CELEBRATING 50 YEARS Red Jacket Officials: Oft Overlooked Flight Operations Teams BY TOM MCCONNELL hen visiting the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, ONNELL many guests, balloon crews, C vendors, and sponsors most MC often see and interact with OM WLaunch Directors (or Zebras, O: T T see page 214) and Field Security officials (see page PHO 208). Those folks are all over the place, and easy to spot. But five other teams less well known, except to most pilots, also play important roles in coordinating a safe and enjoyable Balloon Fiesta: Safety, Weather, Scoring, Landowner Relations and Propane. Who are these people, and what do they do? These teams work closely with the Balloonmeister, the chief official responsible for all Balloon Fiesta flight activities. Henry Rosenbaum has been Balloonmeister since 2019. This year, Maury Sullivan and Peg Billson are the Assistant Balloonmeisters, who deputize at some events. The Safety team, led by Tom Bueno, is responsible for flight safety. The Weather team, led by Brad Temeyer, predicts and communicates the approaching weather patterns, in long-term, medium-term, and up-to-the- minute reports. The Scoring team, reporting to Tammy Luna, observes the balloons as they fly into targets or the poles for grabs and ring tosses, measures (to the fractions of an inch) the distances of scoring markers Right: A long tradition dating back to the 1970s: Officials salute the flag during the National Anthem. ® 218 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta