The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett Is The Oldest And Most Prestigious Event In Aviation

The international competition was initiated by adventurer and newspaper tycoon James Gordon Bennett Jr. in 1906, when 16 balloons launched from the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, France. Little did the crowd of 200,000 spectators know that this race was to continue into the 21st century. The goal is simple: to fly the furthest non-stop distance in a gas balloon from the launch site.

In the predawn hours of September 19, Forty-eight pilots from a dozen countries in 24 gas-balloons – two pilots in each balloon – set off from Gladbeck, northwest Germany around midnight. The race involves not only the skill of the balloon pilots and operating the equipment itself, it’s also a test of planning, and a little cunning, to see who can make it the furthest.

Yesterday, September 21, Team SUI-01, Kurt Frieden and Pascal Witpraechtiger, won the 60th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett. They reached central Greece after a flight of about 1120 miles and touched down shortly before 10.30am Central European Summer Time.

The two pilots played a clever game Tuesday afternoon and evening as they positioned themselves a little way further north than Teams SUI-02 and ESP-01.

SUI-02 and ESP-01 had been leading the charge south, but landed in the very south of mainland Italy. Ahead of them was a long sea crossing, which both teams must have assessed was a step too far – they landed within a couple of miles of each other.

Team SUI-01’s line meanwhile, took them on the shortest route across open water. It meant they had more security and could reach land more quickly. They brushed the town of Leuca on the heel of Italy before crossing the sea to connect with Corfu.

Both pilots in Team SUI-01 are experienced gas-balloonists and Gordon Bennett pilots. Pascal Witpraechtiger, 41, has flown in the race seven times, and Kurt Frieden, 47, has competed 19 times.

This is the second win in a row for the team. They won the race last year with a flight of 1292 miles, which took them from Pau in France to Jaczno in Poland.

Before the race Witpraechtiger explained the team’s philosophy when flying in the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett: “The rules are simple, and victory relies more on the whole team than on special technology. Winning the race is possible without a big, costly organization. Our team is passionate and works for free.”

Posting on the team’s Facebook page just before they landed this morning, they wrote: “So now we are descending over beautiful flat ground. Thank you to all our team for the fantastic support. It was a great time and we can still find it hard to believe that our dream is about to come true.”

Ranking
1. SUI-01, Frieden / Witprachtiger, 1,803.48km

2. SUI-02, Tiech / Sciboz, 1,590.03km

3. ESP-01, Gonzalez / Aguirre, 1,585.93km

We at ANN congratulate all the participants in this grand recognition of the glory of flight.

(Images from FAI)

FMI; http://gordonbennett.aero/