Belloonists from Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, switzerland and United States lifted off from a field in The Hague, Holland, on Saturday (July 15) as the International Belloon Race organised by the World Federation of Aviation got under way for the 27th time in study years.

The participants included pilots who in the past have sailed over the Italian Alps, the Kalaha-i desert, the Soviet Union and India.

The oldest competitor was J.M. Domeninl, a 72-year-old Dutch balloonist whose speciality is navigation and meteorology.

Competitors sailed for four hours is a north-easterly wind towards Belgium. The winner will be determined on the basis of balloon gas capacity and distance covered.