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254:; adopting New Mexico as his home state after leaving military service in 1954. After working at Sandia Corporation, he became chairman and president of Alvarado Realty Company and started working with the local ski resort. Abruzzo became chairman and president of Sandia Peak Ski Company, Sandia Peak Tram Company, and Sandia Peak Utility Company. He also developed the Sandia Heights subdivision of homes around the base of the Sandia Tram.
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occurred fifty years after
Lindbergh's feat, and was the eleventh recorded attempt to make the crossing, which had been an open challenge in ballooning for more than a century. The balloon launched from Marshfield, Massachusetts on September 9. After being blown off course by stormy weather, the team
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six days later. ABC Sports aired a short form documentary special about the flight hosted by Bob Beatty entitled "The Spirit of '78: The Flight of DOUBLE EAGLE II". For their efforts, the team was awarded the
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296:. The balloon was named in honor of Charles Lindbergh, who in 1927 was the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a small single engined aircraft alone. The flight of the
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in the balloon “Double Eagle III”. The
Bennett race was suspended in 1939 due to hostilities, not resuming until 1979, with official
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Abruzzo took an interest in hot air ballooning in the early 1970s. In 1972, Abruzzo and other local balloon pilots held the first
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Creating a foundation, the
Abruzzo and Anderson families partnered with the City of Albuquerque and constructed the
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is now the largest ballooning event of its kind in the world, with over 600 balloons participating each
October.
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he was piloting crashed near
Albuquerque. Abruzzo's wife and four others also died in the crash. Abruzzo's son,
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in a gas balloon in
November 1981. This flight also set a record for longest trip by a team in a balloon.
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Abruzzo had partnered with Robert
Nordhaus, a retired lawyer and father of Nobel Prize-winning economist
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decided to attempt a crossing of the
Atlantic Ocean in a helium filled gas balloon named the
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The gas balloon Double Eagle II over
Presque Isle, Maine, attempting to cross the Atlantic
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418:. The World's most photographed event, Fiesta is held the second week of every October.
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in 1979. Later that year, Abruzzo and
Anderson piloted together to win the first since
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with a BS in business administration in 1952 and commissioned as a lieutenant in the
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with just thirteen balloons launching from a shopping mall parking lot. The
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was forced to ditch three miles off the coast of Iceland on September 12,
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Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
711:"Bodies of Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis Found in Adriatic Sea"
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Buried Treasures Famous and Unusual Gravesites in New Mexico History
407:, was also a noted balloonist. He too died in an aviation accident.
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Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman of the Double Eagle II
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Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
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during the flight and was forced to abandon the attempt.
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and the first Pacific Ocean crossing by balloon in the
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Chairman & president>br>Real estate developer
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194:(June 9, 1930 – February 11, 1985) was an American
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924:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1985
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142:First Atlantic ocean crossing by balloon in the
147:First Pacific ocean crossing by balloon in the
95:Gate of Heaven Cemetery Albuquerque, New Mexico
736:"Brothers Battle Climate Change on Two Fronts"
672:"Famous people who died in aviation accidents"
399:Ben Abruzzo died on 11 February 1985 when the
347:on August 11 and made a successful landing in
333:The Abruzzo and Anderson team, this time with
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894:Businesspeople from Albuquerque, New Mexico
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317:hours after taking off. Abruzzo suffered
416:Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
268:Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
258:Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
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597:from the original on September 29, 2010
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512:"Ben L. Abruzzo (American Balloonist)"
286:In 1977 Abruzzo and fellow balloonist
591:"Ben Abruzzo | This Day In Tech"
7:
919:20th-century American businesspeople
874:Congressional Gold Medal recipients
648:. Balloonfiesta.com. Archived from
566:. Balloonfiesta.com. Archived from
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734:Davenport, Coral (May 10, 2014).
361:International Gordon Bennett Race
909:American aviation record holders
899:United States Air Force officers
889:Military personnel from Illinois
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414:next to the launch field of the
387:was the first team to cross the
343:in 1978. The team took off from
198:and businessman who helped make
879:Gies College of Business alumni
854:Accidental deaths in New Mexico
365:Gordon Bennett Cup (ballooning)
337:, made a second attempt in the
884:People from Rockford, Illinois
1:
904:Balloon flight record holders
441:, Double Eagle II Day Lodge.
246:. Abruzzo was stationed at
646:"History of Gas Ballooning"
564:"History of Gas Ballooning"
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264:Albuquerque balloon fiesta
183:ballooning's highest honor
716:December 8, 2010, at the
492:. National Balloon Museam
490:nationalballoonmuseam.com
192:Benjamin L. "Ben" Abruzzo
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616:Charles McCarry (1979).
516:Encyclopaedia Britannica
375:Abruzzo was also on the
354:Congressional Gold Medal
238:. He graduated from the
178:Congressional Gold Medal
538:"Richard Abruzzo (USA)"
248:Kirtland Air Force Base
244:United States Air Force
200:Albuquerque, New Mexico
181:FAI Diplome Montgolfier
134:Sandia Peak Ski Company
132:Alvarado Realty Company
105:Business Administration
76:Albuquerque, New Mexico
859:Aviators from Illinois
758:Sandia Peak Ski Patrol
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240:University of Illinois
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115:University of Illinois
694:"Attention to Detail"
570:on September 12, 2007
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914:Transatlantic flight
869:American balloonists
674:. Planecrashinfo.com
427:Sandia Peak Ski Area
234:Abruzzo was born in
225:Double Eagle Gondola
345:Presque Isle, Maine
84:Cause of death
16:American balloonist
764:on August 13, 2021
740:The New York Times
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236:Rockford, Illinois
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185:FAI Gold Air Medal
57:Rockford, Illinois
754:"History of SPSP"
724:, 6 December 2010
652:on August 2, 2010
624:. Little, Brown.
542:gasballooning.org
367:restart in 1983.
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87:Aircraft accident
68:February 11, 1985
37:Ben Abruzzo, 1981
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483:"BEN L. ABRUZZO"
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423:William Nordhaus
395:Death and legacy
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766:. Retrieved
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650:the original
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335:Larry Newman
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299:Double Eagle
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70:(1985-02-11)
53:June 9, 1930
18:
849:1985 deaths
844:1930 births
678:October 11,
656:October 11,
601:October 11,
574:October 11,
129:Employer(s)
25:Ben Abruzzo
838:Categories
522:January 1,
445:References
437:; and the
401:Cessna 421
381:team. The
252:New Mexico
196:balloonist
121:Occupation
49:1930-06-09
820:Biography
439:ski lodge
323:frostbite
100:Education
796:Aviation
768:March 4,
714:Archived
595:Archived
548:June 13,
496:June 15,
319:exposure
163:Children
782:Portals
431:ski run
312:⁄
168:Richard
628:
518:. 2019
174:Awards
155:Spouse
486:(PDF)
103:B.S.
770:2021
680:2010
658:2010
626:ISBN
603:2010
576:2010
550:2020
524:2020
498:2020
358:WWII
321:and
230:Life
65:Died
43:Born
722:SKY
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
