Many pilots arriving in Longview for the U.S. Nationals Hot Air Balloon Championship and Great Texas Balloon Race this week are veterans who have competed here year after year.<\/p>\n
Joining them will be 12 new pilots set to arrive today and Sunday to compete in the championship that starts Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Pittsboro, N.C., native Richard Parr and Atlanta, Ga., native Andrew Nels said Friday this will be their first championship to compete in.<\/p>\n
This is the second year for Longview to hold the national championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never flown a balloon in Texas,\u201d Parr said. \u201cThe flight conditions are similar to those in North Carolina, and I know you don\u2019t always get the calm winds.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nels said he took his first trip in a hot air balloon at 2 weeks old but didn\u2019t start competing seriously until 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve talked to a few people about the race in Longview,\u201d Nels said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard it was very fun, and I\u2019ve got to be up early. But I want to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parr started flying balloons after he retired in 2007 and said flying has been a life-long passion. He\u2019s been involved in aviation for 54 years, and the national championship in Longview will be the fourth balloon race he has participated in this year, he said.<\/p>\n
Parr said he is looking forward to the challenge of the race and the hospitality of East Texans \u2014 both of which he will get plenty of.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of my competitors are going to be a challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve heard that the people in Longview treat you very well and it is a fun place to be. I\u2019m looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Frankie Parson Riggins, GTBR chairwoman, said an opening ceremony will be held Monday for pilots competing in the championship. Another party Thursday will recognize all of the balloonists participating in this year\u2019s festivities, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach pilot and crew member will be recognized onstage,\u201d she said. \u201cLast year, we had about 700 attend the Thursday event.\u201d<\/p>\n
Welcoming balloonists and making them feel at home is something Gai Bennett has been doing the past seven years.<\/p>\n
Now she welcomes not only the competitors for the Great Texas Balloon Race, but for the championship as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always exciting that new guys have qualified on the national level,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s equally exciting for us to get to know them.\u201d<\/p>\n