List of Open Countries confirmed!

28 August 2015

List of Open Countries confirmed. The competition area for the 2015 edition of the Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett will comprise of 33 countries. Countries outside the competition area are "off bounds", a landing there will give the pilots "no result". The reasons for excluding certain countries are mainly due to legal restrictions for entry-and overflight permissions but also reflect considerations related to the safety of the retrieve-crew on the ground and the possible landing areas. One of the prime roles of the event's Air Traffic Control (ATC) Coordinator is to negotiate and agree the relevant conditions and regulations to use the different airspaces. Balloons fly under visual flight rules in day and night conditions. The radio-/tracking-/transponder-equipment on board as well as a 24/7 support from the ATC-Coordinator are the keys to long distance gasballon flights in some of the most dense airspaces in the World.  All pilots get detailed explanations for the entire competition area in the General Briefing before take-off. Airspace which is then "needed" will be activated enroute; pilots will then apply standard ATC procedures when asking for individual permissions to cross borders or fly into specific airspaces. This system allows for the highest level of equal chances during the Coupe and also gives pilots the chance to simulate all possible scenarios for the upcoming days as the "whole picture" is known to all. The live-tracking of the balloons is a vital tool to guide them through European Airspace.