5th Annual White Sands Balloons Invitational

Once again balloonists were allowed to fly over White Sands National Monument, located in the middle of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. This normally restricted air space is opened once each year for the annual balloon invitational in mid- September. This year it occurred the weekend of September 13-15. The event was kicked off on Friday, September 13 with a media day and a buffet Friday night. Seventy-five balloons were registered for the event.

Saturday turned out to be an overcast day and the winds were blowing back across the interior of the dunes and on out to Holloman Air Force Base. Pilots that inflated either tethered their balloons or took very short hops over the dunes to the next parking area and set down. Several pilots did inflate and many of them provided tethered rides for the crowd that had shown up for the mass ascension. The weather was a disappointment but many of the spectators were quite pleased and happy to be given the experience to say they had ridden in a balloon. Perhaps a new wave of pilots will come from this brief experience. A few water puddles were standing in the main launch site and allowed photographers to get some interesting reflection shots and a couple of pilots seized the opportunity to do a mini “splash and dash.” Event organizers provided a picnic lunch in Alameda Park for balloonists and crew which was appreciated by many hungry people. Unfortunately the weather was not smiling on the event Saturday and the scheduled balloon glow at Tiger Stadium in Alamogordo was rained out.

Sunday however was a grand day for flying and the winds were favorable for the crowd and the pilots. There was a fair amount of ground fog from Saturday’s rains that made for some very interesting early flying but was a photographer’s delight. Most pilots were able to fly over the dunes area and the crowd was treated to a very long and colorful show. Pilots that had flown for all five years of the event were given priority and took off in the first wave of balloons. The Space Shuttle was able to launch and fly a short distance and it looked spectacular against the backdrop of the dunes. Miss Penny is back in operation and flew at length doing the customary hops for passenger swapouts. Sivage Thomas’s “Old Lady in the Shoe” balloon tethered and was the object of many kids’ oh’s and ah’s. A few pilots did opt to head for the highway and landed outside the park. In all, it was a great day and made the trip worthwhile.

Alamogordo, New Mexico is located in southeastern New Mexico approximately 70 miles northwest of Las Cruces, NM next to White Sands National Monument and White Sands Missile Base. Attractions in the area include the International Space Hall of Fame and Tombaugh Planetarium, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, Lincoln National Forest with the towns of Cloudcroft and Ruidoso providing many recreation and lodging opportunities, and Three Rivers Petroglyph Park.