Anthony Mead Fairbanks
Tony grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania where he graduated from Swarthmore College in 1928 with a degree in engineering. Tony and Mary Louise had four children: Joan Fairbanks Youngblood, Antonica (Nica) Fairbanks, Michael Fairbanks, and Lillian (Jean) Fairbanks. He enjoyed balloon flights at every opportunity, Magic Club, HAM Radio Club, the American Radio Relay League and was President of the Swarthmore Lions Club. He also spent many summers with his family at his house in Ocean City, NJ.
During his career, Tony worked as a weight engineer for Vertol Helicopters, a Consulting Engineer for Piasecki Aircraft and as an aeronautical engineer for Boeing Aircraft Corporation, where he worked until he retired.
Only 20 years after the Wright Brothers flew the first plane, Tony found employment in Cleveland, Ohio, and quickly became a licensed glider and fixed wing pilot, with his own airplane, a ‘Buhl Pup”.
The remembrance of a man’s life is often measured by a single achievement: a record held, an award, a mountain climbed. Tony’s life must be measured by his total contributions. How else could you explain a 60 year love affair with flight, and more specifically, ballooning.
Tony’s log book documents his first balloon flight on September 13, 1931. After work, on a Friday
evening, the young engineers would inflate the “35” (35,000 cubic foot balloon) with coke oven gas, and fly all night. They would land the next day, only when their ballast was exhausted and most of the gas had leaked out of the surplus balloon. In 1932, with the purchase of a 1920 Navy surplus, 80,000 cubic foot balloon (Picture at right), The Cleveland Balloon Club was created, with Tony as a charter member. This was the only civilian Balloon Club in the United States. Tony had his first solo 35,000 cubic foot gas balloon flight in 1935.
Milford Vanik and Tony Fairbanks won second place in the U.S. National Balloon Championship in 1936, where Amelia Earhart was the honorary referee, making them eligible to represent the U.S. in the Gordon Bennett Race, in Lvov, Poland in 1939. They were unable to attend as a telegram, dated August 1939 was sent to Tony by the War Department stating ‘their balloon team should not venture to Poland’. There would be no more ballooning in the United States until 1951.
During WW II, Tony worked for Curtiss-Wright Aircraft, in Buffalo, New York producing P-40 fighters, C-46 transports and SB2C Helldivers. As the War ended, Tony was drawn to the early vertical flight pioneers and worked with Igor Sikorsky and Frank Piasecki, both legendary helicopter manufacturers. Frank Piasecki was a balloon enthusiast and flew in balloons with Tony. Tony’s professional career as an aeronautical engineer included Vertol, the helicopter division of Boeing.
A small group of balloon enthusiasts met in 1952 and created the Balloon Club of America, signing the articles of Incorporation in July of 1952 in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. This group represented the entire ballooning community in the United States. Balloons, pieces of balloons, and equipment were donated surplus material from the end of WW II. It has been more than 22 years without a single balloon flight in the United States.
In 1953, Mike Todd contacted the Club to borrow a balloon for his filming of the movie ‘Around the World in 80 Days’. The balloon, N9074H, was shipped to Hollywood, painted and named ‘La Coquette’. In 1955 Tony piloted La Coquette over Disneyland, London, and Paris to promote the movie. In 1956 Tony became the first Balloon Pilot Examiner in the United States. This was the beginning of licensing examinations for balloon pilots. (The F.A.A. had not yet been created).
In 1956 the National Lighter Than Air Society of Akron, Ohio (NLTA) was formed. This was the only other balloon club in America. Augie O’Neil was a distinguished member who held an airship’s pilot license authenticated by the signature of Orville Wright. In 1960, there were less than 15 licensed balloon pilots in the U.S. In 1961 the Balloon Club of America and the N.L.T.A. formed the Balloon Federation of America (B.F.A.). When the B.F.A. published the first journal, ‘Ballooning’, volume 1, number 1, in 1958, La Coquette was on the cover.
During the decade of the 60’s and 70’s, gas ballooning was more organized and popular in Europe. Beginning in 1957, Tony would often return to Europe and flew in over 20 balloon events. In 1968 Tony was invited to fly across the Swiss Alps, in the High Alpine Dolder Balloon Week. Beginning in 1968, Tony would return to fly in this event seven times, the most of any American pilot. Photo on left, Tony is looking over a map while flying over the Alps in June of 1969.
By the beginning of 1970 in the U.S., cooking gas was no longer available and hydrogen was very expensive. The Club’s surplus balloons were beginning to show their age and few new pilots were interested in this labor intensive sport.
The Club continued to fly their gas balloons until 1977, but in 1973 Tony returned from England with a Western Hot Air Balloon System. Tony liked hot air and flew in the 1973 First World Hot Air Balloon Championship in Albuquerque, N.M.
Ballooning Accomplishments of Tony Fairbanks
- First balloon Flight 1931
- First solo balloon flight as a pilot 1935
- Became Charter member of Cleveland Balloon Club August 24, 1936
- Founding member of Balloon Club of America, 1952
- Became the first Designated Balloon Civilian Pilot Examiner in 1956 appointed by the Civil Aeronautics Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The FAA had not yet come into being. Tony was the first, and there were no other civilians able to give balloon licenses at that time in the U.S.. It was the beginning of licensing examinations given for balloon pilots.
- Placed second in U.S. National Balloon Race 1936, Denver, Colorado
- Technician for balloon film sequence in the movie ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ in 1955-1956
- Crossed Lake Michigan in the balloon ‘La Coquette’ from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Michigan Beach, Indiana in 1959
- Participated in U.S. National Balloon Races, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on June 2, 1960
- Crossed the Swiss Alps by gas balloon seven times from 1968 through 1981
- Participated in Augsburg, Germany Gas Balloon Competition 1976
- The Tony Fairbanks Sportsmanship Award began in 2007
- Inducted into the U.S. Ballooning Hall of Fame, in the National Balloon Museum in Indianola, Iowa in 2010 – Posthumously
- Tony was chosen by the FAI International Ballooning Commission (CIA) to be inducted in the 2012 CIA Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum in Albuquerque, N.M. – Posthumously
