U.S. balloons in Zurich competing in the The 1983 event was again a part of the BFA National Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett, the world’s Championship Series. This race consisted of a Race oldest air race, the 1984 race had only three entries. to a Line and a Race to a Point. The lines were state The BFA task for the balloons was a Judge Declared boundaries and the points were towns on or very near Goal. After a delay because officials were worried that these lines. Fourteen balloons took off on Sunday, 3 the balloons might fly into White Sands Missile Range, October, from Cutter Field and landed in New Mexico, the balloons took off on Monday, 8 October. The winner Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The winner was John was the team of Jim Schiller and Randy Woods, with a Shoecraft who landed in Texola, OK. landing near Borger, TX. Weather became the chief feature of the 1985 race. The five balloons were to compete in the now PHO familiar Race to a Line and Race to a Goal. Shortly after T O: BILL takeoff they all encountered snow which added to the complexity of the flight. There were some interesting W landings including one on the side of Pecos Baldy AL northeast of Santa Fe. There were no injuries, but some T ON FL pilots came back with great stories. The winner was the YNT late Fred Hyde, with a landing near Elliott, KS. Weather again played havoc with the 1986 race. By the time the race took place on Tuesday morning the entry list was down to five balloons who were to compete in a Multiple Judge Declared Goal and Distance event. The winners were Jaques Soukup and Mark Sullivan with a flight to Galisteo, NM. The seventh and last of the early Balloon Fiesta Gas Balloon Races took place on 8 October, 1987. Again, the Gordon Bennett, scheduled at the same time in Austria, siphoned off many potential competitors. Only one balloon flew, and George Hahn was awarded 3rd place for that flight. With the rising expense of flying gas balloons and no sponsor in sight, the Balloon Fiesta Board of Directors decided to discontinue the annual Gas Balloon Race. It would not be until the 1990s that gas ballooning returned to the Balloon Fiesta. In 1993, Albuquerque and Balloon Fiesta played host to the Gordon Bennett (it would do so again in 1999, 2005, and 2008), and in 1994 to the World Gas Balloon Championships. The success of these events inspired the creation of the Balloon Fiesta’s own gas balloon distance race — the America’s Challenge. OFFICIAL PROGRAM 193