The 'Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennet' is a balloon race. Well it's not really a race more a competition as the winner is the hot air balloon that travels the furthest.
First run in 1906 from Paris, the event was organised by Gordon Bennet, an eccentric millionaire newspaper man from New York. 200,000 people turned up to watch the start in Paris. Most teams dared not cross the English channel but the team that did won the event landing in Scarborough on the North East coast.
This year the event is running for the 50th time and starting in Antwerp in Belgium. Rather like the Eurovision Song Contest the winner of the 'coupe' has the honour of hosting the following years event.
At present (10.09.06 12:24 UTC) the 16 competitors are winging their way accross the North Sea heading towards Norway. You can follow their progress live by GPS co-ordinates at the competition website.
Belgium 2 looks like it is going to pass over Middlesbrough. What a treat for the crew. Currrent position is (Team Name: Belgium 2Van Geyte, Luc / Paenen, RudyLast Update (UTC): 2006-09-10 12:03:12Position: N53°59'38" W001°32'47"Flown Distance (km): 495.09) . Putting that into Streetmap.co.uk they are currently passing over Harrogate. The Royal Pump Room Museum to be exact.
Museum in Harrogate used by Royalty though the ages for relief from flatulence
Germany 3 (Columus V) narrowly misses Middlesbrough instead passing over Skinningrove's Cliffs
35 comments:
Belgium 2 looks like they may miss Middlesbrough: Currently overhead Ripon Army Barracks
Germany 3 however is flying over Blakey Ridge. Maybe time for az pitstop in the Lion. Prawn Sarnie and A pint of Theakstons
Germany 3 : 14:36 pm Sunday
Now over N54:26:06,W000:55:57
Castleton Ridge heading towards Danby. Looking like exiting the North East coast at Skinninggrove or Saltburn
Belgium 2: Last Update 2006-09-10 15:01:32
Position: N54°13'35" W001°36'42"
Masham North Yorkshire, Home of the Black Sheep Brewery
Germany 3: update
Exits the Coast to head out to Norway:
Last Update (UTC): 2006-09-10 13:12:42
Position: N54°34'28" W000°52'24
Just over Hummersea Steps at Skinningrove
http://www.davygoat.uklinux.net/saltburn/walks/cliffstoskinningrove/heritagecoast.jpg
Turns out Germany 3 didnt head of to Norway but actually ditched into the Sea off Skinningrove
Hmmmm he's flying again now. GPS must have packed up.
Switzerland I - in 'Ajoie', seem to be heading in the direction of Scarborough. All the other balloons are half way to Norway already. I think they may be trying to recreate the 1906 winning journey. Sentimental old fools. Aren't they a bonny pair by the way
Switzerland I
Well Swiss Cheese I has missed Scarborough. Its 7pm Could be in Whitby in an hour for Fish and Chips.
The leading balloons are only 200km from Norway's coast but the direction they are heading in they won't reach land for another 400km.
It's neck and neck out in fron with the GBR team and the French Balloon. the GBR Ballooon just recoreded a speed of 74 km/h compared to 40-50 of all the other balloons. Apparently if you ditch in the sea your distance doesnt count. So at them moment the winning team is the Belgians who already landed north of Leeds . Recorded Distance 516.55 Km
I'm not sure how much they guys can steer these things but if you believe the shipping forecast on the BBC until tomorrow morning they will not hit land . Well not until the North Pole.
I think they should be thinking about scrambling search and rescue already. At the briefing before the start they were saying not many of the pilots had experience with emergancy situations.
Looks like the Swiss boys are also heading for the Boro now.
UK I are now in front of the French and maintaing 50Km/h + 12 more than the French team
The Swiss are now over sleights, close by Whitby and still plodding along in the dark.
I wonder where they will end up , can't see them making it accross to Norway anymore.
They look now like they will drift towards the North
Sea.
I hope they don't.
Team France and team GB are poweing ahead about 150 km west of Stavanger. I'm starting to think they can steer and they are all planning on making an entrance at the last minute to land over
Norway. But taking advantage of the higher winds over the sea . BBC says maybe force 7 over that area at the momentt
and please don't forget teh Russians lagging even behind the Swiss, but in the middle of the North Sea.
I think if we see anything on the new tomorrow it will be these guys.
Out of Butane puff and being rescued by an oil rigs helicopter
the website has gone off line
so at 12:00pm dunno where anyone is
bt guess they are all on the way to dry land except the laggers
There's people in Skinningrove who think the war's still on. Most of them are related to each other.
Is that where the phrase "Gordon Bennett!" came from.
i believe it was.
prnounced: 'Gawdan Bennitt' though innit
That Swiss Balloon landed in Sleights eventually just outside Whitby
Update 11th Sept - 16:55 CET
Belgium 1 is leading with 1764km clocked up.
13 balloons are still in the air. 10 over Norway, 3 over Sweden. In a few hours most will be over Sweden and heading in the direction of Finland.
Now 9 in Sweden, 4 in Norway and 1 crossing the Baltic Sea
If Belgium 3 continues on its current headin it could cross international borders 10 times in 10 hours
the Norway/Sweden Border
Sweden Norway Border
Norway/Sweden Border
Sweden Norway Border
Norway/Sweden Border
Sweden/Finland Border
Finland/Norway Border
Norway/Finland Border
Finland/Norway Border
and Pamela Borders
update 23:55pm 11.09.06
10 balloons now in Sweden, 1 in Norway and two crossing the Baltic Sea
The French team, Begium 1 and Grmany 2 have all laqnded in Norway.....Game Over
The Canadian tewam is about to bethe first team to enter Finland
So ther is 11 balloons still flying. The leaders being Belgium 3 with 1919km
Belgium3 the leaders are about to hit the 2000km mark
Swiss 2 and Germany 1 both landed this morning in Finland. Longest distance so far is 1873km
Team GB has landed, looks like they are all starting to run out of puff now
8 balloons still flying.
GERMANY 3
BELGIUM 3
CANADA
SWISS 3
USA 1
USA 2
AUSTRRIA
RUSSIA
only 4 left in the air now
CANADA
SWISS 3
USA 1
AUSTRRIA
they are aqll almost into Russia and i don't think they can fly over Russia so Belgium 3 should win with 2441Km.
one balloon left flying, austrias
Only 1 balloon left flying, the austrian.
The winning team is on their way to home. After the flight the Belgian team went with the Finnish helpers to have a reindeer meal. After the meal they checked into a hotel in Inari. The night continued with having a sauna, the first time for the pilots and whole team.
In the morning, after having the breakfast, the pilots decided to drive south via Sweden. They said, that they have seen enough sea for this trip, now they'll go home by land.
Switzerlands' distance was reduced from 2000km to 0km, today it was announced why.....
Incident:
Tuesday, September 12, 05:00, Alt 1252m
Position: N 63°08’ E 021°26”, short of CTR Vaasa
Balloon HB-QHJ has entered TMA Vaasa from West to East without clearance to enter controlled airspace. Pilot called in on Vaasa frequency after 10 to 15 minutes after entering the TMA. The balloon crossed Final RWY 16 of Vaasa airport; therefore a take-off clearance from RWY 34 for an Airbus had to be cancelled. Should it have taken off, an air collision would have been possible.
ATC will write a violation report.
The pilots of HB-QHJ brought themselves and the crew and passengers of an airplane in danger. This affiar caused extremely negative press replies, and brings the whole ballooning community in discredit and endangers the future of Coupe Gorden Bennett in Europe.
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