America's Challenge 2014

The team of Anulfo González and Angel Aguirre wins the 19th edition of the America’s Challenge, prestigious gas balloons competition who started on October 6th 2014 from Albuquerque (New Mexico).

The America’s Challenge, taking place in the famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – the biggest ballooning event in the world, is together with the Gordon Bennett the most important long distance competition using balloons filled with hydrogen.

The goal of this race is making the longest distance in a non-stop flight from the launch point to the landing point. The Spanish team won with a distance of 1.912 km. and 53 performed in a flight of 53 hours 27 minutes, landing in Campbellsville (Kentucky), crossing 7 states and establishing a new national duration and distance record of this balloon class. This race has been specially complicated for the dangerous thunderstorms developing in the central states, forcing several teams to make emergency landings, although the clever strategy of the Spanish team kept them safe during the three nights of the flight, obtaining the first position in the race. During a great part of the race they had to fly around 6.000 meters, meaning a great physical effort even with the use of artificial oxygen by the pilots.

The Kamarotí balloon has a volume of 1.000 cubic meters and in the tiny basket of 1 square meters the pilots have to live during the three days of the flight, carrying all the instruments, food, water and the 600 kilos of sand used as ballast to maneuver.

The team of González/Aguirre is the single Spanish participant in the gas balloon competition since the 30’s. From 2011 they started a new era in this sporting class, opening the door to new Spanish teams and starting a growing interest for the possibility to follow the competitions online through the events websites.

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