No, we're not going to sprinkle Mike's ashes from his balloon over his beloved west mesa. He will be interred in an abandoned mine shaft there in New Mexico, one that he was particularly fond of. Mike was a balloonatic, but he was also a mining engineer. His job was to do the BLASTING. His professional nick name was Boom-boom. It makes you wonder if he wasn't a latent pyromaniac. Sometimes I wonder if many hot air balloonists aren't. So, I guess that blasting and ballooning go well together.
When Mike died earlier this year he left behind a classical young widow and a ten hour AX-8. Now Carol has never flown in that balloon and so by special arrangement with the good folks at Albuquerque we are going to take him for his last ride and her for her first ride in that Ten Hour Balloon. Then we are going to place his urn in that old mine shaft and hold a "Widow's Auction" for the balloon, complete with fresh annual and full tanks (Come full/leave full) at the close of the Fiesta final awards ceremony, October 15th.
For those who did not win a new balloon in a key grab this will be a chance to bring home something special. The balloon is Piccard Serial Number 1001. It was the last balloon I built before retiring the Type Certificate and selling it on the used certificate market. I built it for an old friend and knew it was to be the last and sort of made it my masterpiece closing symphony. It has the completely redundant twin seven burner system with two ten gallon aluminum tanks on each burner. It has the Ball temperature/altimeter/variometer pack and the last of those famous hand crafted leather basket pouches. It also has double vents and a two inch straight seam Velcro rip panel with positive safety lock.
It is to be an absolute auction for the benefit of the widow with no reserve and no minimum. Bidding will start at $100.00, fly away. There will be no bidder's premium. All of the proceeds go to the widow and what you bid is what you pay. We wont even collect sales tax! The Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is graciously providing the venue for the auction and prior display as a courtesy to the late Mike Russo.
Now, it may very well be that the bidding will be stiff, given the cause. There may even be some benefactors that will want to bid it in for donation to one of the balloon museums. It is rare that such a remarkable specimen is uncovered in such original condition. But do not despair, those of you that might want to get a real bargain. After all, it is an orphan. If you can't make it to Albuquerque we can arrange absentee bidding. If you give me a call (612-333-6912) we can set it up for you. If anyone coming to Albuquerque would like to bring their cellular we could use some for any telephone bidder. Let's make this an auction to remember.
Generally, balloons from discontinued lines don't bring premium prices. While Galaxy does currently hold the type certificate, so this balloon is technically not an orphan, they allegedly do not provide a high level of service to the old Piccard owners. But, judging from experience, that should make very little practical difference. In all the years that I held the type certificate, only a handful of ethical repair stations looked to me for parts or support. Most of those others, shade tree repair stations, bought their maintenance material from the surplus rag merchants and local Ma and Pa Kettle propane dealers. If you have an FAA repairman certificate you can sign your name to almost anything. They even would borrow a repair manual and Xerox it, thinking that would give them the legal required information. (Xerox copies are not on the mailing list for updates.)
That's the way it is, so calling Mike's balloon an orphan just makes the price better. It won't diminish the fun or safety you'll have when you "steal it from the widow at the auction".
And as long as this column is devoted to antique auctions I should mention that I have just gotten a mailing for the fall Space Memorabilia Auction to be held October 28th in Beverly Hills, CA. Their last auction in February moved some great balloon materials. A bookmark piece of the fabric from the Explorer II (the November 11, 1935 flight to 72,345 feet) brought $103.50. One of Ed Yost's (almost) transatlantic covers brought $333.50 and an old postcard that I flew and gave away to a friend in 1963 brought $187.75. I have been told that the European that bought that postcard is putting it back in this fall's auction to make a profit. Ha, doesn't he hope. A Rosie O'Grady, Joe Kittinger transatlantic cover brought $34.50. Double Eagle covers brought from $402 to $672.00.
If you want a catalog of what else will be in this falls auction, call 310/203-9855 or 800/421-0754 or write Superior, 9478 West Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
P.S. to column
Just had a chance to look over S/N 1001. It has a burn hole on the skirt which will be repaired. It is a twelve gore balloon with six yellow gores, six black gores, and a black bottom two panels and skirt. There are black fillets at the bottom of the yellow gores that set it off very well. It has three inch high red "N" numbers: N692ND, but no other logos or designs.
Much of the yellow fabric has small mildew spots and the black fabric has large areas of white mildew smears, but the coating seems to be very solid. A good scrubbing and/or some desert dust might disguise the appearance. As this will turn off a lot of bidders, I am sure it will make a great bargain for somebody.