Airport of Pomerania Aero Club (EPTO), Toruń, Kujawy Pomorze, Poland
The Gordon BENNETT Cup
The Gordon BENNETT Cup is the oldest and most prestigious
aviation competition in the world
The first launch took place in 1906 and was held in front of 200 000 spectators in Paris.
It is tradition that the winning country has the privilege of organizing the next edition of the competition.
The last Gordon Bennett Cup in Poland took place in 1936. Since then, Poland won twice – first in 1938, however the competition was cancelled due to World War II outbreak, and for the second time in 1983, when the competition was organised for the very first time after the WWII. Unfortunately, because of the political situation in the country the next edition in 1984 could not have been held in Poland and was organised in Switzerland instead.
The Gordon BENNETT Cup is the oldest and most prestigious
aviation competition in the world
The first launch took place in 1906 and was held in front of 200 000 spectators in Paris.
It is tradition that the winning country has the privilege of organizing the next edition of the competition.
The last Gordon Bennett Cup in Poland took place in 1936. Since then, Poland won twice – first in 1938, however the competition was cancelled due to World War II outbreak, and for the second time in 1983, when the competition was organised for the very first time after the WWII. Unfortunately, because of the political situation in the country the next edition in 1984 could not have been held in Poland and was organised in Switzerland instead.
It took Poland 35 years to win the Gordon Bennet Cup again - in 2018 the Polish National Team won the 62nd Gordon Bennett Cup and thanks to this, the event was to return to Poland. However, due to the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus pandemic, the competition was postponed to 2021 and this year the start will take place from the airfield of the Pomeranian Aero Club in Toruń.
From the beggining in 1906 the rules have been the same and simple in theory: the best gas balloonists launch from the same place, at a similar time and with the same amount of gas. All of them try to achieve the longest possible distance from launch to landing. Teams consisting of two people spend together 2 to 3 days in the same small basket overcoming distances of several hundred kilometers. Nowadays, this sport combines tradition with modern technology and the viewers from all over the world can admire the competition and struggle of the teams live online.
Programme
64 Gordon Bennett Cup - FAI World Long Distance Gas Balloon Championship
Date
Description
19.08
Opening Ceremony
20.08
Event Gordon Bennett and I slot for balloons launch
21.08
Event Gordon Bennett and II slot for balloons launch
22.08
Event Gordon Bennett and III slot for balloons launch
27.08 or 28.08
Closing Ceremony and prize giving
Destination
Toruń Airport was built in the years 1912–1913 and since 1918 the Airport played an important role in Polish ballooning history - immediately after the First World War the 1st Balloon Battalion had its headquarters there. The Airport has 2 concrete runways (1269 and 1190 m long), hardstands, taxiways to gas stations as well as multiple buildings of the Pomeranian Aeroclub: hotel, restaurant, air traffic control tower and modernized hangars. This year, the area of the Pomeranian Aero Club will be at the disposal of the participants of the 64th Gordon Bennett Cup.
