Pilots, friends mourn 2 big names in balloon-racing; tribute planned at NM annual fiesta

American pilots mourned by fellow balloonists

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — They were two of the biggest names in the sport of balloon-racing — both hall of famers, world record holders and winners of some of ballooning’s most prestigious awards.

The apparent deaths of veteran pilots Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis during a European gas balloon race has rocked the sport and cast a pall over a major balloon fiesta this week in New Mexico.

The Italian coast guard said Monday that it had called off the search for the pair, who disappeared last week in the Adriatic Sea.

A special tribute will precede the start of Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta’s cross-country gas balloon race on Wednesday.

There has been sobbing, teary eyes, hugs and the sharing of stories among those at the fiesta who knew the pilots. Albuquerque pilot Kim Vesely says Abruzzo and Davis had a passion for life and for ballooning.