Gordon Bennett Cup (ballooning)

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy datesTemplate:Infobox sports award The Gordon Bennett Cup (or Script error: No such module "Lang".) is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the Los Angeles Times.[1][2] Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started from Paris, France, on September 30, 1906.[3] The event was sponsored by James Gordon Bennett Jr., the millionaire sportsman and owner of the New York Herald newspaper.[4] According to the organizers, the aim of the contest "is simple: to fly the furthest distance from the launch site."[4] The contest ran from 1906 to 1938, interrupted from 1914 to 1919 by World War I and in 1931, but was suspended in 1939 when the hosts, Poland, were invaded at the start of World War II. The event was not resurrected until 1979, when American Tom Heinsheimer, an atmospheric physicist, gained permission from the holders to host the trophy.[5] The competition was not officially reinstated by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) until 1983.[6]

The record time for the winner of the event is held by Germans Wilhelm Eimers and Bernd Landsmann who remained airborne for over 92 hours in the 1995 race,[7] taking off from Switzerland and landing four days later in Latvia. The distance record is held by the Belgian duo of Bob Berben and Benoît Siméons who, in 2005, piloted their balloon Template:Convert from Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, to Squatec, Quebec, Canada.[7] The most successful pilots are French Vincent Leys who won the trophy nine times between 1997 and 2017 (six times as the main pilot, three times as the co-pilot) and Austrian Template:Ill (won seven times as the main pilot). American teams have won on the most occasions, with twelve victories.

The 2010 competition started in the United Kingdom, with the balloons departing from Bristol on September 25. The race was marred by the loss of the American team during a storm over the Adriatic Sea on October 1.[8] The balloon was missing until December 6, when a fishing vessel found the cabin containing the pilots' bodies off the coast of Italy.[9] The 2013 event, departing from France and landing in Portugal, was again won by the French in F-PPGB.[10]

Rules

According to the official rules, the competition is open to all National Aero Clubs (NACs) "who have met their obligations to the FAI", with each NAC being allowed to enter up to three teams whose pilots are of the same nationality as the NAC.[11] Before this, only two teams from any single NAC were permitted to compete in a single competition.[12] Pilots should have at least 50 hours experience as pilot in command and be authorized for night-time flying. At least one member of each team must be capable of communicating with Air Traffic Control in English.[11]

The team who wins the contest receives the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett trophy and the team's NAC will hold the contest two years later (originally the winning NAC would host the competition the following year). Any NAC winning the cup in three consecutive races will be the final holder of the cup with the subsequent option to offer a new cup.[13]

Unofficial events

Resurrected in 1979 by American Tom Heinsheimer, the competition was held without official FAI sanction for four years. Ben Abruzzo and Maxie Anderson secured victory piloting Double Eagle III Template:Convert in 47 hours from California to Colorado.[5] The following year, the winning team of Jerry Tepper and Corky Myers floated Template:Convert from the takeoff point in California.[14] The 1981 race was won again by Abruzzo, with different co-pilot Rocky Aoki, who covered Template:Convert before touching down,[15] while the 1982 race was won by Joe Kittinger and Charles Knapp who piloted Rosie O'Grady Template:Convert.[15] Heinsheimer attempted to gain the copyright over the name "Gordon Bennett" and run the event without FAI sanction. However the FAI were granted exclusive rights to the name in 1983, and the organization officially reinstated the competition later that year.[6] Heinsheimer went on to arrange further contests in the United States which were still reported in the national press as being the "Gordon Bennett Balloon Race" or similar.[16][17][18]

Incidents

File:Conqueror draped over houses of Berlin 1908.jpg
Conqueror draped over houses of Berlin 1908

The 1908 race in Berlin saw the fall of the balloon Conqueror, flown by A. Holland Forbes and Augustus Post. Conqueror was the largest balloon entered in the race, standing Template:Convert high and with a gas capacity of Template:Convert. Before the race Forbes had attempted to lengthen the balloon's appendix to give the team a strategic advantage. Instead the balloon hit a fence just after takeoff, lost two ballast bags, ascended rapidly and ripped open three minutes into the race. The pair slashed off ballast as they fell Template:Convert. Their descent was slowed only as the balloon's fabric caught in the netting and formed a rough parachute. They took hold of the ring above them and lifted their feet as the basket smashed through the tiled roof of a house in the Berlin suburb of Friedenau. Both the men and their instruments survived intact.[19][20]

File:Hawley and Post following 1910 Gordon Bennett cup.png
Hawley and Post following 1910 Gordon Bennett Cup

The winners of the 1910 Gordon Bennett Cup, Alan R. Hawley and Augustus Post, set a distance and duration record of Template:Convert in 44 hours and 25 minutes,[21] but the pair of experienced balloonists landed in a remote section of Canadian wilderness in Quebec. After a week passed with no word from the team, search parties were formed by the Aero Club of America, but many newspapers reported that the men were likely dead. Instead they emerged after ten days, assisted by two local trappers who had been out on a hunting trip and happened to run into them. Hawley had injured a knee, but otherwise the pair were unharmed and received a hero's welcome upon their safe return.[22]

On September 23, 1923, five competitors were killed when they were struck by lightning while six more were injured in storms. Among the dead were Lieutenants John W. Choptaw and Robert S. Olmsted who were killed when their balloon "US Army S6" crashed in Loosbroek, Netherlands.[23][24][25] Sixty years later, in 1983, Americans Maxie Anderson and Don Ida were killed as the gondola detached from their balloon during an attempt to avoid crossing into East German airspace.[26] Anderson and Ida were participating in the "Coupe Charles et Robert" (named for Jacques Charles and the Robert brothers, inventors of the gas balloon) which was run in parallel with the Gordon Bennett Cup. Following their deaths, the "Coupe Charles et Robert" was never run again.[12]

On September 12, 1995, three gas balloons participating in the race entered Belarusian air space. Despite the fact that competition organizers had informed the Belarusian Government about the race in May and that flight plans had been filed, a Mil Mi-24B attack helicopter of the Belarusian Air Force shot down one balloon,[1][27] killing two American citizens, Alan Fraenckel and John Stuart-Jervis.[2][28] Another of the balloons was forced to land while the third landed safely over two hours after the initial downing. The crews of the two balloons were fined for entering Belarus without a visa and released. Belarus has neither apologized nor offered compensation for the deaths.[29]

On September 29, 2010, the 2004 trophy-winning American team of Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis went missing in thunderstorms over the Adriatic Sea.[30] On September 30, the USA retrieval crew suggested that the balloon may have ditched in the sea or have been destroyed by lightning.[31] Debris was found on October 1 by search crews but race control determined that it was not from the missing balloon.[32] Despite this, organizers later stated that the final calculated rate of descent of the balloon had been about Template:Convert, and that the team's survival was "unlikely".[33] The search for the missing pair was called off on October 4.[8] The balloon's cabin containing the bodies was recovered by an Italian fishing boat on December 6.[9]

Official winners

Key

Record breaking flights are denoted by the following:

Record *
Edition Date<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[A] Starting point Crew Country Balloon name Time
(hh:mm) 		Distance
(km)
1 Template:Dts Tuileries, Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Henry Hersey Template:Country data USA United States 22:15 Template:Sort
2 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Henry Helm Clayton Template:Country data Germany Pommern 40:00 1403.55
3 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Template:Ill Template:Country data Switzerland Helvetia 73:01 1190.00
4 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Andre Roussel Template:Country data USA America II 35:07 1121.11
5 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Augustus Post Template:Country data USA America II 44:25 1887.60
6 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Otto Duncker Template:Country data Germany Berlin II 12:28 Template:Sort
7 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Template:Ill Template:Country data France La Picardie 45:42 2191.00
8 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Ralph Albion Drury Preston Template:Country data USA Goodyear 43:30 Template:Sort
9 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Mathieu Labrousse Template:Country data Belgium Belgica 40:15 1769.00
10 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Template:Ill Template:Country data Switzerland Zürich 27:24 Template:Sort
11 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Alexander Veenstra Template:Country data Belgium Belgica 25:49 1372.10
12 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Leon Coeckelbergh Template:Country data Belgium Belgica 21:00 1155.00
13 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Leon Coeckelbergh Template:Country data Belgium Belgica 43:16 Template:Sort
14 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Philippe Quersin Template:Country data Belgium Prince Leopold 47:30 1345.00
15 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Walter W. Morton Template:Country data USA Goodyear III 16:37 Template:Sort
16 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Arthur G. Schlosser Template:Country data USA Detroit 48:00 1198.00
17 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, William Olmstead Eareckson Template:Country data USA US Army 48:00 Template:Sort
18 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Alan L. McCracken Template:Country data USA Goodyear VIII 24:00 Template:Sort
19 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Alan L. McCracken Template:Country data USA Goodyear VIII 27:56 Template:Sort
20 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Wilfred Bushnell Template:Country data USA US Navy 41:20 1550.00
21 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Zbigniew Burzyński Template:Country data Poland SP-ADS Kościuszko 38:32 1361.00
22 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Template:Ill Template:Country data Poland SP-ADS Kościuszko 44:48 1333.00
23 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Władysław Wysocki Template:Country data Poland SP-AMY Polonia II 57:54 1650.47
24 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Pierre Hoffmans Template:Country data Belgium OO-BFM Belgica 46:24 1715.80
25 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Pierre Hoffmans Template:Country data Belgium OO-BFM Belgica 46:15 1396.00
26 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Franciszek Janik Template:Country data Poland SP-BCU LOPP 37:47 1692.00
Template:Sort Template:Dts Template:Sort<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[B] — Template:Sort Template:Sort Template:Sort Template:Sort
27 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Ireneusz Cieślak Template:Country data Poland SP-BZO Polonez 36:00 Template:Sort
28 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Martin Messner Template:Country data Switzerland HB-BFC Jura 43:08 Template:Sort
29 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Gert Scholz Template:Country data Austria HB-BBL Volksbank 21:09 Template:Sort
30 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Gert Scholz Template:Country data Austria HB-BBL Volksbank 19:11 Template:Sort
31 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Gert Scholz Template:Country data Austria HB-BBL Volksbank 32:16 Template:Sort
32 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Gert Scholz Template:Country data Austria OE-PZS Polarstern 41:09 1110.90
33 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Gert Scholz Template:Country data Austria OE-PZS Polarstern 37:33 Template:Sort
34 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Gert Scholz Template:Country data Austria OE-PZS Polarstern 33:20 Template:Sort
35 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Jürgen Schubert Template:Country data Germany D-EUREGIO 44:18 1039.40
36 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, James Herschend Template:Country data USA D-ASPEN 45:36 Template:Sort
37 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Rainer Röhsler Template:Country data Austria OE-PZS Polarstern 59:29 1832.00
38 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Christian Stoll Template:Country data Switzerland HB-BZH Stadt Wil 31:01 Template:Sort
39 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Bernd Landsmann Template:Country data Germany D-OCOL Columbus II 92:11 * 1628.10
40 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Bernd Landsmann Template:Country data Germany D-OCOL Columbus II 72:01 1286.90
41 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Jean François Leys Template:Country data France F-PPSE Le Petit Prince 45:30 1732.50
42 Template:Dts Template:Sort<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[C] — Template:Sort Template:Sort Template:Sort Template:Sort
43 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Ronny Van Havere Template:Country data Belgium D-OCOX Belgica II 40:15 1666.54
44 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Bernd Landsmann Template:Country data Germany D-OOWE Columbus IV 70:49 Template:Sort
45 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Jean François Leys Template:Country data France F-PPSE Le Petit Prince 77:47 1626.60
46 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Jean François Leys Template:Country data France F-PPSE Le Petit Prince 69:59 1282.30
47 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Jean François Leys Template:Country data France F-PPSE Le Petit Prince 53:42 1596.50
48 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Carol Rymer Davis Template:Country data USA N96YD Zero Gravity 52:52 1803.36
49 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Benoît Siméons Template:Country data Belgium N6326T 65:20 3400.39 *
50 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Ronny Van Havere Template:Country data Belgium D-OCOX Belgica 2 66:53 2449.60
51 Template:Dts Template:Sort<templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>[C] — Template:Sort Template:Sort Template:Sort Template:Sort
52 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Jonathan Mason Template:Country data Great Britain N5054 Lady Luck 74:12 1768.67
53 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Vincent Leys Template:Country data France F-PPSE Golden Eyes 85:18 1588.29
54 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Pascal Witpraechtiger[34] Template:Country data Switzerland[34] HB-QKF[34] 58:3758:37[34] 2434.312434.31[34]
55 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Vincent Leys Template:Country data France F-PPSE 26:4226:42[35] Template:Sort
56 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Vincent Leys Template:Country data France F-PPGB 69:0269:02[36] Template:Sort
57 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Christophe Houver Template:Country data France F-PPGB 73:3373:33 Template:Sort[10]
58 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Matthias Zenge Template:Country data Germany D-OTLI 61:3561:35 Template:Sort[37]
59 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Pascal Witprächtiger Template:Country data Switzerland HB-QKF 68:2168:21 Template:Sort[38]
60 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Pascal Witprächtiger Template:Country data Switzerland HB-QKF MM Technics 58:1258:12 Template:Sort[39]
61 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Christophe Houver Template:Country data France F-PPGB 36:2036:20 Template:Sort
62 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Jacek Bogdański Template:Country data Poland D-OWBA 58:2858:28 Template:Sort
63 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Nicolas Tieche Template:Country data Switzerland HB-QRV 82:0382:03 Template:Sort
64 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Pascal Witprächtiger Template:Country data Switzerland HB-QKF MM Technics 82:0385:10 Template:Sort
65 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Benjamin Eimers Template:Country data Germany D-OTLI Leonid 60:5060:50 Template:Sort
66 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Benoit Havret Template:Country data France F-PPSE Le Petit Prince 85:4985:49 Template:Sort
67 Template:Dts Template:Sort Template:Sortname, Stefanie Liller Template:Country data Austria OE-ZZM 67:0167:01 Template:Sort

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See also

Template:Sister project

Notes

  • <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>A The competition was not held from 1914 to 1919 as a result of World War I, not held in 1931, nor from 1939 to 1982.[40]
  • <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>B Canceled as a result of the outbreak of World War II.[40]
  • <templatestyles src="Citation/styles.css"/>C Canceled due to bad weather.[40]

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

  • Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  • Castellani, Antonio; I cavalieri del cielo. Storia della Gordon Bennett Balloon Cup, Firenze, LoGisma, 2013 Template:ISBN.

External links

Template:Main other Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  5. ↑ a b Template:Cite magazine
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  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Post, Augustus (October 1908). "A Fall From the Sky". The Century Magazine: 935–946
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Template:Free access
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  40. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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