attempt in the Double Eagle II in 1978. The team took off from Presque Isle, Maine on August 11 and made a successful landing in Miserey, France six days later. ABC Sports aired a short form documentary special about the flight hosted by Bob Beatty entitled "The Spirit of '78: The Flight of DOUBLE EAGLE II". For their efforts, the team was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1979. Later that year, Abruzzo and Anderson piloted together to win the first since WWII International Gordon Bennett Race in the balloon “Double Eagle III”. The Bennett race was suspended in 1939 due to hostilities, not resuming until 1979, with official Gordon Bennett Cup (ballooning) restart in 1983. Double Eagle V Abruzzo was also on the Double Eagle V team. The Double Eagle V was the first team to cross the Pacific Ocean in a gas balloon in November 1981. This flight also set a record for longest trip by a team in a balloon. Death and legacy Ben Abruzzo died on 11 February 1985 when the Cessna 421 he was piloting crashed near Albuquerque. Abruzzo's wife and four others also died in the crash. Abruzzo's son, Richard Abruzzo, was also a noted balloonist. He too died in an aviation accident. Creating a foundation, the Abruzzo and Anderson families partnered with the City of Albuquerque and constructed the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum next to the launch field of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The World's most photographed event, Fiesta is held the second week of every October. Abruzzo had partnered with Robert Nordhaus, a retired lawyer and father of Nobel Prize-winning economist William Nordhaus, to purchase the La Madera Ski Area, now known as Sandia Peak Ski Area, from the Albuquerque Ski Club in 1958. Together, they oversaw many improvements to the resort. Two entities at the resort are named for his famous balloon: a ski run, Double Eagle II; and the ski lodge, Double Eagle II Day Lodge. References 1930 births 1985 deaths Accidental deaths in New Mexico Aviators from Illinois Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States American balloonists Congressional Gold Medal recipients Gies College of Business alumni People from Rockford, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois Businesspeople from Albuquerque, New Mexico United States Air Force officers Balloon flight record holders American aviation record holders Transatlantic flight 20th-century American businesspeople Victims of aviation accidents or incidents