The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett – the FAI long-distance world championship for gas ballooning – is the oldest and most prestigious event in aviation and the ultimate challenge for the pilots. As the 68^th edition got underway, 24 teams leaped into the skies above Metz, in France.

the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett, the FAI long-distance world championship for gas balloon pilots, is the oldest and most prestigious event in aviation and the ultimate challenge for the pilots. The teams of two pilots on board the balloons have just one mission: to fly as far as possible from the launch site over Europe without intermediate landing. In collaboration with ground crews, the teams endeavour to use the meteorological activity to navigate within the defined competition area to reach the furthest distance.

FLYING HISTORY IN THE AIR

Friday evening, , the FAI long-distance world championship for gas ballooning went underway and yesterday the winning teams landed.

The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett – the FAI long-distance world championship for gas ballooning – is the oldest and most prestigious event in aviation and the ultimate challenge for the pilots. The 68^th edition got underway September 5^th at around 10pm local time in Metz, 24 teams leaped into the skies above Metz, in France. This world championship of long-distance gas balloon flight brings together the best gas balloon pilots each year in a race with a simple but demanding goal: to cover the greatest possible distance from the launch area, without any intermediate landings. Pilots must navigate with precision, considering air currents, weather conditions, and ballast optimization to fly as far as possible.

Monday, 8 September, the last teams landed, and the new world champions were crowned. After 1,358.29 km and 67 hours and 34 minutes, the winning team from Switzerland, Kurt Frieden and Pascal Witprächtiger, landed in Gogosu at the Danube in Romania. Second place went to Team Germany 3, Benedict Munz and Matthias Schlegel, who flew 1,259.02 km and landed in Dragomiresti, Romania. The podium was completed by Éric Décellières and Benoît Havret from Team France 2, with a flight of 1,257.62 km, also to Romania, more precisely to Bama.

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