The FAI long-distance world championship for gas ballooning launches - 67th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett

The Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett - the FAI long-distance world championship for gas ballooning - is the oldest and most prestigious event in aviation and the ultimate challenge for the pilots. As the 67th edition got underway, twenty-one gas balloons leaped into the skies above Münster, in northeast Germany. The teams of two pilots on board the balloons have just one mission: to fly as far as possible from the launch site over Europe. In collaboration with ground crews, the teams endeavour to use the meteorological activity to navigate within the defined competition area to reach the furthest distance. Among the competitors are reigning champions, Eric Decellières and Benoit Havret from France as legendary German duo and 2022 winners Wilhelm Eimers with his son, Benjamin Eimers. The winning team hosts the competition two years after their win. It is the eighth time that Germany has hosted this traditional ballooning event. The launch was celebrated with the fascinating “Night Glow”, as the balloons got illuminated in a stunning performance of display.