TO 1882, 140 YEARS AGO, DOWNTOWN ALBUQUERQUE, THIS WAS PARK VAN TASSEL, COAL GAS POWERED BALLOON. YES, COAL TOOK FOREVER TO FILL UP ABOUT TWO DAYS. VAN WAS A LOCAL BAR OWNER HIRED TO FLY VERY HIGH. MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO AT THE TERRITORIAL FAIR, HE HAD A VERY SHORT FLIGHT THE WAY. HE WENT UP TO ABOUT. 9000 FEET AND CAME BACK DOWN. -- BROWNE IS A BALLOON HISTORIAN WHO HELPED WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THE FIRST FLIGHT HERE. THEN TWO OTHER PILOTS LAUNCHED IN 1909 TO TRY AND SET A DISTANCE RECORD. IT WASN’T ENOUGH, BUT IT SURE LIT THE FIRE FOR FUTURE FLIGHTS. NOW HE LIFTED OFF AND, SURGED EAST AND CROSSED THE MANZANO MOUNTAINS AND ONTO THE PLAINS NEAR CLIENTS CORNERS, AND MADE A 90 MILE FLIGHT. AFTER THE 1882 AND 1909 LAUNCHES, BOTH THEM FROM RIGHT HERE IN DOWNTOWN ALBUQUERQUE, PRETTY MUCH HAPPENED FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY IN PART BECAUSE OF WORLD WAR ONE, THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WORLD WAR TWO, THE KOREAN CONFLICT AND THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY. DURING THAT TIME, BALLOON TECHNOLOGY, THE ADVANCEMENTS WORK REVOLUTIONIZED BALLOONING WAS HAVING AN HEADER PROPANE HEATER, LIGHTWEIGHT NYLON ENVELOPE THE BAG HAVING PROPANE IN THE BASKETS, WHICH IS WHERE ARE TODAY 140 YEARS LATER, A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLORS SEEN EVERY LIGHTING UP THE ALBUQUERQUE SKY FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. BY THE WAY OF VAN TASSELS BALLOON FRO