2024 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Our drive to Albuquerque was uneventful.  Traffic was bad but that was no surprise.

The directions from Escapees were great.  They even had a "drive in" video showing every detail from the interstate to our club camping area.  We were directed to our site and we were all set up 10:30 AM.
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We were one of the last to arrive.  Most of the group came in the day or two before and everyone else arrived early this morning.

After check-in, we spent some time relaxing at the RV and getting the ground solar panels setup.  The system is working great  then I discovered that the battery levels were falling even with the panels in direct sunlight. Well, I discovered the problem. I just wish I had remembered to unplug the charger.  Yep, we were using our inverter to power the converter charger to charge the batteries that powered the inverter that powered the converter charger.  Rookie move.  I hope that is that last time I make that mistake.

In the afternoon, we had a great get together discussing the fiesta and activities.  A  balloonist with over 3000 hours of airtime introduced us to the world of ballooning.  He and his wife brought a basket and even lit off the burner for a few seconds. Wow!  Lots of heat.

The history of the fiesta was great.   He explained the process of expanding the balloon (envelope) and filling it with hot air.  Also, some of the ways we should act on the balloon field and when to help or not help the balloonists.

The origin of the "Dawn Patrol" was interesting.  Early on they realized that it would be helpful for a few balloons to go up right before sunrise to test the winds.  If there was a problem then only a few balloons would be involved.  It has become an event as they glow so bright in the almost dark sky.

He even told us the source of the safety official uniform.  An early organizer of the fiesta  decided that it was hard to find each other with so many people.  He ran down a purchased referee jackets for all of them.  From then on, the safety officials were called Zebras. A new safety official in training are called  ZITS. Zebra In Training.

We are expecting over 500 balloons, 100 special shape balloons, 600 pilots, participants from more than 15 countries, and over 800,000 people total through the week coming to the event.  That will work out to about 50,000 or more per day.  Wow, things are going to be busy.

We had over 50 people sign up from our group.

Dinner was fajitas and was good.  It always helps when your cooks background is from Mexico.

History warning:

The earliest known unpiloted balloons were flown as far back as 200 AD but that is just our written history.  People could have easily been holding paper "balloons" over a fire to see them fly from hot air.

The first documented piloted balloon was in France in the late 1783.  Many of the attempts were fatal to the pilots.  Nothing like a high chance of death to limit progress.  Some were hot air balloons but many were filled with hydrogen.  A very explosive and dangerous gas.  Do you remember the Hindenburg?

For years, they were primarily a novelty and only rarely used for a practical purpose.  Someone soon figured out that being high over a battle field would give an advantage.  Plus a very big and slow moving target.  Again very dangerous. From the French Revolutionary war to WWII there were used in war and occasionally beyond that war.

Most balloonists were thrill seekers trying to become the "first to" something.  First to cross the Channel.  First to cross from one point to another.  First to cross the Alps, cross the Atlantic, cross the Pacific,....  This never really stopped. 

Eventually the last "First" was to circumnavigate the world, It was in 2002 when Steve Fossett became the first person to fly around the world alone, nonstop, in any kind of aircraft. He launched from Australia, on June 19th and returned to Australia on July 3rd. He flew 20,626 miles and  at over 200 MPH at one point he was the fastest balloonist.

Modern ballooning is something relatively recent.  Ed Yost is considered the father of modern ballooning from his work in the 1950's.  From 1961, his company started selling hot air balloon "Kits" with everything needed to fly.

Today, there more than 7,500 balloonists registered in the US and around 10,000 in the entire world.

Now to our current event.  

The  Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta started in 1972 and has grown into the largest balloon festival in the world.   The Balloon Fiesta Park is 365-acre and a
launch field the size of 54 football fields or 78 acres.

The location is the only Balloon Fiesta in the world where a dependable “box effect” is found. The "box" is a unique weather phenomenon that can allow pilots to start at the field flying south, up, north, and then back to the same field.

End the history lesson.

Our RV is 1 mile south of the field which should allow for seeing many balloons fly over every day and several will land VERY close to the RV.  

Our HOP Festival Event includes:
9 nights – RV boondock parking
9 catered breakfasts
6 catered dinners
Transportation to and from the field.
Souvenir HOP name badges
Souvenir HOP bag
HOP hosts to organize and answer questions.
And at a cost of $2200 for a couple and one RV.

We will be here from October 4th to the 13th.  Time for bed because breakfast starts at 5am.