ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s been 15 years since the world’s elite gas balloon pilots have gathered in the United States for a race with roots that stretch back more than a century.
The pilots will be launching for this year’s Gordon Bennett competition during an international balloon fiesta that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators to the heart of New Mexico each fall. The race has been held in the United States only 13 times before, and this will be the fifth time the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has played host.
The launch window opens Saturday evening for what is billed as one of the most prestigious events in aviation.
Some worry that the massive spheres could be mistaken for Chinese spy balloons as they traverse the upper reaches of America’s airspace. But the pilots who will be racing aren’t worried. They’re more concerned about charting a course that will keep them out of bad weather and give their hydrogen-filled balloons a path to victory.
There are no stops to refuel or to pick up extra supplies. They will be aloft for days, carrying everything they need to survive at high altitude as they search for the right combination of wind currents to push their tiny baskets as far as they can go. Prevailing winds are expected to carry the competitors through the Midwest toward the northeastern U.S. and potentially into Canada.
A Belgium team holds the record for traveling just over 2,112.9 miles (3,400 kilometers) in 2005. A German team was added to the record books for staying aloft the longest — more than 92 hours — during the 1995 competition. Willi Eimers, a member of that German team, holds the record for the number of times a pilot has competed in the race. He and his son, Benjamin, are back this year to defend their title.
Albuquerque balloonists Barbara Fricke and husband Peter Cuneo will be among three American teams. Their ballooning résumé includes four wins in the America’s Challenge long-distance gas balloon race, and…
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