The Balloon Federation of America, celebrating its 35th (or 30th) anniversary year in 1996 as a federation of individual balloonists, along with some club, group and corporate members, dates back to early 1967. At that time the BFA Constitution, originally written for gas balloon clubs only, (dated 26 March 1961), was rewritten to include hot-air balloons and individual members. That rewrite was done by Don Kersten, Peter Pellegrino, & Ed Yost in the offices of Brooke Allen, Executive Director of the National Aeronautic Association in Washington D. C. That studied and visionary action brought into being the very first truly national organization of individual gas and hot-air balloon pilots and owners, with a total of 44 members as of May 1968.

So that our readers may achieve a fuller understanding of the problems resolved by the revised BFA constitution, included here is just a touch of earlier historical information. It is well documented that both gas and "smoky" hot-air balloon activity began in the USA in the late 1700’s. There were "organized" gas-balloon efforts by the late 1800’s and early 1900’s under the aegis of local balloon clubs and the Aero Club of America, the forerunner of today’s NAA. The events conducted were usually promotions, shows, races and elimination events to select US participants for the James Gordon Bennett Balloon Races.

After World War II, in the early 1950’s, The Balloon Club of America (gas only), of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, was organized and recognized by the NAA as the sole US balloon representative to the FAI/CIA. By the late 1950’s other gas-balloon groups such as National Lighter-Than-Air, and the Balloon Flyers of Akron asked the NAA for inclusion within the NAA. In 1961 the first BFA was created as a very loose (some say "paper") federation of those three US gas-balloon clubs. The 1961 to 1966 "gas" BFA had officers but no individual members, held no championships, held no annual meetings and had no treasury (although the individual clubs had officers, treasuries, etc.).

With the creation of the modern hot-air balloon in the early 1960’s, the first Hot-Air Balloon National Championship was held in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1963. In 1964,5 & 6, they were held in Reno, Nevada, as part of the National Championship Air Races. At the 1966 National Championship a new pilot, with under 20 hours total flight time, George Craig of Rudd, Iowa, brought not only his new home-built balloon, but the woman who sewed the envelope. He married her at the Rosebud Chapel, Reno, during the week-long competition and ended up winning the Championship! The NAA Steward for the balloons was totally inexperienced, not a pilot of any category of aircraft, and proved to be a disaster for the event. The results of his actions were the primary reasons that no Hot-Air Championship was held from 1967 until 1970 at Des Moines. Those events, and others, such as the St. Paul Winter Carnival, and the Catalina Channel Balloon Races, were managed by the Stewards of the NAA since no hot-air balloon organization was recognized by the NAA.

The Sport Balloon Society of the USA was organized in 1964 and incorporated in California in 1965. SBSUSA organized, among other events, the International Aeroclassic Balloon Races in 1965 for both hot air and gas (hydrogen) and the first International Hot Air Balloon Race from the Top-of-the-Tram above Palm Springs, California in 1967. An entity called The Hot Air Balloon Club of America came into being in the late 1960’s but organized no events or races. The popularity and continuing growth of US hot-air balloon activity caused the NAA to rethink their position. The NAA decided not to recognize any of the "new" balloon organizations. Rather, the NAA ruled that the "paper" BFA be revised and strengthened to include both gas and hot air balloons. That revision of the BFA occurred in June of 1967, with an appointed five person Board of Directors to serve until the 1968 first annual BFA meeting and elections. The first officers were: President, Peter Pellegrino; Vice President, Don Kersten; Secretary- Treasurer, Deke Sonnichsen; plus Board Members Anthony Fairbanks & Sue Robinson. As there were no funds in the "paper" BFA’s non-existent treasury, the new BFA treasury was created voluntarily by the transfer of the life membership funds of SBSUSA founders Don Piccard & Sonnichsen from the SBSUSA to the BFA, and later augmented by two more Life Members and forty pilot members by May, 1968.

The BFA’s Journal "Ballooning" Vol. 1, No. 1, appeared in the Spring of 1968 as a modest, 16 page, 8 1/2 by 11 inch magazine. Its two-color cover had a photo of the helium-filled, 19K, La Coquette, piloted by Pellegrino and the late Francis Shields. They were celebrating the 175th Anniversary of Blanchard’s 1793 flight from Philadelphia to Woodbury, New Jersey. Raven took a full page, two-color ad for their Vulcoon on the back cover. That first issue contained a reprint of a early 1900’s ad for assorted balloons & airships. On the way to the printer the paste-up title "OLD TIME AD" was lost. Several complaints were received from disgruntled readers who had spent time and money trying to secure wonderful balloon bargains from Aeronaut Leo Stevens, a firm defunct since the 1930’s.

The first BFA Annual Meeting was held Saturday evening 25 May 1968 at the Donald Rapp residence and garage in Carmel, Indiana. This followed the completion of the Third (and last) Indianapolis Speedway Hot -Air Balloon Race, which was organized for the first time under BFA (rather than NAA) Sanction. There were 20 to 25 members in attendance. Elections and other business was conducted, including the presentation of four "Positive Pineapple" Awards and the "Don-Piccard -Really-Is-A-Good- Guy" Award. The newly elected BFA Board met at the Speedway Motel the next day. The BFA had 5 life members and 68 annual members by the close of 1968.

After the first National Balloon Rally in Libertyville, Illinois, the second Annual Meeting was held. It was at the Sheraton O’Hare Motel, with eighteen members attending. Including mail-ins, there were 37 ballots cast in the voting. The fact that no National Balloon Championships had been held since 1966 was deplored, but there were good prospects mentioned for Iowa in 1970. A BFA flag was voted upon and adopted (I wonder why one almost never sees a BFA flag flown these days) and it was decided to bestow Honorary memberships on Charles Dollfus, Fred Dolder, & Josef Vanderstraeten. By the end of 1969 the BFA had 5 life members and 80 annual members

The third BFA Annual Meeting was held 21 & 22 August 1970 at Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa. It was held during the Iowa State Fair National Balloon Championship in Des Moines. There were about 35 members attending, with voting and normal business conducted. Not all of the participants at the State Fair Balloon event enjoyed the "carnival" atmosphere or the competitive events, but almost all loved Simpson College. The membership grew to 11 life members and 122 annual members. The BFA National Championships and Annual Meetings returned to Simpson College in 1971 and remained there into the late 1980’s.

As a curious aside, here is a quote from the 1971 "coffee-table" sized "Romance of Ballooning" edited by J. Jobé and published in Switzerland by Viking Press, New York. The last paragraph of the last chapter, on page 195 and speaking about hot-air ballooning in 1971, says, "The existence of these modern Montgolfier balloons will be of short duration, as were those of the eighteenth century, for the advantages of the gas balloon are overwhelming." I laughed when I read it in 1971. Mr. Jobé most certainly has been proven wrong... at least during the past twenty-five years.

The BFA, during the first ten to fifteen years, dealt with issues and items such as contests and competitions (regional, national, and international), sanctions, professionalism, safety, certification, standards, awards, FAA liaison, publicity, history (books & films), insurance, FAI/CIA matters, etc. with varying degrees of success.

Today the BFA, which had functional and modest beginnings, has grown over the years as a volunteer organization providing the guidance, leadership and member services desired by US aeronauts. The Office is in Indianola, Iowa, with an Interim Executive Director and staff. The BFA bi- monthly Journal Ballooning is a handsome, four-color publication and is supplemented by the monthly Skylines, a pilot newsletter. Both are currently published in Vermont. There is a Competition Division, a Gas Division, committees for all aspects of aerostation, and an elected Board of Directors to guide things in today’s organization of more than 3600 members. While not yet completely perfect, the BFA does continue to improve.

Now, if we can just get the weather to cooperate more often...for AEROSTATION!

Table of Contents