AeroSports Update: Balloons Compete In The Gordon Bennett Race | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.22.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.16.24

Airborne-FlightTraining-04.17.24 Airborne-AffordableFlyers-04.18.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.19.24

Join Us At 0900ET, Friday, 4/10, for the LIVE Morning Brief.
Watch It LIVE at
www.airborne-live.net

Thu, Sep 22, 2016

AeroSports Update: Balloons Compete In The Gordon Bennett Race

The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett Is The Oldest And Most Prestigious Event In Aviation

The international competition was initiated by adventurer and newspaper tycoon James Gordon Bennett Jr. in 1906, when 16 balloons launched from the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, France. Little did the crowd of 200,000 spectators know that this race was to continue into the 21st century. The goal is simple: to fly the furthest non-stop distance in a gas balloon from the launch site.

In the predawn hours of September 19, Forty-eight pilots from a dozen countries in 24 gas-balloons – two pilots in each balloon – set off from Gladbeck, northwest Germany around midnight. The race involves not only the skill of the balloon pilots and operating the equipment itself, it’s also a test of planning, and a little cunning, to see who can make it the furthest.

Yesterday, September 21, Team SUI-01, Kurt Frieden and Pascal Witpraechtiger, won the 60th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett. They reached central Greece after a flight of about 1120 miles and touched down shortly before 10.30am Central European Summer Time.

The two pilots played a clever game Tuesday afternoon and evening as they positioned themselves a little way further north than Teams SUI-02 and ESP-01.

SUI-02 and ESP-01 had been leading the charge south, but landed in the very south of mainland Italy. Ahead of them was a long sea crossing, which both teams must have assessed was a step too far – they landed within a couple of miles of each other.

Team SUI-01’s line meanwhile, took them on the shortest route across open water. It meant they had more security and could reach land more quickly. They brushed the town of Leuca on the heel of Italy before crossing the sea to connect with Corfu.

Both pilots in Team SUI-01 are experienced gas-balloonists and Gordon Bennett pilots. Pascal Witpraechtiger, 41, has flown in the race seven times, and Kurt Frieden, 47, has competed 19 times.

This is the second win in a row for the team. They won the race last year with a flight of 1292 miles, which took them from Pau in France to Jaczno in Poland.

Before the race Witpraechtiger explained the team’s philosophy when flying in the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett: “The rules are simple, and victory relies more on the whole team than on special technology. Winning the race is possible without a big, costly organization. Our team is passionate and works for free.”

Posting on the team’s Facebook page just before they landed this morning, they wrote: “So now we are descending over beautiful flat ground. Thank you to all our team for the fantastic support. It was a great time and we can still find it hard to believe that our dream is about to come true.”

Ranking
1. SUI-01, Frieden / Witprachtiger, 1,803.48km

2. SUI-02, Tiech / Sciboz, 1,590.03km

3. ESP-01, Gonzalez / Aguirre, 1,585.93km

We at ANN congratulate all the participants in this grand recognition of the glory of flight.

(Images from FAI)

FMI; http://gordonbennett.aero/

 


Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.25.24): Airport Rotating Beacon

Airport Rotating Beacon A visual NAVAID operated at many airports. At civil airports, alternating white and green flashes indicate the location of the airport. At military airports>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.25.24)

Aero Linx: Fly for the Culture Fly For the Culture, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves young people interested in pursuing professions in the aviation industry>[...]

Klyde Morris (04.22.24)

Klyde Is Having Some Issues Comprehending The Fed's Priorities FMI: www.klydemorris.com>[...]

Airborne 04.24.24: INTEGRAL E, Elixir USA, M700 RVSM

Also: Viasat-uAvionix, UL94 Fuel Investigation, AF Materiel Command, NTSB Safety Alert Norges Luftsportforbund chose Aura Aero's little 2-seater in electric trim for their next gli>[...]

Airborne 04.22.24: Rotor X Worsens, Airport Fees 4 FNB?, USMC Drone Pilot

Also: EP Systems' Battery, Boeing SAF, Repeat TBM 960 Order, Japan Coast Guard H225 Buy Despite nearly 100 complaints totaling millions of dollars of potential fraud, combined with>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC