Flight Lasted Just Under Three Days

It’s finally all over but the celebration, which will come on Saturday after the teams return to Switzerland. After a flight time of 69 hours and two minutes Team France 1, the 17th and last remaining competitor in the air in the Gordon Bennett Balloon Race 2012 landed safely late Monday and claimed victory in one of the world’s oldest aviation challenge events.

Sebastian Rolland‘s and Vincent Leÿs‘ odyssey came to an end in southern Spain, north of Seville. They landed a straight-line distance of 874 nautical miles (1620 kilometers) from the start in the Swiss village of Ebnat-Kappel. The Swiss Team 1 of Kurt Frieden and Pascal Witpraechtiger landed just under 10 nm (18 km) behind the French team and thus achieved a well-deserved second place in this prestigious gas balloon race.

Americans Andy Cayton and Bill Manuel, team 2 of the three US teams participating, also landed in Spain after a flight of 740 nm (1370 km and just over 42 hours in the air) to claim 3rd place on the podium.

17 teams from eight countries participated in the 2012 contest that began with the launch of the gas balloons Saturday night in Switzerland and ended with all teams down safely late Monday in either Spain or southern France.

The outcome might have been different. The Swiss 1 Team was forced to prematurely end their flight as they were flying into a restricted flight area that required pilots to cross the area no higher than 5000 feet above sea level because of military flight tests. The team had used almost all their ballast and expecting intense thermal activity the duo reached the reluctant decision to opt for a safe landing rather than face an uncertain and dangerous game with the thermals.

In total 7 teams had flights of more than 540 nm (1000 km). All of the teams must now make their way back to Switzerland for the awards ceremony to be held this coming Saturday night.

The Gordon Bennett Cup or Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett is the world’s oldest gas balloon race. It began in Paris on September 30, 1906 sponsored by the millionaire sportsman and owner of the New York Herald newspaper James Gordon Bennett Jr. The premise of the race is simple – to fly the farthest distance from a common launch site.

(Images provided by the Gordon Bennett Balloon Challenge)

FMI: www.gordonbennett2012.ch