Matt Wiederkehr – St. Paul, Minnesota. 206 feet from the Roadrunner. Don added, “It was a kick Matt served four years in the Navy during the Korean for us to take fi rst and second.” Don and Willie relocated War. He was an engineer when he started ballooning to Minneapolis where Willie survives her husband of 50 and in fact was one of the fi rst ten hot air balloon pilots years. As a tribute to Don, she said, “His most powerful in the country. He and wife Bobbie operated a balloon legacy is in helping to develop the sport of hot air sales distributorship and staged the hot air balloon ballooning and making it aff ordable for families to enjoy.” competition at the annual St. Paul Winter Carnival. Matt Now 91 years of age, she still resides in Minneapolis. and his daughters, Denise and Donna, set over 40 world ballooning records. Brent Stockwell – Daly City, California. The fi rst Coyote balloon to launch was Matt’s blue and As a licensed commercial balloonist since 1970, white balloon, Raven One, N1926R, with co-pilot Denise Brent participated in many hot air and gas balloon races and a long Melloy Datsun banner trailing below the around the world. At the time of Albuquerque’s inaugural basket. They made a classic ripout landing among cholla ballooning event, he had been working on establishing cactus on the East Mesa, stopping dead in their tracks in the fi rst FAA-approved balloon fl ight school in the nation. a matter of seconds. Matt’s wife Bobbie recalled, “At fi rst Beginning in 1974, Brent operated an FAA-certifi ed everyone thought we won the race. Suddenly the wind balloon repair station. He was active in the BFA for changed and the Piccards won, even though they were decades and received numerous BFA and FAA awards. off course until the end.” Matt and Denise ended up in At the fi rst Fiesta, his small AX-4 balloon, Firebird, third place. We lost this veteran aeronaut in 2019 when N14US, trailing a Rich Ford banner, was one of the he passed away at age 90. last Coyotes to launch. Other sponsors included Cactus Realty, Galles Chevrolet, Horizon Corporation, Wilma Piccard – Newport Beach, California. Melloy Datsun, Pedal ‘n Spoke, Vickers Petroleum and Don’s wife, Willie, is an accomplished balloonist. Watchworld. Brent’s balloon ran out of fuel before The two met when Don hired her as a seamstress at reaching the target Roadrunner balloon. He and his wife, Piccard Balloons. Willie set the A-1 distance record for Christine Kalakuka, authored several ballooning books male and female using a single-cell mylar balloon. As while operating their fl ight school and repair station in the only female pilot in the fi rst Fiesta, Willie fl ew solo Manteca, California. Sadly, Christine passed away in in Gypsy, N10TA, a Piccard AX-6 which later went to 2007. Brent passed away in 2021 at age 90. (See Brent Bruce Comstock and helped him win the Nationals. Don Stockwell’s account of his fl ight, reprinted from the 1991 recalled, “It was a super balloon, especially for the time, Balloon Fiesta program, following this story.) and gave Willie no trouble.” She placed second, landing Below: Matt Wiederkehr, Carter Twedt and Denny Floden infl ate at Coronado Center. ® 58 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta