The 1980s

1981 1982

The move to its next launch site – the expansive Cutter Field, between Osuna Rd. and Los Angeles Blvd. (now Paseo del Norte) east of Edith Rd. – opened up new possibilities for Balloon Fiesta. Nearly 500 balloons participated in the 1981 event, and Sid Cutter, for one, was talking of someday hosting as many as 1,000 balloons. (It didn’t happen for another 19 years). The site off ered the chance to thrill guests with additional events, including the wing-walking (notably by 1981 balloonmeister Paul Enz) and aerial acrobatics of Jim Franklin’s Wild Waco Air Show.

A fun run and radiocontrolled aircraft were among many other events added, the biggest of which was the Balloon Fiesta’s fi rst gas balloon race. Unlike today’s America’s Challenge distance race, this race was about fl ying to a specifi c target downrange, much as in hot-air balloon competition. (See more about gas balloon events and traditions at Balloon Fiesta beginning on page 179.)

Women have always played an important role in the Balloon Fiesta; many of the Balloon Fiesta’s early leaders were female. And in 1982, Charlotte Kinney broke ground for women as the event’s fi rst female balloonmeister, the offi cial in charge of fl ight operations. (At the time, the Balloon Fiesta used the debatable term “balloonmeisterin” for its female balloonmeisters.) Charlotte had been fl ying balloons for several years before moving into the offi cials’ ranks, and was most likely one of the fi rst women anywhere in the world to serve as balloonmeister of a major balloon rally. Charlotte’s assistant balloonmeister was also female, longtime Albuquerque pilot Neida Courtney, who served as balloonmeister in 1983; Charlotte and Neida were co-balloonmeisters in 1984. Meanwhile, the Balloon Fiesta’s activities continued to grow, with skydivers (the Army Golden Knights), gas balloon race, ultralites, air shows, and more.

In November of 1783, humans took fl ight for the fi rst time, thanks to French pioneers who imagined and created the fi rst hot air balloons (the brothers Jacques-Étienne and Joseph-Michel Montgolfi er) and gas balloons (professor Jacques Alexandre César Charles). Up until the Wright Brothers developed the fi rst powered aircraft, balloons and other lighter-thanair vehicles were the only form of air transportation. Obviously, airplanes, which were not limited to going only where the wind goes, proved more practical and soon overtook the balloon as the preferred form of air travel. But balloons have always had a magic all their own, and with the invention of the propane-fi red burner in the early 1960s (by early Balloon Fiesta balloonmeister Ed Yost), ballooning became a viable recreational option.

So in 1983, it was time to party, to celebrate aviation’s bicentennial, 200 years of manned fl ight. And what better place to do it than the Balloon Capital of the World? That year, 450 hot air balloons and 15 gas balloons fl ew in the world’s biggest ballooning event, always with thoughts of those inventors, the Montgolfi ers and Professor Charles, who made it all possible. As noted on our 1982 page, in 1984 the Balloon Fiesta had coballoonmeisters – former balloonmeisters Charlotte Kinney and Neida Courtney shared the job. This is the only time the event has ever had two people sharing these responsibilities. The other major development that year was behind the scenes: the Balloon Fiesta purchased its fi rst offi ce building, on Washington Pl., close to Cutter Field.

At the time, the Balloon Fiesta’s “pilot headquarters” during the event was the old Holiday Inn Midtown on Menaul Blvd. Pilots registered and attended the required orientation briefi ng there (via videotape, an idea developed originally by former balloonmeister Mark Wilson for the 1981 Balloon Fiesta). After that fi rst day, the “offi cial headquarters hotel” became the social center of the Balloon Fiesta, with events almost every night. Meanwhile, the fi rst Park and Ride service

1983 1984 gave Balloon Fiesta guests a new and convenient way to beat the traffi c and get to Cutter Field in comfort on weekend days.

PHOTO BY DICK BROWN

The “First Fiesta” at Coronado Center

In just 10 days, Sid Cutter and KOB organized what was then one of the largest gatherings of balloons anywhere in the world. Thirteen balloons launched from a huge open fi eld west of Coronado Center, which was much smaller at that time than it is today. The estimated 20,000 people who turned up were openmouthed at what they were seeing. The balloonists – hastily assembled from around the US – were equally astonished at the warm reception they received. Their enthusiasm led to invitations to bid for and to host a much larger event, the First World Hot Air Balloon Championships.

WHAT: KOB Radio and Television International Balloon Festival and Rally (KOB Radio 50th anniversary celebration) WHERE: San Pedro and Menaul NE, west of Coronado Center WHEN: April 8, 1972 NUMBER OF BALLOONS: 13 WHY IT HAD TO MOVE: Not big enough, no permanent facilities, destined for development WHAT’S THERE NOW: West end of Coronado Center and parking lot

PHOTO BY TOM MCCONNELL

The First World Hot Air Balloon Championships and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds

When 38 international competitors and 90 “Fiesta Flyers” descended on Albuquerque for the fi rst World Championships – the modern hot air balloon had been invented only a decade or so before – the State Fairgrounds seemed like an ideal location for the event. It had grandstand seating for guests (spectators were not allowed on the fi eld), food service facilities, and above all, restrooms! But for fl ying, the fairgrounds proved to be less than ideal. It was in an established area of the city, and landing sites were relatively scarce. When the balloons fl ew south, as they frequently did, they quickly encroached on the Albuquerque International Sunport and on Kirtland Air Force Base and the highly classifi ed research facilities attached to the base. (There are great stories about gun-toting security offi cers confronting pilots who spoke limited English.) February proved to be a less than ideal weather month. Within a couple of years, event organizers realized they needed both a new event date and a new launch site.

WHAT: First World Hot Air Balloon Championships; 2nd and 3rd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta WHERE: New Mexico State Fairgrounds/ Downs of Albuquerque, Louisiana and Lomas NE WHEN: February 1973-1974 and a February rally in 1975 NUMBER OF BALLOONS: As many as 128 NEW EVENTS: World-class competition events, mass ascensions; the Balloon Fiesta Parade (held through 1991) became the biggest in the state WHY IT HAD TO MOVE: Too close to the airport and too far south, proximity to high-security installations at Kirtland AFB and Sandia and Manzano bases, lack of landing sites, February not a good month for ballooning; site in use for New Mexico State Fair in the late summer and fall WHAT’S THERE NOW: Downs of Albuquerque and EXPO New Mexico