GORDON BENNETT 2019

After our fantastic participation at the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2018 in Bern, Switzerland, we decided to pause for one year and not qualify for 2019. However, we couldn’t resist the offer to support three teams from the ground again, just as we had done in 2016 and 2017.

So, we booked an Airbnb at Montbéliard to set up the command center for USA-1 (Mark Sullivan & Cheri White), BEL-1 (Philippe De Cock & Geert Peirsman) and ESP-1 (Anulfo Gonzales & Angel Aguirre). We couldn’t have imagined how thrilling this race would become!

A heartstopping incident – a mistake in the inflation preparation of the Iberian team causing severe damage to their balloon – was the first obstacle to overcome. But we made it and organised a spare envelope from Bavarian friends, which arrived just in time!

Then followed one of the longest Gordon Bennett races in history, with seven balloons flying into the fourth night and reaching Romania, some even Bulgaria. In the end, the winners, SUI-1, landed in the Danube delta, just meters away from the Black Sea beach. Our teams finished 6th, 7th and 14th, all more than happy with what they had achieved.

What an incredible adventure!