Jetta and I were looking forward to the Balloon Tour America Championship Final for an entire year. Making it come together and work required a lot of work and the help of many people. For the final championship I contacted Michele Champagne in Anniston, Alabama about the $50,000 in prize money needed for the event. Without hesitation she agreed. Balloon Tour America was born.

We added more races, worked on a qualification formula for the pilots, and Jerry Copas in Louisville helped design our logo. As the year goes by, the competition gets tight with only 40 pilots qualifying for the Finals. Those top 40 pilots will be flying for $50,000 in prize money, with first place being $20,000. With prize money at the Finals, Balloon Tour America paid out $172,000 for 1994.

The first night of the Finals is scheduled for Thursday, October 27, at Jacksonville State University, north of Anniston. A parade and party are planned after the flight, a one mile Fly-In is called so everyone can be back in time for the festivities. It was our idea to make this a fun event without a lot of pressure. I think we succeeded, but there seemed to always be the thought of $20, 000 first prize in everybody’s mind.

After the flight, Johnny Petrehn has the best score. Prizes for the parade were awarded to Re/Max for originality. Other awards were also given and were provided by Cameron, Aerostar, Balloon Works, Danger Zone, Kustom Kards, The Write Type and In the Air.

The weather is looking good for the entire weekend. Friday morning we are on a delay due to fog, but it only holds us back for an hour. We take off on a Double Hare and Hound with Jimmy Parker in Bell South Mobility flying the Hare. Jimmy drops off Dottie Moore at the first target and then finds a great field after a 55 minute flight for the second X. You could not ask for a better direction. Great scores on both targets and David Levin jumps into the lead. As Balloonmeister, I always end up on the field answering questions from spectators as all the balloons leave. Sometime I am going to trade with Jetta so I can fly with the Hate. The rolling hills and colorful leaves are breathtaking. I monitor several [radio] frequencies and hear pilots telling their crews how beautiful it is. The $20,000 is still on everybody's mind.

Friday afternoon and the briefing is at 3:30 p.m. Pilots are all on time for roll call. A phone call to FSS and I discover a line of showers approaching from the west. They will arrive at sunset, or 6:00 p.m. Another short one mile CNT. Not a lot of options, to score. Pilots score well, but Levin still is on top. Many of the top ten spots change, but it is still anybody's race. Late evening rain cuts short a mini glow on the JSU campus and dampens the outdoor evening party.

Saturday morning looks great. As the pilots gather at the Anniston Airport for the second part of the event, I walk over to FSS thinking of a great three part task. I look at the radar, I see red and yellow. The briefer tells me Level 4, 5 and SIX thunderstorms will be here within the next hour. They had been right the night before. They were still right Saturday morning. I go to the briefing and cancel another flight as I tell the pilots what the weather is going to be. Levin smiles.

The day is beautiful, mild temperatures and mostly cloudy with light winds. I really do not want to call multiple tasks in the afternoon, but we are running out of flight times. This is also the day for the big concert with Pam Tillis, Aaron Tipton and Leroy Parnell scheduled to perform in the afternoon and early evening, followed by a Glow. The pilots gather at 3:30 p.m. I go to FSS again. As I walk in, I hear the briefer talking about the Alabama football game stopping because of lightening. I look at the radar, and the now familiar red and yellow picture indicating thunderstorms. Back to the briefing to give the news to the pilots. Levin smiles. The skies open up and rain out the Glow. Sunday is another day. I see David calling the company that seeds clouds.

Sunday morning and fog at the 6:30 a.m. briefing. I tell the pilots to go have breakfast and meet back at 8:00 a.m. No pressure here. $20,000. At 8:00 a.m. the weather is improving. I send the pilots out for a three part task. As soon as the last pilot leaves the field, the fog closes in and I am forced to engage the recall procedure. Everything is going to come down to an afternoon flight. Levin smiles.

The afternoon briefing has great weather and there is a good crowd of spectators on hand. I decide that we must fly a three part task even though it is an afternoon flight. I called was a Fly-In, Double Watership Down.

Back at the field, the awards party begins. A few protests are settled and after the Italian food is gone, we start the awards. Robert Ambeau is given the 94 Points Champion plaque. Then Jetta begins handing out the prize money. Tom Oberheide is third and wins $5,000. Levin is still smiling as he accepts his S10,000 check for second place. The Petrehn group, Maury, Paul and Becky, are ready to celebrate as their brother Johnny wins the Balloon Tour America Championship and $20,000.

What a week!!! Everybody that attended received at least two hundred dollars. One hundred of that was given out in two dollar bills as the pilots checked in Thursday. This identified to the community that the pilots and crews were having an economic impact on the area.

The l994 season is over, and as we say our good-bys, we start thinking about the meeting we have in Birmingham to work out the details for the Pepsi Hot Air Affair in May. Is there no time to rest? 1995 is just around the corner. We have added a new race in Billings, Montana. It is going to be a great year!

From November 19th to the 23rd, 120 teams of hot air balloonists from 18 countries competed in Saga, Japan for the combined 11th Pacific Cup, 5th Ladies World Cup, 11th Japan National Championship and the Honda Japan Grand Prix. With almost perfect weather conditions every morning and afternoon, pilots, crews, observers and officials were kept very busy with seventeen tasks flown.

Kazuhiko Nishimura, a 33 year old computer engineer, took first this year in both the International Fiesta and the Japan Championship. He has been a pilot for 13 years with 340 hours. Akemi Takamoto, winner of the 4th Ladies World Cup Champion, captured the title again this year. Akemi, 42 years old, has been a pilot for 11 years with 650 hours and is a fierce competitor. U.S. pilot Norah Ormerod placed 3rd in the Ladies World Cup and Owen Keown, a popular pilot with the Japanese balloonists, placed 6th in the International Fiesta.

In 1984, the inaugural Saga balloon event included only 49 balloons. 16 were non-competitors. The remaining 33 flew a total of seven tasks. The event has continued to grow each year. In 1989, Saga hosted the 9th World Hot Air Balloon Championship with 132 balloons, including 102 competitors-94 of whom were from other countries. Since 1989, many pilots, crews, officials and observers have returned because of their enjoyment of the flying and people of Saga. The 1994 event had a staff of over 1,000 and over 800,000 spectators. In 1997, Saga will again host the World Hot Air Balloon Championships. The Japanese know how to put on a first class event and in 1997 they will call on all of their expertise to host an outstanding championship.

Saga City, with a population of 168,000 is the capital of Saga Prefecture and is located at the northwestern part of Kyushu Island. Saga lacks that flash and glitter of a huge metropolis, but has instead a harmonious blend of nature, history and town life. The city and its surroundings are blessed with natural beauty, agricultural products (mainly rice and oranges), and hot springs. The flying area is relatively small with no more than 15 km from Mt. Sefuri in the north to the Akiake Sea in the south. There are many small villages around Saga and the rice fields are numerous.

The light surface winds, common in Saga, gave way to stronger surface winds this year. The high wind launches were a real challenge to some of the novice pilots but quick releases were mandatory and everyone was fairly proficient by the end of the competition. The upper winds are usually strong and fairly steerable, so several three part tasks were called by event director, Masashi Kakuda. He also included quite a variety of tasks including a Hesitation Waltz, a Calculated Rate Approach Task, some Fly On’s, a Fly In, minimum distance and the usual Pilot and Judge Declared Goals.

The parties this year were just as spectacular as they have been for the last five years I’ve been to Saga. The presentations of food continue to amaze me. The parade down main street always starts with the Christmas lights being turned on and then Japanese Sake served to balloonists and spectators along the parade route. Sanyamachi Night Party is a favorite outdoor affaire with bonfires and booths of delicious food. Then there’s the Honda Party and the Mayor’s Party (with a Japanese rock and roll band this year).

The 23rd of November, Labour Thanksgiving Day, is a Japanese national holiday and the biggest day for spectators at the balloon field. The traffic jams were challenging for the chase crews, but the Japanese continue to be the most courteous drivers I’ve ever encountered anywhere in the world.

The trip to Japan continues to be one of my favorite events of the year. I enjoy all of the friendly people from Japan as well as all over the world. This year, for the first time, there was a pilot from South Africa. He and his crew found the Japanese hospitality a true delight. The tranquillity and safety of the country and the truly wonderful people continue to make my annual trek a must. I love Japan!

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