The 2nd FAI Women’s European Hot Air Balloon Championship held in Frankenthal, Germany at last week. The competitors made 6 flight and 19 tasks. The final results are published here.
1 Lindsay MUIR (GBR )
2 Daiva RAKAUSKAITE (LTU)
3 Ann HERDEWYN (BEL)
…
19 Rita BECZ (HUN)
After four flight and five tasks the final results are
9th Zenta Cup
1. János Konecsni
2. Szabolcs Garab
3. Péter Nagy
Serbian Champion 2012: Srdjan Srdic
All results are published here.
We had three flight already and four tasks. So, the Championship is valid and we can award the Serbian Champion who is Srdjan Srdic because unfortunetly no more pilot from the country. The Senta Cup is still open and the last flight will be tomorrow morning.
“CONFIRMED LANDING of France-1. Pilots Sebastien Rolland / Vincent Leys. All is fine. Crew at site. Landing happened at 20:08 4th September 2012.” by Markus Haggeney, Event Director of 56th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2012 04.09.2012 20:31
The winner team flew 1620,05 km.
Congratulations for Sebastian and Vincent.!
The Gordon Bennet Cup (or Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett) is the most famous aviation event in the world and is the ultimate challenge for balloon pilots and their equipment. The objectives of the race are simple: to fly the furthest distance from the start in the open wicker basket of a gas balloon.
This international gas balloon competition was initiated in 1906 by the adventurer and newspaper magnate James Gordon Bennett. In that year 16 balloons started from the gardens of the former Tuileries Palace in Paris. None of those present to see the event could possibly have imagined that the race would continue to be staged right into the 21st century.
The 56th race will take place in 2012, 106 years after that first race. The rules remain almost unchanged. The winner will be the team that flies the longest distance in a straight line between the start and the landing point. The actual distance flown and the time taken are of no significance. The competing balloons are allowed a maximum volume of 1050 cubic meters (about 37’080 cubic feet). The pilot and co-pilot must be the same nationality and their country must also be a member of the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale). Each country may enter a maximum of 3 teams. The winning country has the right to stage the next-but-one race, normally 2 years later.
All teams are airborne now. In time for the launch-sequence the moon lit friendly onto the scenery. While the brass-band was playing the national anthems live, competitors took to the sky high above Switzerland.
Launchtimes (local time)
