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By January, 1975, commitments to hold the event in Albuquerque
were gaining ground, but if the Second World Balloon Championships
were to be held here, they would have to be in October. So to hold
interest in Albuquerque ballooning, the Albuquerque Aeronaut Ascension
Association (AAAA) [the local balloon club created by Cutter], the
Chamber of Commerce and various other volunteers agreed to host
and put on a balloon rally in February at the State Fairgrounds.
Diane Terry, Secretary of AAAA, sent out the balloonist invitations
January 30, and Harold Schlather, President of AAAA, and Harold
Levin, President of the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, made the
official press announcement February 12. The AAAA named the rally
“Cloudbouncer” after the club’s newsletter. Little
did they know at the time.
The morning of Saturday, February 22, dawned cold and cloudy, when
thirty-three New Mexico, and 8 out-of state balloons which were
registered for this event, assembled at the fairgrounds. At 7:30
a.m., a weather briefing predicted light and variable winds with
possible snow showers. Miss Albuquerque-Universe, Miss Jonelle Bergquist,
officially started the Coyote-Roadrunner Race by presenting John
Davis, pilot of Sid Cutter’s 105,000 cubic foot white “Roadrunner”
balloon (called the “hare” balloon in Europe), with
a bottle of champagne. Weatherman Dick Edwards provided commentary
on the event for the benefit of spectators.
According to official AAAA registration documents uncovered recently
in a musty closet, the Albuquerque pilots, and their balloons, were
Ben Abruzzo in Mariah Tambien, Larry Arnold in Diamond Queen, John
Ashworth in Harvey Wallbanger, Jim Baldo in Wind Bag, Don Barz in
Black Magic, Wally Book in Roadrunner II, Dick Brown in Blue Dragon,
Bill Douglas in La Desengrapadora, J.W. Byrd in Wandering Star,
Tom Rutherford in All American, John Davis in Queen Celeste, Bob
Dawson in Blue Bonnet, Kurt Gottlieb in Cactus Jack, Mike Kratz/Terry
Unkechaeuser in Woodstock, Doug March in Purple Passion, Tom McConnell
in Zia, Chuck Ray/Keith Ray in Mercedes II, Buddy Rice in Smiley,
Bob Russell in Marisol, Linda Rutherford in Jeremy, Mark Wilson
in Roadrunner I, Harold Schlather in Serendipity, Sylvan Segal in
Scarlet O’Aira, Jim Sheperd in Captain America, Allen Tonkin
in Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Jerry Whitlow in Grand Duke, Tom
Zanotti in Citizen’s Savings & Loan, Sam Carter/Lanky
Harrison in El Lobo, and Darryl Gunter in Oso Negro.
Other New Mexico pilots were Bill Flynt (Roswell) in Turqoise Bandit,
Tom Norcross (Gallup) in Kierkgaard, Terry Pierce (Las Vegas, NM)
in A.M.F., and Ron Slonaker/Claire Bennett (Farmington) in Four
Corners of the World.
Out-of-staters were Bill Busse (Las Vegas, NV) in Lucky 7, Mike
Choucalas (Midland, TX) in Zorba the Greek, Bill Hardin (Dallas,
TX) in Windfall, Bud Hebrlee (Garden City, KS) in Couranne Royale,
Ken Kelly (Forth Worth, TX) in Adios, Dudley Mann (El Paso, TX)
in Prairie Schooner, Don Miller (Atwood, KS) in Yes, and Jim Morgan
(Texarkana, TX) in Harvest Moon.
It is apparent from personal recollections and newspaper clippings
that some of these balloonists did not fly, and some not on the
above list did fly. For example, Carol Davis flew Queen Celeste,
with Pat Barz as copilot [one of the first all-female flights in
an official race] and Bill Busse flew as a passenger with Don Barz
in Black Magic, because he had broken both ankles in a balloon mishap
some months earlier in Las Vegas, and was still recovering.
John Davis, pilot-in-command, with passengers Ray Tillery (later
to become President of AAAA) and Larry Merry (long-time crew person
and event-volunteer), ascended at about 8 a.m. in the big white
Raven S-105, N1951R, and immediately floated toward the southeast.
One by one, the rest of the “Coyotes” (“hound”
balloons in Europe) ascended and attempted to follow the “roadrunner.”
As soon as the balloons were in the air, snow squalls were spotted
to the west, north and south, and clouds covered the mountains to
the east.
About half the balloons kept in a southeasterly direction, following
the “Roadrunner,” while the other half, seeing the low-hanging
clouds and snow squalls, headed toward the east-northeast. Davis,
after flying for about an hour, was becalmed over the east end of
runway 26 at the International Airport, sometimes in the clouds,
sometimes not, while his passengers were busy throwing bits of Kleenex
over the side to determine wind direction below them. Cleverly having
an aircraft radio on board, Davis called the tower to explain what
was happening. Tower personnel told him to move away from the airport.
Davis explained that the balloon would go in the direction and at
the speed where God wanted it to go. Not happy with that response,
tower again insisted Davis remove himself from runway 26. Davis
replied that he was more than 1000 feet above ground level, and
that perhaps airplanes could land beneath the balloon. The three
intrepid balloonists in the “Roadrunner” balloon were
entertained by sounds (when they were in the clouds) or sights (when
they could see) of large aircraft landing beneath them. Dick Brown
in Blue Dragon, Bill Douglas in La Desengrapadora and several others
chasing the “Roadrunner,” were in similar straights.
Brown landed on a taxiway at the airport, and Douglas landed on
Sandia Base near Eubank Boulevard.
Davis in the “Roadrunner” balloon finally moved over
far enough to land in a schoolyard on Sandia Base. Dave Sibila,
from Denver, flying the original “Grape Escape,” N51518,
came out of the clouds and landed next to Davis, Tillery and Merry,
and won the race.
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Since Kurt Gottlieb was flying Cactus Jack, co-owner Bob Ruppenthal
borrowed a Raven S-50 from Sid Cutter, and with Terry Adams (a British
Royal Navy aircraft carrier pilot and member of the 1973 British
hot-air balloon team who competed in Albuquerque in the 1973 First
World Balloon Championships in a Cameron-made “Western”
balloon, the predecessor of the later Cameron balloons), flew off
as one of the “coyote” balloons, and soon found the
air unstable, with snow squalls coming in from the northwest. He
approached the golf course near Wyoming and Lomas in northeast Albuquerque,
made a cool approach (“cool” as in significant negative
buoyancy, not “cool” as in modern teenage jargon) over
a fence toward the open golf course, stopped just above the fence
between Art Janpol Volkswagon and the golf course, reversed direction,
and wiped out five brand new Volkswagon cars. Since both people
in the gondola were pilots, one was burning and one was pulling
the vent. Bob admitted he was on the vent and Terry was on the burner.
Bob won. They were not hurt except for their egos.
Meanwhile, several other balloons were also experiencing their
first flight in the snowy clouds. Drifting towards the northeast,
Tom McConnell and then student pilot Bill Glenn in Zia, attempted
a landing at a schoolyard, but were foiled more than once by the
aerial acrobatics of air molecules being pulled downward with the
falling snow and doing circles and eddys about 100 feet above ground
level. Sylvain Segal in Scarlet O’Aira was unfortunate enough
to land in a backyard south of Eubank between Parsifal and Salem
Streets, in NE Albuquerque, where the envelope draped over powerlines
and burned. No one was hurt. Mark Wilson in Roadrunner I, Tom McConnell
in Zia and Linda Rutherford in Jeremy, among others, landed in a
large vacant lot in a snowstorm with two inched of snow on the balloon
tops, water pouring into the gondolas from the melting snow. J.W.
Byrd in Wandering Star, with son Jimmy, landed in an arroyo not
far distant. All balloons and balloonists eventually landed somewhere,
and everyone was safe.
That night, pilots attempted to dry out their balloons in various
ways, some using large warehouses with overhead infra-red heaters
(successful) and others in their living rooms with the furnace turned
up high (unsuccessful).
Sunday, February 23, when a mass ascension was planned, was very
cold, but clear. Not many spectators made it to the fairgrounds
that day. Balloons were on their own, but were cleared to takeoff
at pilot’s discretion. Many balloons did not fly at all, some
inflated and tethered, in order to dry out the envelopes, and others
had beautiful flights in fairly calm winds. Bill Douglas and Ray
Toler in La Desengrapadora, for instance, flew for three hours,
changing passengers more than once, and finally came to rest in
the eastern-most part of the Isleta Pueblo lands.
The event was a success in spite of the snowstorm, and the balloonists
who flew that Saturday in the clouds and snow will never forget
the experience. Money was obtained by the Chamber of Commerce and
World Balloon Championships, with the help and encouragement of
then-mayor Harry Kinney and many others, and the Second World Balloon
Championships and Fourth Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
went off without a hitch in October of 1975 at a new site, Simms
Field in NE Albuquerque. The February 1975 AAAA Cloudbouncer Rally
was the last ballooning event held at the State Fairgrounds. This
event later became known as the AAAA Valentines Rally, and now survives
as the AAAA Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally, the 27th having been
held in February, 2001.
Some remember 1975 as the year they held two Balloon Fiestas.
Designed to stir continued interest in Albuquerque’s bid
to host the 1975 Second World Hot-Air Balloon Championships, which
was scheduled for October, 1975, this event corresponded with the
February dates of the 1973 First World Hot-Air Balloon Championships,
and the 1974 Third Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. It
was named the Cloudbouncer Rally by the host balloon club Albuquerque
Aerostat Ascension Association (AAAA), which is also the name of
that balloon club’s newsletter.
John Davis ascended first on that wintery morning from the NM State
Fairgrounds, followed by the hounds (coyotes) a few minutes later.
With his passengers, Ray Tillery and Larry Merry, he flew toward
the southeast, got becalmed over the east end of runway 26 of Albuquerque
International Airport in the clouds and snow squalls, and finally
descended and landed at a school just northeast of the airport and
runway 26. Dave Sibila, from Denver, flying the original “Grape
Escape,” N51518, landed next to John, Ray and Larry, and won
the race.
Bob Ruppenthal borrowed a Raven S-50 from Sid Cutter, and with
Terry Adams (a British Royal Navy aircraft carrier pilot and member
of the 1973 British hot-air balloon team who competed in Albuquerque
in the 1973 First World Balloon Championships in a Cameron-made
“Western” balloon, the predecessor of the later Cameron
balloons), flew off as one of the hound (coyote) balloons, and soon
found the air unstable, with snow squalls coming in from the northwest.
He approached the golf course near Wyoming and Lomas in northeast
Albuquerque, made a cool approach over a fence toward the open golf
course, stopped just above the fence between Art Janpol Volkswagon
and the golf course, reversed direction, and wiped out five brand
new Volkswagon cars. Since both people in the gondola were pilots,
one was burning and one was pulling the vent. Bob admitted he was
on the vent and Terry was on the burner. Bob won. They crashed.
Since that balloon was not insured, he used “Cactus Jack”
as the insured balloon for the loss.
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