54th Gordon Bennett Air Race

[Geneve]

Place your bets

http://www.gordonbennett2010.com/tracking

[CatherineJ]

I was a bit disappointed that I didn't see this mentioned on the local news until yesterday morning. If I had have known earlier in the week, I would have liked to have gone and watched the start of the race.

[anonymous-user]

So it's not a who get there first race but a who goes the longest distance? or is it who stays up for the longest?

[Geneve]

Who travels furthest from the starting point, I believe.

[threespires]

The Swiss team have made it almost impossible to be beaten, terrific navigation, landing so close to the Black Sea.

[Geneve]

Great Race - now getting very tight and tense.

Yes the Swiss have been very clever - but how did they manage to go soooooooo fast?

Here: http://www.gordonbennett2010.com/tracking

[Simpo Two]

You can't really navigate a balloon - ask de Rozier, Blanchard et al. You can only go up and down.

(currently reading 'The Aeronauts' by LTC Rolt )

[Geneve]

But you can go "up and down" into different air streams.

[Simpo Two]

Indeed - but (originally at least) you didn't know if they were going to be better or worse, and you only had so much ballast/lift to experiment. Perhaps now you can get a live satellite GPS weather wind-direction feed into your gondola, but air currents aren't as predictable as sea currents.

If it was that scientific, they'd all be parked on the Black Sea - so I think there's a lot of luck involved.

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 28th September 23:09

[davepoth]

Simpo Two said:

Indeed - but (originally at least) you didn't know if they were going to be better or worse, and you only had so much ballast/lift to experiment. Perhaps now you can get a live satellite GPS weather wind-direction feed into your gondola, but air currents aren't as predictable as sea currents.

If it was that scientific, they'd all be parked on the Black Sea - so I think there's a lot of luck involved.

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 28th September 23:09

The swiss took a calculated risk I think. They found a fast wind going east, but it took them too far south, meaning they would have to cross the Black Sea (which I guess they didn't want to attempt). They went as far as they safely could. According to the website everyone else is going for a more northerly track.

[anonymous-user]

Looks like the American one is missing in the Adriatic, and only three are left in.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11433...

One of the remaining balloons is British.

Edited by el stovey on Wednesday 29th September 11:01

[Geneve]

The Race is over - GBR 3rd, but more seriously US balloon still missing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11434...