CELEBRATING 50 YEARS LIGHTS IN THE DARKNESS n a cold October day in 1978, in the By the time they were ready to land, they would be pre-dawn darkness, two California able to see and avoid buildings, power lines, and other balloonists made history – and no obstructions on the ground. doubt startled a few Albuquerque early In order to receive certifi cation, O’Connor and risers – by ascending into the sunrise Thornton had to develop aircraft warning lights on the fi rst fl ight ever of the Dawn acceptable to the FAA and submit a ton of paperwork. O Patrol. The fl ight was the culmination of six month’s They got the fi nal OK just before they were to leave hard work and the realization of a dream, in the words of their home base in Morgan Hill, California for the pilot Ron Thornton, “to be able to see the sunrise from a Balloon Fiesta. Now, they were ready to set sail into the couple thousand feet above ground and see the morning unknown. shadows recede from above”. When they came to the 1978 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, Thornton and Ken O’Connor had just received the certifi cation from the Federal Aviation Administration that would permit them to fl y their balloons at night. Balloons are generally certifi ed to fl y in daylight only for a very practical reason: the pilot needs to be able to see the ground in order to land safely. O’Conner and Thornton’s idea was to take off at dawn and fl y into daylight. OIS JE DEBER UL A O: P T PHO Above:A ® 70 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta