Eastman  Kodak  Co  a  été  Official  Sponsor  de  la  plus  grande  manifestation  de  montgolfieres  :

      "   Kodak  Albuquerque  International  Balloon  Fiesta  "  (  KAIBF )
 
  de   1992  à  2001 .

In 1992, the name Kodak was added to Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, reflecting the fact that this had become the world's most photographed event. the Balloon Fiesta has literally changed the face of the ballooning sport, each year showing new pilots and owners what thrilling and safe experience ballooning can be.

Drawing entries from more than 28 different countries, the Balloon Fiesta has truly become international in stature. In 2002, Kodak stepped down from being the title sponsor of Balloon Fiesta.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly gathering of hot air balloon enthusiasts from around the world, occurring in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, during the first two weeks of October. The event, the largest of it kind in the world, lasts ten days and includes a fleet of nearly 750 hot air balloons with pilots from throughout the United States and the world.

The balloon fiesta began as a small gathering of 13 balloons in April of 1972, organized by Cutter Flying Service owner Sid Cutter. The event was located in a shopping center parking lot with 20,000 spectators and with balloonists from Arizona, California, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada and Texas taking part. The first fiesta was actually a "Roadrunner-Coyote Balloon Race", with 1 balloon being the "Roadrunner" and the others being "Coyote" balloons. The winner of the race was the Coyote who landed closest to the Roadrunner. This race has continued as part of the Balloon Fiesta today.

The next year Albuquerque hosted the first World Hot-Air Balloon Championships in February and the fiesta became an international event. In 1975 Albuquerque was looking at hosting the World Championships again, but the event was scheduled for October. So the fiesta was moved to correspond with the championships. To maintain interest in Albuquerque’s bid to host the championships, a balloon rally was held in February of that year.

The Balloon Fiesta has grown each year, and today is the largest balloon convention in the world. The number of registered balloons reached a peak of 1,019 in 2000, prompting the Balloon Fiesta Board to limit the number to 750 starting in 2001, citing a desire for "quality over quantity". On any given day during the festival, up to 100,000 spectators may be on the launch field where they are provided the rare opportunity to observe inflation and take off procedures. Countless more people gather at landing sites all over the city to watch incoming balloons.

Part of the reason for the success of the Fiesta are the cool Albuquerque morning temperatures in October and the Albuquerque box. The "box" is a set of predictable wind patterns that can be exploited to navigate the balloons. At low elevations the winds tend to be southerly, but at higher elevations they tend to be northerly. Balloonists use these winds to navigate in a vertical box: they ascend slightly from the launch park, move south, ascend further, move north, descend, and repeat the box or land back in the launch park or quite nearby.

One of the biggest events of the fiesta, where all participating balloons launch in two waves, filling the sky with hundreds of balloons at once. Launch directors, also known as “zebras” because of their black-and-white-striped outfits, serve as “traffic cops,” coordinating the launch so balloons leave the field in a safe and coordinated manner.

The Dawn Patrol began at Balloon Fiesta in 1978, when two California balloonists developed position lighting systems that allowed them to fly at night. Dawn Patrol pilots take off before sunrise and fly until it is light enough to see landing sites. Fellow balloonists appreciate the Dawn Patrol because they can watch the balloons and get an early idea of wind speeds and directions at different altitudes.

Balloon Fiesta Park from which the balloons are launched is located on the northern edge of the city. In 2005, the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum was opened on the grounds, it recounts the last three decades of the convention as well as a general history of ballooning.

  Il  a  été  aussi  tres  souvent  fournisseur  officiel  de  films  dans  d'  autres  grandes  compétitions
   de  montgolfieres  .


Acces  par  années  :

 
   Années   1982-87  ( 5 pins )           Année   1988  ( 20 pins )                   Année   1989 ( 13 pins )                   Année   1990  ( 16 pins )                  Année   1991 ( 12 pins )
  

   Année   1992   ( 13 pins )                 Année   1993  ( 27 pins )                   Année   1994  ( 39 pins )                  Année   1995  ( 50 pins )                  Année   1996  ( 48 pins )     
       

   Année   1997   ( 53 pins )               Année   1998   ( 53 pins )                  Année   1999  ( 43 pins )                  Année   2000  ( 53 pins )                  Année   2001  ( 55 pins )


   Année   2002    ( 9 pins )                Année   2003    ( 5 pins )                   Année   2004  ( 3 pins )                    Année   2005  ( 1 pin )                      Année   2006

           
    Non  datée     ( 28 pins )


Autre  acces  par  theme    :  Pin's  officiels  (K)AIBF

Autre  acces  par  theme   :   Sponsors  Albuquerque

 
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