Flying High

Great Texas Balloon Race Takes to the Skies

Story by Jen Calhoun

2 of the nation’s most prestigious hot air balloon competitions are set to converge on Longview when the Balloon Federation of America’s U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship and the Great Texas Balloon Race take off in the 2nd week of June.

Both competitions showcase some of the most accomplished hot air balloon pilots in the country while also making way for a third race––GTBR’s Young Guns competition. Young Guns is a contest for balloon pilots aged 29 and under who don’t have enough flight hours to compete nationally.

The U.S. Nationals is a 6-day event that kicks off on Tuesday, June 10. The GTBR and Young Guns competitions run from Friday, June 13, through Sunday, June 15. All race events take place in the early mornings when atmospheric conditions are best for ballooning.

“The pilots for each of the contests are going to be flying different tasks, and they’ll all be scored separately,” says Gai Bennett, GTBR chairperson. “But they’re all going on at the same time, so the morning sky over Longview is going to be filled with hot air balloons all week long.”

Spectators can view the competitions from the ground every morning for free, but the real fun gets started when the gates at the Longview Convention Complex open at 4 p.m. on Friday for the Great Texas Balloon Race Festival. Activities include live music, food, beer, and retail vendors, the popular sundown balloon glow, a drone show with lights, and a children’s area with bouncy houses, climbing walls, and more.

How Do Hot Air Balloons Race?

Hot air balloon competitions put pilots’ skills to the test, so the balloons aren’t necessarily racing across the sky. “There are a lot of balloon events, and lots of times they’re called fiestas or festivals, where the balloons just come and show off,” Bennett says. “But our competitions and the Nationals are based on navigational tasks.”

During the events, professional balloon pilots complete assignments that test their navigational and strategic thinking abilities, as well as their endurance.

“We’ll put targets on the ground and in the air that these balloon pilots are trying to navigate to and through,” she says. “They might have to drop something into a target on the ground, for instance. The thing is, they’re just riding the wind. But if you’re really good at that, you can look at the conditions and know how to get where you need to be.”

U.S. National Championships

Organized by the Balloon Federation of America, the U.S. Nationals features about 50 pilots from all over the country, including some who often participate in the Great Texas Balloon Race. The top 4 or 5 winners of the event go on to compete in world championships, which take place in Poland this year.

The competition generally moves to different cities throughout the country every few years. This year is the third consecutive year Longview has hosted the event. The Nationals will move to a different location next year.

“This is the second time in recent years that we’ve hosted the U.S. Nationals for a run,” Bennett says. “The first time we did it was from 2012 to 2015.”

Great Texas Balloon Race

The Great Texas Balloon Race got its start in the late 1970s, when local dentist and hot air balloon pilot Bill Bussey was asked to bring his balloon to celebrate the opening of Longview Mall. Bussey enjoyed the event so much that he and a few friends decided to expand on it the following year. It wasn’t long before the Great Texas Balloon Race and its festival became a tradition.

As a result, the city of Longview eventually earned the title of “Hot Air Balloon Capital of Texas.” These days, it’s not unusual to see hot air balloons floating across the sky at different times of the year.

“If the weather is good on a Saturday morning, you might see 6 or 8 or 10 hot air balloons floating over Longview,” Bennett says. “It’s kind of our thing.”