Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2019 Thursday 10th Oct

[davidallum]

Well,after booking this over a year ago it was time to attend this fantastic event,up @ silly o'clock to get to the park & ride for the bus to the launch field,first observations were the size of the field,secondly being a desert location how bloody cold it was before dawn.We had noticed right away that four balloons were laid out and these were to be today's Dawn Patrol.

N44RJ Ultramagic M.77
N795ZA Richardson A-B
N820US Cameron Z-105
N514S Firefly 7-15

They inflated OK and were tethering nicely but when they released the test balloon,it flew off like a rocket,according to the organisers the wind @ ground level was fine but a massive 30 mph plus at just a few hundred feet so the decision was taken to cancel this and the mass ascent.Talk about feeling deflated in more ways than one.We couldn't get back to the park & ride as the first bus didn't go until 9am so we decided to look around the various stalls,when it got to about 7am we heard a couple of fans burst into life and the two regular shaped Wells Fargo balloons were being inflated,we later found out that because the local school children have the Thursday & Friday off as holiday during the fiesta and a lot of them attend the event the organisers had decided because the wind was ok @ ground level they would ask pilots to carry out a tethered show,so with hearts lifted by this news we went on to log over 100 balloons including many of the special shapes.

C-FVSD Cameron N-133 Head Special Shape
C-FVSJ Cameron N-133 Head Special Shape
C-GCXP Aerostar S60A Blue Monster Special Shape
F-HOTR Balloons Liberte L1800 Belzbuth Special Shape
G-CIIE Cameron Z-56 Yoda Special Shape
G-DAAY Ultramagic B.70 Koala Special Shape
G-DUMA Ultramagic B.70 Cheetah Special Shape
G-GPIG Lindstran 1-80 Guinea Pig Special Shape
G-HLAM Kubicek BB-S Lighthouse Special Shape
G-MOJI Lindstran LTL Emoji Special Shape
G-OPAW Cameron Z-105 Dog Special Shape
G-OWLL Ultramagic M.105 Owl Special Shape
G-POMP Cameron Bearskin 100 Guard Special Shape
G-UNIS Ultramagic B-70 Penguin Special Shape
G-UNIZ Ultramagic B-70 Penguin Special Shape
G-WESS Lindstrand LTL 1-90 Wolf Special Shape
G-WINZ Lindstrand Penguin Penguin Special Shape
N1004Y Cameron O-84
N105CN Cameron Z-105
N1091R Sundance Shamrock Shamrock Special Shape
N1171E Cameron C-80
N123SX Air Fly AF-SS-40 Saxaphone Special Shape
N1416K Kubicek BB30Z
N2009J Cameron Z-90
N2046D Head AX7-77
N20ZB Aeromagic Zebra Zebra Special Shape
N210VE Cameron Heart 90 Lovebirds Special Shape
N216BB Cameron Bear 120 Bimbo Head Special Shape
N2359C Kubicek B22XR Convict Special Shape
N2359Z Kubicek B22XR Policeman Special Shape
N25577 Firefly 7B
N25LN Lindstrand 77A
N277BM Ricardo SS-30 Dog Beagle Special Shape
N3009H Ultramagic H.77 Upside down Humpty Dumpty Special Shape
N30TR Aerostar CTR Cactus Special Shape
N3119H Firefly 7-15
N31326 Firefly 7-15 Buzzy Bee Special Shape
N3155J Firefly 7-15 Jester Head Special Shape
N315LL Amazon C-30 Scarecrow Special Shape
N318AP Airfly AF-SS-12 Astronaught Special Shape
N3284C Firefly 7B lown Special Shape
N40097 Head AX8-88
N4009H Head AX7-77
N40327 Ada AB
N419WB Cameron Z-70
N441MT Lindstrand 77A
N447SS Silvestere N-23 Pencil Boy Head Special Shape
N503ML Lindstand LBL Bear Bear Special Shape
N505XS Cameron H-34 Turtle Special Shape
N5248B Aerostar House Barn Special Shape
N52845 Aerostar S53
N53145 Aerostar S60 Flying Pig Special Shape
N534UR Richardson Quatzalco One Eye Jack Special Shape
N542BK RVB SS-28-BK Billy The Kid Special Shape
N542CU RVB-SS-23-SV Sivester Cat Head Special Shape
N542TR RVB-SS-25-RT Tom Cat Head Special Shape
N542TT RVB-SS-25-TT Armadillo Special Shape
N542YB RVB-SS-22-TW Tweety Pie Head Special Shape
N556MG Kubicek BB26D
N575RX Cameron Z-90
N592CB Cameron ZL-60
N6064A Lindstrand 90A
N6065V Lindstrand 77A
N606P Lindstrand 105A
N625UN RVB-SS-SS-32 Unicorn Special Shape
N645QR Richardson A60S
N6524V Cameron C-100
N6545U Cameron N-105 POW-MIA Special Shape (organisation that tries to track down missing or killed in action military personnel)
N657MK Zing ZR80
N71096 Aerostar S-57
N7132S Aerostar Sun Sun Special Shape
N7142S Aerostar RX8
N7253K Firefly 7-15
N726PA Richardson Dragon Dragon Special Shape
N7778C RVB-SS-30 CT Kitty Special Shape
N786LB Lindstrand 77A
N800SR Head AX8-105
N8013E Cameron N-90 Elephant Head Special Shape
N801LB Lindstrand 90A
N804BB Camberon 90 Buddy the Beaver Special Shape
N805PP RVB-SS-25-JP Peg Leg Pete Special Shape
N80727 Cameron Shoe 90 Shoe Special Shape
N811US Lindstrand 77
N871QA Richardson A60S Koala Special Shape
N87SB Aerostar SP Smokey Bear Special Shape
N901CL Cameron Z-90 Cathy's Hope Special Shape
N9074Y Aerostar RX8
N90WZ Cameron Z-90 Wagz Special Shape
N9110B Aerostar CTS Chillie Special Shape
N9140F Aerostar S53
N917PN Kubicek BB30Z Princess Nellie Special Shape
N93TV Cameron O-90
N954DK Lindstrand 90A Flip Flop Special Shape
N990WF Cameron Stagecoach Wells Fargo Stagecoach Special Shape
N993WF Cameron Z-105
N994WF Cameron Z-105
N995LB Zing LB-45 Bee Special Shape
N996LB RVB-SS-27-LB Ladybird Special Shape
N997LB RVB-SP-LBEE Bee Special Shape
N998LB RVB-SP-LBEE Bee Special Shape
N998SP Zing ZA-PIG-90 Spider Pig Special Shape
OO-BHC Cameron Smurf 120 Smurf Special Shape
OO-BQZ Cameron 105SS Darth Vader Special Shape
PP-XFR Aeromagic Big Hug Big Hug Special Shape
PP-XFW Aeomagic Robot Robot Special Shape
PP-XTB RVB-SS-35 Dog Dog Special Shape
PP-XUG RVB-SS-30-GP Chicken Special Shape
PP-ZEV  Jupiter Man Special Shape
PP-ZIO RVB-SS-30-BMP Black Sheep Special Shape
PT-ZXD Racoon Special Shape

and that was it for today,we made our way back to our rented home very happy with our first day's total and in the knowledge that the forecast was good for the rest of the week.

Visit number 2 to follow.