Leningrad ( St Petersbourg )
In may 1990 the british balloon constructor Don Cameron organised, together with Russian's tourist office "Intourist", the first international hot air balloon fiesta in Leningrad - Russia. Frontiers being opened, after 45 years of cold war, under president Michael Gorbatschow, about thirty pilots from Russia, Lithuania, United States, England, France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg were invited to fly over historic locations in Leningrad. Being licensed as a PPL - hot air balloon pilot in september 1989, Femand Schaack was the appointed Luxembourgish participant together with his crew members Jean-Claude Theisen and Jeannot Loewen to fly the hot air balloon "Feierwon". We had flights at Pushkin area, Pavlovsk and, as the most spectacular one, a flight over the city, taking off on the borders of river "Neva" nearby Russia' s famous war monument, the armored cruiser " Aurora". After more than an hour of flight, we landed inside the city on spare greens and parcs. More than 100.000 people were watching the balloons, being at the take off places, or simply standing on roof tops, beckoning the pilots and their passangers. The Leningrad fiesta was the first time, a hot air balloon special shape ever flew in Russia. America's millionaires Jacques Soukup and Kirk Thomas had ordered the construction of a "Matrioshka nesting doll" to celebrate the Russian - American friendship especially for this event.
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