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‘They can make Greece’ – Trans-Pacific record holder Leonid Tiukhtyaev

GB2016 gladbeck 26Leonid Tiukhtyaev broke the long-standing distance and duration records for gas ballooning in 2015 when he and co-pilot Troy Bradley flew 10,711km across the Pacific Ocean. The flight took 160.6 hours. What does he think of the race?

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Gordon Bennett, Day 1: Team SUI2 share this amazing moment

 

GB2016 gladbeck 24 2In the basket with Team SUI2 on Day 1 of the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett. Pilots Nicolas Tieche and Laurent Sciboz have covered 250km so far, and shared this amazing photo with us at Race HQ in Gladbeck.

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Two groups develop as the race reaches Luxembourg

GB2016 gladbeck 25Balloonists are now well on track, with two distinct groups developing. Slightly to the west and behind is what we’ll call the slower group. This group will be aiming to pass the Alps to the west...

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Pilots launch at the start of the world’s most prestigious gas-balloon race

GB2016 launchThe race is on! Gas-balloonists from a dozen countries launched early this morning at the start of what is aviation’s oldest and most prestigious gas-balloon race – the 60th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett.

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60th Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett: Follow the race live from 10pm CET

GB2016 gladbeck 23Balloonists at the 60th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett will start to launch at 10pm CET this evening. Follow the action live online through this website – live tracking, webcams and news updates throughout the evening.

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Mr Air Traffic Control: Meet Robin Lehmann

GB2016 gladbeck 22“It took months!” says air traffic controller Robin Lehmann about securing permissions from the 37 different countries that have granted permission to the competition's 24 balloons. We find out more about him and his job here at the competition...

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Basket case: Team USA-03 invites us round to see their new place

GB2016 gladbeck 21It’s been a busy morning and early afternoon in Gladbeck as pilots prepare their balloons and baskets for launch. We invited ourselves round to Team USA-03 to see their new baby – a brand new lightweight Woerner basket...

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Briefing: 10am 18 September 2016

GB2016 gladbeck 20Pilots had a briefing this morning at 10am, where the weather was again discussed. Hot topics included probable landing conditions before the mistral, and a timetable for launch this evening...

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Explainer: What is the Mistral and what does it mean for pilots?

GB2016 gladbeck 17What is the Mistral wind and why does it matter to balloon pilots? With Mistral forecast we look at what it is and how it can help or hinder balloonists this week...

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Sandbagged: Tough job but someone has to do it

GB2016 gladbeck 11Preparations are underway here at the Gladbeck for launch on Sunday 18 September 2016, with pilots arriving at the balloon airfield. One of the first jobs for each team is to fill about 100 sandbags in preparation for the launch and flight...

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Thunderstorms: What’s the big deal?

GB2016 gladbeck 18Pilots at the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett were today warned of possible thunderstorm activity in Italy, on their potential flight path later this week. We explain why that is such a serious issue for balloon pilots...

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