National Balloon Museum: The Opening of the Channel Champ Exhibit

[David Drum <private e-mail address>]

Press Release received from Nancy Griffin:

National Balloon Museum
1601 North Jefferson Way, P.O. Box 149
Indianola, IA 50125-0149
515 961 3714
Becky Wigeland, Curator
www.nationalballoonmuseum.com

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Date: May 2, 2006
Event Date: Saturday May 20, 2006

DETAILS ANNOUNCED FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THE "CHANNEL CHAMP" EXHIBIT AT THE NATIONAL BALLOON MUSEUM SATURDAY MAY 20, 2006

The "Channel Champ" exhibit, featuring the first hot air balloon to fly across the English Channel, will open Saturday May 20, 2006 at the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, IA. An open house and reception will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturday May 20. Ed Yost, pilot of the flight, and inventor of the modern hot air balloon will be present talk with people about this historic flight. A short movie with actual footage of the flight photographed, prepared and narrated by Don Piccard, will also be shown in the museum theater.

A program of recognition will be held at 2:00 p.m. The program will feature introductions by Gary Ruble, President of the National Balloon Museum Board of Directors. Orvin Olivier, Balloon Federation of America Board Member, and chair of the BFA Awards Committee will introduce Ed Yost and Russ Pohl. Pohl was a crew member for the flight and Senior Physicist for Raven Industries.

John Craparo, president of the International Aeronauts League, will be present to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the first flight of the modern hot air balloon by Yost in Bruning, Nebraska in 1960. Carparo will present commemorative medallions to Yost, the National Balloon Museum and to pilots that have received their pilot licenses between November 2005 and December 2006.

An announcement will be made about the Lipton Award which Yost will receive in England in June of 2006 from the British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC). The Lipton Award recognizes Yost's contributions to the development of the modern hot air balloon and is the highest award the BBAC gives. The flight of the "Channel Champ," which originated in England, was the flight that brought world-wide attention to the practicality of Yost's new invention, the modern hot air balloon.

The new Harewell/DeMoss Memorial Ballooning Library at the museum will be dedicated by Glen Moyer. Moyer is the Editor of "Ballooning" magazine and the "Skylines" newsletter, both of which are published by Balloon Federation of America. The memorial is in honor of two Louisiana balloonists who were killed in a ballooning accident.

Attendees will be able to explore the museum's exhibits and view a video of the actual flight of the "Channel Champ" photographed and produced by Don Piccard, the official photographer for the flight. A slide show on the history of ballooning will also be shown.

The museum gift shop will offer for sale the International Aeronauts League 45th Anniversary Ed Yost Medallions and special posters as well as a booklet about the flight of the "Channel Champ". Refreshments will be served. The public is invited to attend.
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