Above: Denny Floden launches while Gene Dennis, Bill Murtorff, and Don Piccard make final preparations. Dennis Floden – Flint, Michigan. Bill Murtorff – Corpus Christi, Texas. A stockbroker and financial consultant, Denny Bill was an Army veteran (1955-1958) and an became a licensed balloonist in 1969. At age 32, he won extraordinary aeronaut. While operating a water sports the 1971 Nationals in Indianola, Iowa, and piloted a red, store in Corpus Christi, he became infatuated with hot air white, and blue Raven balloon decorated with eagles ballooning. As a student of Derek Howard, Bill received and pennants in the first Fiesta as the reigning U.S. his pilot license in 1971. Derek remembered “Wild Bill,” Champion. In his early ballooning years, he flew under as he was affectionately known, as being so enthusiastic the pseudonym “Capt. Phogg”. Coincidentally, 1972, the about ballooning that he would be around for a long time. year of Albuquerque’s First Fiesta, was also the 100th Indeed, Bill and his wife Mary were regular participants in anniversary of Jules Verne’s fantasy novel Around the the first 25 Balloon Fiestas. World in Eighty Days with Capt. Phileas Fogg. On that special day in Albuquerque in 1972, Bill In 1973, Denny joined Bill Cutter, Tom Oerman, and was fresh from a victory in the Florida Balloon Bruce Comstock on the U.S. team at the First World Championships. His balloon, Smile, N22US, red with four Hot Air Balloon Championships. He won the title and blue bands, was the second Coyote balloon to launch. Bill the distinction of becoming the world’s first champion received Quad A’s Sid Cutter Award in 1977. He was BFA balloonist. Denny used to say, “It takes a little bit of skill President 1979-1981. He retired in Mexico where he died and a lot of luck to excel in balloon competition.” in 1998 at age 64, but his name lives in a place of honor Like Sid, Denny was a balloon sales distributor and in the BFA as the Bill Murtorff Spirit of Ballooning Award. successful commercial balloonist. He designed Kellogg’s first Tony the Tiger balloon and for 22 years led his Don Piccard – Newport Beach, California. Gr-r-reat Tony Balloon Team in the operation of one of Don was the son of Swiss pioneer aeronauts Jean and the first special-shape commercial balloons. Denny is Jeannette Piccard. He had been flying balloons since the now retired from the financial world and the world of 1940s and was a pioneer in his own right. During WWII, commercial and competitive ballooning. He says he was he served in the Navy as a balloon and airship rigger a “card-carrying Michigan snowbird” for some time but and again at Lakehurst, New Jersey, during the Korean now spends most of his time as a boater and real estate War. In 1947, he received the nation’s first Free Balloon investor in Bradenton Beach, Florida. Certificate. He made numerous epic balloon flights and was awarded the 1962 Montgolfier Diplome for his ® 56 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta