When the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship launches this week in Anderson, SC, the 50 competing pilots will be challenged by one of their own and one of the best in the world. David Levin of Boulder, CO is Event Director for the 2008 U.S. Nationals. (Later, in September, he will be Event Director at the World Championships in Hofkirchen, Austria.) As such it will be Levin who identifies the targets and sets the parameters of the various flying tasks the competitors must complete.

In doing so Levin will be guided by the BFA's competition rule book and the international balloon competition rules as established by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. However he will also draw upon his own vast previous experience as a competitive pilot. Levin has won two World Championships (both gas and hot air), two National Championships (gas and hot air) and the prestigious Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett (the world's longest running international long distance gas balloon race).

Levin will be assisted in Anderson, SC by another of the world's top ballooning competition directors, Mathijs de Bruijn of The Netherlands. Together this pair will also run the World Air Games in Mondovi, Italy in 2009. In 2010 de Bruijn will be the Event Director for the World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary while Levin will serve as his deputy.

The U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship begins flying in Anderson, SC on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 and concludes on Monday, September 1, 2008.

FMI: www.bfa.net