News Gordon Bennett Hydrogen Ballon Race 2010

[Notebook]

News Announcement 16.00 BST, Gordon Bennett Control Centre
Submitted by Jo Slade on Thu, 2010/09/30 - 14:52 UTC
The search and rescue operation continues for Gordon Bennett Race pilots Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis, Team USA2, balloon registration N801NM. The pilots are American citizens.

The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) have been very proactive in their search using one aircraft, four boats and one helicopter to search sea and coastal areas.

The Italian MRCC has been extremely thorough in their operations, but unfortunately all items found have not been related to the search.

The MRCC have the support of the Croatian and Greek Search and Rescue authorities.

We are grateful to the US Consulate in Naples who has designated assets to the search operation.

Immediate and extended family of both pilots politely request that the press do not make contact with them. They do, however, appreciate the efforts of all who are raising the profile of the incident which is helping the search to gain momentum.

Both families are most grateful to all who have sent their good wishes and messages of support, and apologise that they will not be able to reply individually.

When information is available it will be posted on the www.gordonbennett2010.com site. The next planned statement will be after 9am on Friday 1st October.

Don Cameron
Flight Director, 54th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett
Bristol, GB.

Latest BBC news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-11448372

N.

 

[Notebook]

This is the last statement from the race website, not good news.

News Announcement 1800UTC/1900BST, Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett Control Centre
The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) has continued to search throughout the day with support from other civil and military assets, including US and Croatian Military.

Both families have been informed that the Gordon Bennett 2010 Control Centre received recorded transponder readings from the air traffic control unit local to the area where the balloon had last been tracked. Transponder readings show the height, time and location of a balloon in a coded form.

The Gordon Bennett 2010 Control Centre has examined the transponder readings from Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis’ balloon, registration N801NM, and calculated the change in height of the balloon over the time period recorded. The data show that the balloon had a moderate descent rate initially which then increased into a high rate of descent, to around 50mph. This is very pessimistic information.

It is the opinion of the Gordon Bennett 2010 Flight Control Team that the balloon appears to have suffered a sudden and unexpected failure. The cause of this tragedy is still being examined.

Immediate and extended family of pilot Rymer-Davis politely request that the press do not make contact with them.

Both families are most grateful for the good wishes and messages of support.

There are no further planned statements on the www.gordonbennett2010.com site.

N.

 

[Lunar_Lander]

Don Cameron said the following words at the Awards Evening on October 2:

Before we begin our meal, I am sorry to have to say that this wonderful Gordon Bennett race, which seemed to be becoming one of the best ever, has been visited by tragedy. Carol Rymer-Davis and Richard Abruzzo have now been missing for four days and, although hope has not been abandoned, the evidence we have is very pessimistic.

Carol and Richard were well known to most of us.
They were giants of the balloon-sport community.
We can all remember their Gordon Bennett and Americas Challenge victories, their many record flights and the honour they brought to their home town of Albuquerque.

Tonight we should have been celebrating. Instead our evening has a more sombre tone, but it would have been wrong to cancel. We must recognise the wonderful performances that all our pilots have made this week. They thoroughly deserve their medals and prizes.

But I would like to ask you, before our meal, to stand for a minute’s silence. The silence will be broken by Pipe Major Smart who will play our traditional tune of remembrance – “The Flowers of the Forest” and I would ask you to remain standing for that too.

Let us take a moment for our thoughts of Carol and Richard.

http://www.gordonbennett2010.com/shouts

 

[Lunar_Lander]

By chance I came across the conclusion of the Race yesterday. An Italian Trawler has found the remains of the balloon as well as the corpses of Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis: