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Love is in the air: Rio Rancho balloon rally celebrates the crews that make the sport possible
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, it’s time to give some love to those who work diligently to ensure that hot air balloons get off the ground.
That’s the concept behind the Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally, which celebrates the sometimes underappreciated role the hot air balloon crew plays in making each flight a successful endeavor. These crews can have as many as 15 people — or sometimes even 30 for a special shape — to help make sure the operation goes smoothly each time a balloon flies.
“We know that ballooning is a big part of New Mexico … and so we like to bring balloons to everybody, but pilots can’t do that by themselves. They have to have a crew of people to help them,” says William Wadsworth, Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association (Quad A) president.
“Hot air balloons weigh a lot, ranging anywhere from 500 pounds to over 2,000 pounds for a balloon system. And just unloading the system, setting up the system and then chasing that system to the landing spot requires coordination between a pilot and their crew members. For a lot of the ballooning community in New Mexico, pilots do it recreationally, and our crews are all volunteer crews. So they come out and assist us because they want to have fun on the weekend. We like to host this rally and show special appreciation to our crews that help us out all year long.”
Friends and Lovers initially began as the Albuquerque Cloudbouncer Balloon Rally in 1975, when it was launched to generate interest in the World Hot Air Balloon Championships and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which was moved from February to October that year.
Friends and Lovers is a free event that features ascensions on both Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9, from multiple locations in Rio Rancho. Approximately 90 balloons, including a handful that are operated via remote control, will take flight at 7 a.m. (weather permitting) each day. Last year’s event was canceled due to inclement weather. With multiple launch sites, the goal is to spread ballooning throughout the City of Vision.
“The City of Rio Rancho and Rio Rancho Public Schools have been very gracious in offering us use of their facilities,” Wadsworth says. “So we’re going to be launching from a lot of Rio Rancho city parks as well as from the fields around some Rio Rancho public schools.”
The event is hosted by Quad A, an organization founded in 1971 that “emerged from a collective passion for hot air ballooning.” According to hotairballooning.org, it’s “the largest community ballooning organization globally.”
“One of our primary goals is to promote the sport of hot air ballooning and foster growth and development of those crews that we’re looking to recognize,” Wadsworth says. “And part of that is bringing on new crew members.”
Peg Billson, a former education chair and longtime Quad A member, will serve as the co-Balloonmeistern — someone who oversees all ballooning activities — for the event. Billson has also served as launch director, safety officer and pilot for the Balloon Fiesta. Additionally, Shelly Cannaday, who died in 2024, will be the first person honored with the Balloonmeistern position posthumously. Cannaday was a longtime volunteer and also embodied the spirit of the Friends and Lovers theme, as a well-respected crew member. The rally traditionally selects a woman to fill the Balloonmeistern position to showcase the “event’s commitment to female leadership and inclusion in aviation.”
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“These women have amazing careers within ballooning and aviation,” says Kristelle Siarza, special events chair for Quad A. “It is fitting to honor Shelly Cannaday as co-Balloonmeistern because Friends and Lovers celebrates the crews who make ballooning possible. Shelly was a phenomenal crew member and passionate about teaching others how to safely and emphatically support our pilots.”
This will mark the second consecutive year that Friends and Lovers will be held in Rio Rancho. Quad A moved the rally from Albuquerque last year to comply with Federal Aviation Administration Guidelines. According to Wadsworth, there’s significant interest in continuing to hold the rally in Rio Rancho in the coming years. For those who aren’t familiar with hot air ballooning, it’s a chance to get a more intimate view of the proceedings.
“I know most pilots love to have people come up close to the basket and take photos near the balloon when it’s standing up,” Wadsworth says. “And it’s a great chance to meet that hot air ballooning community if somebody is looking to get involved with ballooning … We want to educate the community on ballooning and hopefully bring more people into the sport of ballooning so that we can continue ballooning around New Mexico for as long as possible.”
