| 04/11/08 |
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| The following pictures have been provided to gasballooning.net
by Michael Fairbanks. The pictures in this
segment are from 1952 - 1978.
The Balloon Club of America began in 1952 when the Douglas Leigh Company of New York donated parts of eleven balloons to Tony Fairbanks and Don Piccard. These balloons were part of a large supply of surplus material which Mr. Leigh's company had purchased from the Government at the end of WWII. The Balloon Club of America was founded by: Tony Fairbanks, Jerry Burns, Don Piccard, Francis Shields, Pete Wood, Eleanor Vadals and Connie Wolf. The clubs first flight was held in Brookhaven Pennsylvania on Nov. 1952 when Don Piccard and Tony Fairbanks flew 4 hours to Hammonton, NJ. The balloon club flew from the Valley Forge Airport for many years until it was turned into a golf course. The club relocated to the Wings Field in Blue Bell near Ambler, Pennsylvania. Check this site regularly as we will be adding additional pictures soon.
Click on the Picture to get a better look at the picture. |
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