In November of 1783, 1983humans took fl ight for the fi rst time, thanks to French pioneers who imagined and created the fi rst hot air balloons (the brothers Jacques-Étienne and Joseph-Michel Montgolfi er) and gas balloons (professor Jacques Alexandre César Charles). Up until the Wright Brothers developed the fi rst powered aircraft, balloons and other lighter-than- air vehicles were the only form of air transportation. Obviously, airplanes, which were not limited to going only where the wind goes, proved more practical and soon overtook the balloon as the preferred form of air travel. But balloons have always had a magic all their own, and with the invention of the propane-fi red burner in the early 1960s (by early Balloon Fiesta balloonmeister Ed Yost), ballooning became a viable recreational option. So in 1983, it was time to party, to celebrate aviation’s bicentennial, 200 years of manned fl ight. And what better place to do it than the Balloon Capital of the World? That year, 450 hot air balloons and 15 gas balloons fl ew in the world’s biggest ballooning event, always with thoughts of those inventors, the Montgolfi ers and Professor Charles, who made it all possible. As noted on our 19841982 page, in 1984 the Balloon Fiesta had co- balloonmeisters – former balloonmeisters Charlotte Kinney and Neida Courtney shared the job. This is the only time the event gave Balloon Fiesta guests a new and convenient way has ever had two people sharing these responsibilities. to beat the traffi c and get to Cutter Field in comfort on The other major development that year was behind weekend days. the scenes: the Balloon Fiesta purchased its fi rst offi ce building, on Washington Pl., close to Cutter Field. At the time, the Balloon Fiesta’s “pilot headquarters” during the event was the old Holiday Inn Midtown on Menaul Blvd. Pilots registered and attended the required orientation briefi ng there (via videotape, an idea developed originally by former balloonmeister Mark Wilson for the 1981 Balloon Fiesta). After that fi rst day, the “offi cial headquarters hotel” became the social center of the Balloon Fiesta, with events almost every night. Meanwhile, the fi rst Park and Ride service ® 120 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta