During the first week of October each year a different kind of fall color fills the skies over Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Hot air balloons from around the globe flock to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  What began in 1972 with only a handful of hot air balloons has become the world’s largest hot air balloon gathering.  This year 500 balloons were registered representing 39 states and 17 countries.  The estimated attendance at this year’s nine day event was over 800,000.

  Most people think that hot air ballooning means just floating leisurely among the clouds.  That may be true to during the actual flight, however, ballooning is an exciting and sometimes dangerous sport.   At Fiesta, the action leading up to a mass ascension is fast paced and can easily overload the senses.  The multitude of colorful balloons launching against a clear blue sky can be amazing and offers breathtaking photographic opportunities.

  A typical balloon launch at Fiesta starts before dawn with the Dawn Patrol.  The Dawn Patrol is a group of selected balloons that launch before the rest of the field in order to verify the winds aloft.  The balloon crews arrive at their designated spot on the 72 acre field.  While the pilot attends a “pilot briefing” to get the most recent weather information, the rest of the crew patiently waits.  The crew-chief will assign positions to the rest of the crew.  Once the pilot briefing is over the crew jumps into action.  The balloon is laid out.  The basket and burners are checked, then cold inflation, hot inflation and balloon stand-up.  When the ‘Zebra’ (Launch Director) gives the O.K., the balloon is launched. 

  After the Dawn Patrol has launched the mass ascension comes next.  In order to safely launch upwards of 500 balloons, launches are conducted in three “waves”.  During a mass ascension, there is so much activity it’s sometimes difficult to see all that’s going on.  After launch, even though the balloons float relatively slowly, the site of several hundred hot air balloons lifting off and floating over the balloon field is incredible.

  Piloting a hot air balloon requires a skill not easily mastered.  While a hot air balloon is at the mercy of the winds as far as which direction it can fly, balloon pilots learn how to use the varying winds at different altitudes to steer their balloon to a specific place.  Several days during Fiesta are dedicated to competitions.  During the balloon competitions pilots launch their balloon from a mile or two off the balloon field, fly their balloon to the field and attempt to drop a marker on a specific target.   Another competition is the key grab.  During the key grab (the key is usually to a vehicle donated by a local automobile dealer that the winning pilot keeps) the pilots again launch from off the field and fly to the field in an attempt to grab an envelope containing a key attached to a pole standing at a specific place on the field. 

  Several evenings during Fiesta are set aside for balloon glows.  Just as the sun is going down the balloons inflate and will light their burners in synchronization with each other.  This offers a unique opportunity to see the balloons lit up and glowing against the evening sky.  The sight is spectacular.

  Two days of Fiesta are dedicated to the Special Shape balloons.  Special Shape balloons are balloons shaped other than the normal teardrop shape.  These include balloons shaped like: Darth Vader, bumble bees, Noah’s Ark, a lighthouse, the US flag, the space shuttle, and many others.  The Special Shape mass ascensions are just as awesome as the others.  There were 91 “Special Shape” balloons this year with 18 of them flying in their first Fiesta.

  Let’s not forget the America’s Challenge gas balloon race during the Fiesta.  While ‘balloon’ and ‘race’ don’t seem to go together, the race is actually a distance competition and the balloons are in the air for several days. The inflation process for the gas balloons is an extremely long process.  However, when they launch the balloons rise quickly off the ground and are soon out of sight.  The gas balloon race this year was overshadowed by the disappearance of balloonists Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis on Sept 29 over the Adriadic Sea during the 54th Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Championship. This year’s America’s Challenge race was won by Barbara Fricke (Pilot) and Peter Cuneo (Co-Pilot).  They traveled 1350 mile in 59 hours and 33 minutes.

  The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest balloon event in the world.  The 2011 Fiesta will be the 40th and promises to be even better than years past.