While other contestants are racing in a famous and historic UK-wide hot air balloon tournament, Stonham Barns Park is hosting a tandem launch for Eastern Region Balloon Club members.
The Queen’s Cup will test British participants to see how far they can fly in a special sporting competition that takes place in October (the exact date will depend on the weather). The national race will formally take off from Gloucestershire, with balloons taking off simultaneously in tandem across the nation. The pilot and crew that land the farthest away from their takeoff location on the evening will win this UK-wide competition.
The tandem balloon launch will take place on the same weekend in October (weather permitting), with the Eastern Region balloon pilots and their crews taking off from Stonham Barns Park and traveling in the direction of the winds. Our Eastern Region pilots will be participating in the “Great British Balloon launch” in order to assist the main Queen’s Cup competition.
Members are sought after by Eastern Region Balloons from Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Essex. Members of the group, which is associated with the British Balloon and Airship group (BBAC), regularly attend ballooning events across the nation.
‘This is one of the most important dates in the club’s calendar to date, one which significantly elevates our profile,’ said Jo Scott of Eastern Region Balloons about The Queen’s Cup. ‘We are delighted to be able to use the parklands at Stonham Barns Park for our tandem launch this year. The location provides everything we need, including outstanding viewing options for spotters and photographers, and we have previously utilized it as a launch site.
The Queen’s Cup balloon race will put pilots’ expertise, endurance, and teamwork to the test. For those interested, the competition regulations are available on their website. The meteorological data for the entire United Kingdom, the expected strategies of the opposing teams, and refueling and landing arrangements are just a few of the elements that pilots and their crews must immediately analyze and calculate. Everything is pretty exciting. We anticipate every flight, but this one is especially significant because it is the oldest and most renowned athletic prize in the UK.
Despite the fact that we adore nothing more than a peaceful balloon ride through our stunning countries, we are thrilled to be a part of this thrilling endeavor.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, who served as the Royal Aero Club’s patron and who received the Queen’s Cup as a wedding present in 1947, gave the trophy, which is typically kept at the Royal Air Force Museum, to the club.
The event’s date is flexible because it is impossible to anticipate the weather more than 24 hours in advance. It can’t be fixed beforehand. In the week leading up to the event, the official “go-ahead” will be announced on social media.
Source- Travel daily