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Annual hot air balloon festival draws global audience to US

Crew members inflate a hot air balloon as part of a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Hundreds of hot air balloons will be lifting off over the nine-day annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe for 50 years. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Denise Wiederkehr McDonald, center left, prepares for a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Wiederkehr's father was among the original 13 pilots to take part in the first fiesta. Wiederkehr McDonald earned her balloon pilot's license at a young age and went on have a long aviation career. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Hot air balloons prepare to lift off during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Hundreds of hot air balloons will be participating in the nine-day annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe for 50 years. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) The flame of a gas burner helps inflate a hot air balloon as part of a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Hundreds of hot air balloons will be lifting off over the nine-day annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe for 50 years. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Balloons lift off as part of a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Hundreds of hot air balloons are scheduled to ascend Saturday, marking the start of an annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe for 50 years. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Denise Wiederkehr McDonald, left, prepares for a ride in a hot air balloon as part of a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Wiederkehr's father was among the original 13 pilots to take part in the first fiesta. Wiederkehr McDonald earned her balloon pilot's license at a young age and went on have an aviation career that spanned more than three decades. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Balloon pilot and former chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court Judy Nakamura, center, prepares to lift off during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Hundreds of hot air balloons are registered for the 50th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Denise Wiederkehr McDonald, center, holds a cardboard cutout of her father as part of a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Wiederkehr's father was among the original 13 pilots to take part in the first fiesta. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Crew members inflate a hot air balloon as part of a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Hundreds of hot air balloons will be lifting off over the nine-day annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe for 50 years. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Hot air balloons prepare to lift off as part of a re-enactment of the first Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 1972 during a special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. Hundreds of balloons will ascend during the nine-day annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe for 50 years. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)