The heroes of the day, Phillip & Brian

Spirit of Springfield inflating... Down one diamond

Inflation progresses in the hydrogen section

Crew of one of the Warsteiner balloons "checks stuff"

An aluminum/canvas gondola

Valve assembly on Phil & Brian's quick-fill balloon, "Yellow Beast"

The Beast!

Bert Padelt and co. looking busy

Phil in the pilots' lounge of the "Yellow Beast"

Must be one of the Germans!

The Beast, prepped for flight and ready for action

Spirit of Springfield fully inflated

Gondola of the Spirit of Springfield

Just about ready to let it all the way up

One of the Warsteiner balloons - this one flew with hydrogen

Appendix and hydrogen diffuser

Inflation continues...

Gondola, rigging and ballast

Rule #1: NO SMOKING!

Dave Koenig holding something important

Brian posing with the appendix. Don't they make a cute couple?

Tugging on the Beast

Mark & Karen from NY... Also holding something important!

Clever inflation sleeve on David Levin's balloon

The Beast!

Helium valve on Bert Padelt's balloon

THE BEAST!

Skinny Tim and the Giant YELLOW BEAST!

True Colors

Phillip holding on for dear life... Or maybe not

The Perpetrators: Brian, Jean & Phillip

The Beast!

Phillip is surprised by a BFA Director's Award from Mr. Bryant, also known as Phil

The Beast strains at its tethers!

All is well in the hydrogen corral

Not... quite... inflated... yet

Slightly Rotund Beast

You really think it's going to rain?

Corpulent Beast

Getting dark, and almost everyone is inflated

Looking past the helium guys into no-no-land (hydrogen city)

The sky is starting to warm up!

Shades of things to come

Looking to the West

Southwest

West

West

West

West

West

West?

West!

The first competitor launches

Bert Padelt lifts off

The Beast on the launch platform... National anthem in full glory

Walking a balloon to be launched

Over the hoses and through the crowd...