Y SEL KIM VE O: T PHO Above: Carol Davis, center, consults with her crew chief, Fran Tschida (on the left) during inflation; article author John Davis is in white behind Fran. Right: Preparing the netted gas balloons that predominat- ed in the 1980s for launch required a large crew and was a lengthy, physically demanding process. Scoring Officer Nick Saum. The goal of the competition was to land as close to the Hare balloon as possible. After a fourteen-hour flight, the Hare landed near Ulysses, Kansas. The winning balloon Chicago, piloted by Dean Stellas and John Rippinger, landed seven miles away. The landings were interesting, and there was some excitement during the takeoff when the balloon flown by Maxie Anderson and Don Ida tried to fly through the balloon of Herb Wilcox and Fred Hyde. No harm was done and both balloons were able to fly. 1982’s race, again a BFA sanctioned event, allowed the pilots to pick one of four targets: Clayton and Glen Rio in New Mexico and Littlefield and Amarillo in Texas. There were only eleven balloons entered because the Fiesta immediately followed the Gas World Championships which had been held in Switzerland. The race ended with the teams of Herb Wilcox and Fred Hyde, and John Shoecraft and Fred Gorrell, tied for first. Both balloons landed 2.3 miles from the Clayton Airport. Of note was the last place flight of Nikki Caplan and Jane Buckles who landed in Iowa, claiming a World Record for Distance. ® 192 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta