The first flying adventure by a balloon on November 21, 1783 proved that humans could survive at reasonable altitudes away from the surface of the earth. With their balloon flight, Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes had achieved a dream of centuries; a dream for which many brave souls had lost their lives. All over the world, balloonists celebrate 21st November as the Montgolfier Day to mark the anniversary of the first flight in honor of Rozier and d’Arlandes, by a hot air balloon invented by the Montgolfier brothers, which, to this day, is called the Montgolfière.

On August 11, 1978, three American balloonists Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman lifted off in their balloon Double Eagle II from Presque

What makes gas balloons fly? Gas balloons ascend because the gas inside is less dense and lighter than the air on the outside of the

Even though ballooning technology has improved considerably and communication is advanced, the race remains a real flying adventure. It tests the pilots’ skills and endurance as they fly nonstop at high altitudes for days and nights, often over remote areas and large water transits, harnessing the wind.

In the 1970s, a small fraternity of daring balloonists used to make their Dawn Patrol ascents by launching in the pre-dawn hours. Balloon pilot Tom Gough, who then did pay rides for Fiesta founder Sid Cutter, was one of them. “Fiesta didn’t recognize us [Dawn Patrol] in those days.