The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett is the most prestigious event in aviation and the ultimate challenge for the balloon pilots and their equipment. The goal is simple: to fly the furthest distance from the launch site.
The international balloon competition was initiated by adventurer and newspaper tycoon Gordon Bennett in 1906, when 16 balloons launched from the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, France. Little did the crowd of 200,000 spectators know that this race was to continue throughout the 20th century.
This FAI site (http://www.coupegordonbennett.org) is dedicated to the courageous men and women who have and continue to challenge the skies in this incredible event. Within these pages is the history of this great event, from a list of all race participants and winners to the narrative supplied from a book by Ulrich Hohmann of Germany. Please feel free to read this material, use it for educational event promotional purposes but please respect the copyrights associated with this material for publication and distribution.
It is a story full of adventure, skill, courage survival and luck.
It is the story of the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett.
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