History of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
The history of sport ballooning in New Mexico is well known to most Albuquerque residents and to the ballooning community, but it tells the story of how a simple idea can blossom into one of the biggest aviation events in the world. Sid Cutter and his brother Bill planned a birthday party for their mother in 1971 to thank their Cutter Aviation customers. When securing airplanes for their World War I theme proved too costly and complicated, Sid bought a balloon. Sid had a balloon license but had never actually seen a balloon before the party. The balloon was the centerpiece of the party and Bill told everyone he and Sid planned to fly it the next day. They did and the rest, as they say, is history.
In November, 1971, Sid and a few friends, including Maxie Anderson, founded the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association (AAAA) and bought a Raven RX-6 balloon, naming it Roadrunner.
In April, 1972, KOB Radio was looking for a unique way to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The idea of a balloon race was the brainchild of Dick McKee, general manager of KOB radio. Balloonists from all over the country were invited to the First Albuquerque Roadrunner Coyote Balloon Race, sanctioned by the Balloon Federation of America. The plan was to have a race that would beat the English record of 19 balloons flying at one time. The goal was 21 balloons but a snow storm in Chicago brought the number down to 13. No one anticipated that over 20,000 people would turn out that day or that the event would become the largest ballooning event in the world-the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. In 2000, AIBF had over 1,000 balloons participate. The number has been reduced to 750 and is stable at that number
The ultimate competitive ballooning event is the prestigious Gordon Bennett Cup. Bennett was a wealthy newspaper tycoon who sponsored all kinds of races and events throughout the world. In 1906, Bennett initiated the first world cup balloon race from Tuileries Garden in Paris, France. The race was viewed by over 200,000 people and was won by an American team. The 1907 race from St. Louis, Missouri was attended by over 300,000 spectators. Over the next two decades, the race moved from country to country until it was suspended in 1939 because of World War II. After a near 40 year hiatus, the race once again became THE balloon race to win. Each year, the race moves to the country of the previous year’s winner.