Gallup Sun

Albuquerque couple reflects on years of piloting

This year at the Red Rock Balloon Rally there will be 124 hot air balloons floating among the red rocks at Red Rock Park, but there will also be one gas balloon.

Peter Cuneo and Barbra Fricke will be the pilots flying the gas balloon. They’ve been together for nearly 40 years and flying for almost 35.

 

GETTING INTO BALLOONS

Fricke was the first one who became interested in ballooning. Before she retired, she worked as the Director of the Medical Technology Training Department at the University of New Mexico. One of her colleagues invited her out to go ballooning one day, and she was instantly hooked.

But finding time for her...

Balloon Rally chase crews help give pilots a lift

It’s said that you have to walk before you can run. Very few people learn to fly when they’re still learning to walk. But that’s how it was for longtime Red Rock Balloon Rally committee member Pam Held.

“I’ve been with the rally for 41 years. I’m only 44,” she said, explaining that her mother worked on balloon chase crews when she was a baby and brought her along. “When I started walking, I became involved in holding things. I’ve been around since I was very small.”

These days she spends most of her time on the ground, helping to coordinate the rally and especially the volunteer crew members who help pilots get...

Rainbow Ryders offering hot air balloon rides at Balloon Rally

For 41 years, only balloon pilots and sponsors of the Red Rock Balloon Rally were allowed to go up in the air during the Red Rock Balloon Rally. But this year, thanks to a partnership with Rainbow Ryders, the general public will get a chance to be among the 125 registered pilots and their balloons during the mass ascensions in the early mornings.

Rainbow Ryders is the largest hot air balloon company in the U.S. They serve the Southwest region, flying both commercially and for corporate promotions in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Colorado Springs.

The company’s founder and president Scot Appleman fell in love...

In New Mexico, the sight of a hot air balloon is common. But not everyone knows what parts make up this iconic vehicle.

There are three main parts of a hot air balloon, and they all work together to create an amazing flying machine.

THE ENVELOPE

The first part of a hot air balloon is the envelope. This is the “balloon” part of a hot air balloon.

The envelope, also known as the canopy or kapok, encloses all the other parts and helps the vehicle get off the ground. It has several different layers which serve multiple purposes:

Inner liner - This thin layer protects passengers from getting burned by embers that escape from the burner during flight

Beaded netting or skirt - This...