Page 144 - Demo

Cancelled on April 26, 1980 at both the Balloon Race Station in Fountain Valley, California, and Norco, California, which is about 40 miles away. Featuring a cachet depicting a block of four Balloon Jupiter stamps rendered in black-and-white.The Gordon Bennett Cup (or Coupe A%u00e9ronautique Gordon Bennett) is the world's oldest gas-balloon race, and it is often regarded as the world%u2019s premier balloon racing event. When founded in 1909, it was first sponsored by James Gordon Bennett Jr., a millionaire sportsman, and owner of the New York Herald newspaper. The winner of the race is the one that flies the furthest distance from the launch site. The series was interrupted by World War I, and it was suspended in 1939 after the host country, Poland, was invaded by Germany at the beginning of World War II. The race was unofficially revived in 1979 by an American, Tom Heinsheimerheld, and held for four years without being sanctioned by the F%u00e9d%u00e9ration A%u00e9ronautique Internationale, which is the world governing body for air sports. This cover commemorates the unofficial 1980 race, which was won by a team of Jerry Tepper and Corky Myers, who floated 536 miles from the Fountain Valley takeoff point.