33

BalloonLife,August 1999

Greatballooningweekendsbeginwith
interesting personalities, generous hospi-
tality, and delightful meteorological con-
ditions, ideally set around a castle with a
moat. The best one ends with barbecue in
the basement, hugs, andfondmemories.
Placethecastleintheheartofthe
Normandyregio nofFrance,addthe
Museede Ballons,bringtogetherallof
thearound-the-worldbyballoonpilots,
blendin33ballo onteamsfo rcolor,
sprinkle withspecial guests,lightup the
nightskywith fireworks, pile onalmost
non-stop entertainment, and you have the
ChâteaudeBalleroyInternationalBal-
loonMeet.
This past June the Forbes family and
thetownofBalleroyusedthisunique
settingtohostagatheringofrenowned
balloonists.
Friday evening was reserved for get-
tingtoknow fellow balloonists and hon-
oredguests,finefoodanddrink,anda
midnightfireworksshow.Thirty-three
balloon teams from five continents were
welcomedbyourhostfor theweekend,
TimForbestogetherwithbrothersBob
andKip.DuringeveningspeechesTim
acknowledgedhisbrotherSteveForbes
who was attending another “hot air” event
inIowa.
The balloon meet was started in 1975
tocelebratethelateMalcolmForbes’

creation of the first museum dedicated to
ballooning.This year’s gathering included
EdYost,thefatherofmodernhotair
ballooning,andmostofthepilotswho
have tried to circumnavigate the world by
balloon in the last decade, including Brian
Jones,SteveFossett,RichardBranson,
PerLindstrand,LarryNewman,Kevin
Uliassi,DaveMelton,Colin Prescot, Andy
Elson,JacquesSoukup,MarkSullivan,
CrispinWilliams, and JohnWallington.
BrianJones,fromth esu ccessful
Breitling team, was on hand to accept the
BalleroyCup,presentedbytheForbes
familyforthebestperformancebybal-
loon.Bertrand Piccardwas unabletoat-
tendbecause he was withthe Swissdel-
egation assisting his country’s bid for the
2006 Winter Olympic Games.
How big a party is this? In his accep-
tance speech Jones joked, “I have been in
ballooning for 12 years and Iwas wonder-
ing what I had to do to get an invitation to
thisevent.”
Onelucky couple in attendancedidn’t
have to tryandflya balloon around-the-
worldtobeinvited.RandyandDenise
Miller from California won the opportu-
nity to join this august bodyof aeronauts
byplacingthewinningbidinaneBay
auction.A computermuseum inBoston
auctionedoff a trip for two, including air
farefromNew Yorkandaballoonride

duringtheevent,asafundraiser.The
Millers,whohadnotparticipatedinan
Internet auctionbefore, were alerted to it
byDenise’ssisterwhoworkedatthe
museum.Winning bid? $5455.00
Anewawardwaspresentedthis
year—TheMalcolmFo rb esTroph y.
Malcolm Forbes believed in the entrepre-
neurial spirit and living life to the fullest.
Heembracedballooningwiththesame
passion he had for life. The first recipient,
RichardBranson,hasembracedthose

Nineteenth Châteaude
BalleroyInternational
Balloon Meet

by Tom Hamilton

BalloonLife,August1999

34

same values of working and playing hard.
Hefounded a capitalist empire and pushed
theenvelopeof balloonflight.Together
withPerLindstrandhehascrossedthe
AtlanticandPacific ina hotair balloon.
JoinedbySteveFossett,thetrioalmost
became the first to circle the globe.
Balloon Lifeasked him whenhe and
Per Lindstrand will attempt to be the first
around-the-world byhot air balloon.
“No, Ihave retired from those flights,”
said Branson.
Whenpressedthathehasalways
pretended to retireaftera successful record
flight hehedged his bets alittle.There was
a small twinkle in his eye that the thought
isstill with him. Will he venture into yet
another attempt?
Balloon Life askedBranson’slong-
timeb alloo nad vent urepartn erPer
Lindstrand,“Yourlongtermgoalhas
beentoflya hotair balloonaround-the-
world. Will Richard Branson joinyou on
that team?”
“Itwillbe atleastfiveyears,butI
thinkhe will doit,” said Lindstrand. Op-
timistic?Maybe, but Per toldBalloon Life
in 1991, right after completing his Pacific
flight that Richard wouldbe backto join
himinanaround-the-worldattempt.At
thattimeBransonwaspartofLarry
Newman’sEarthwindsproject.
Friday night concludedwitha thirty
minute fireworksdisplayat midnight or-
chestratedtomusic and lights.
Saturdaymorningweweregreeted
by balloonmeister Dr. Thierry Villey and
hisassistant,JeanSax.Aspectacular
morningfor flyingdawned.One byone
the balloons took shape and drifted off for
a lovely flight over the surrounding coun-
tryside. Taking to the skies was the new-
estintheForbesfleetof special shapes,
Forbes Global, a world shaped balloon to
promote the magazine by the same name.
BrianMulroney,formerPrimeMinister
ofCanada, is chairman of thedivision and
hadbeenonhandtopersonallypresent
the Malcolm ForbesawardtoBranson.
Unfortunately this would be the only
flightoftheweekend.Anapproaching
front resulted in strong windsfor the rest
of the weekend, leaving more time to visit
the sights.
OnlyahalfhourfromBalleroyis
OmahaBeach,thesiteofthegreatest
amphibioustroop landinginhistory dur-
ingtheD-Dayinvasionin1944. Atopa

cliff liesa majorU.S. militarycemetery
withachillysymmetryofwhitegrave-
stones—9386gravesinall—andawall
withthenamesofanadditional1,557
soldiers missing in action. Just west along
the coast are the remnants of the artificial
portof Arromances,a barricade builtto
protect the shore from enemyattacks.
The nearby town of Bayeau welcomes
tourists to enjoy astroll through its charm-
ingstreetslined witholdhouses, stylish
boutiques and an ornate gothic cathedral.
A museum is dedicated to the Normandy
invasionwithavastdisplayoftoolsof
war. The famousBayeuxTapestryis on
displayinamuseum,givingapictorial
accountoftheeventsleadinguptothe
militaryinvasion of England and the ex-
ped iti onl edbyWi lli am,Du keof
Normandy,duringthe11thcentury.Or
onecouldsimplyenjoycroissantsor
Frenchpastriesatasidewalkcafeona
sunnysummer day.
Strong winds cancelled thefinalflight
on Sunday afternoon and we retired to the
cellars of the chateau for barbecue. New
friends andoldacquaintances sharesto-
riesof ballooningaround the world well
intothe night.

Photos top to bottom:
Forbes launch field.
Walter Cronkite gives a lesson in picture
taking with the last in digital cameras to
Forbes photographer.
Balleroy Cup, presented to Brian Jones
and Bertrand Piccard
Tailgating in the French countryside.