In October 1971, Tony Fairbanks and his daughter Jean Fairbanks flew from Wings Field near Ambler, Pennsylvania, over the Delaware River to what would be a shocking experience. Connie Wolf had asked them to join her in flying the N10W. She was treating her friend Brian Aherne, stage and screen star, to a gas balloon ride.
The balloon approached the huge Fort Dix Military Complex in New Jersey. Connie looked at the aviation map in an attempt to determine what the dark red blotch was on the map. Close examination revealed that the balloon would shortly fly along a street road with a radio-controlled missile firing range on the left side of the street.
A sharp ‘bang, pow, boom’ broke the still air. Flashes of bright light flashed across the earth below the balloon. The balloon crew could now easily see the emplacements and bunkers on the ground. The balloon basket shook with every ‘bang’.
Tony remarked, “If they shoot us down we had better crash on the right side of the road so we can prove that we were outside of the restricted airspace”.
Connie leaned over the side of the basked and blew a tin whistle in a wasted effort to attract attention. As if in response to Connie’s whistle, the rocket attack began a second time. However, the balloon slowly continued eastward safely away from Fort Dix.