Friends & Lovers finally takes flight in Rio Rancho

RIO RANCHO — Saturday morning may have marked the second year the Friends and Lovers Balloon Rally returned to Rio Rancho. It was also the first time since returning that balloons took flight.

“This year, I’m glad we’re going to get to launch,” Mayor Gregg Hull said shortly after the pilot briefing at the McDermott Athletic Center (MAC), recalling the snow that fell on the event last year. “It’s going to be exciting to see these balloons spread out across the skies of Rio Rancho.”

And spread out they did. Celina Espinoza, a volunteer for Friends and Lovers, which is put on by the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association (Quad A), said during the 6:30 a.m. weather check, potential launch locations were discussed. The main locations for Saturday, she said, were Loma Colorado Park, Rio Rancho Sports Complex, Cabezon Park and Rio Rancho High School.

“The goal is to be flying throughout the city so no matter where you are, you can see it and be part of it,” she said. “The city has been really gracious about allowing the pilots at various locations, opening the fences and being welcoming.”

Friends and Lovers began in the 1970s and originally flew out of Rio Rancho. It started as a strategy to garner interest in 1975 World Hot Air Balloon Championships and the fourth Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which was rescheduled from February to October that year.

Eventually, it moved to Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque to take advantage of “the box” and the 73 acres of flying space. Last year, the rally returned to its Rio Rancho origins in response to FAA guideline changes, though weather conditions, including snow, prevented any flying.

Hull said the city was grateful for the pilots, crews and sponsors that made the event possible. “Having this event back in Rio Rancho is exciting, not just for the leadership but the citizens as well.”

“We’re really celebrating the crews,” Espinoza said when asked what makes Friends and Lovers different from other ballooning events in the area. “They don’t really get a lot of appreciation, and without them, ballooning wouldn’t happen.”

In Loma Colorado Park, pilot Sandra VanWye was preparing her balloon, Volcanic Motion. VanWye moved to the Albuquerque area from Chile after visiting her uncle here. Through him, she met her husband Ken, and they started working with a balloon crew 18 years ago.

“At that time, I didn’t speak any English, only Spanish,” she said. But, during an event in Durango, they met another pilot whose wife is fluent in Spanish, they became fast friends, and the VanWyes began crewing with them.

“I always enjoyed it but never thought about flying,” Sandra said. That changed in 2019, when she began piloting. She learned from her pilot friend, who was ready to stop flying around that time. She is now piloting his old balloon.

“It kind of fell in our lap,” Ken, who referred to himself as the “chief party officer,” said.

As Sandra prepared Volcanic Motion for flight, she was giving her crew instructions on what needed to be done. That’s another aspect of the rally and others Quad A hosts throughout the year, Espinoza said: training younger pilots and crew members.

“Events like this give them hands-on experience in both areas,” Espinoza said, noting that it is a more intimate setting to be up and close to the balloons, providing a chance to grow appreciation for the hobby. “It’s an opportunity to learn about ballooning and get hands-on experience. It’s so important to continue that throughout the generations.”