Aerial rodeo flies over Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park

Chance to fly remote control airplanes

From KOB-TV.com - by : Maria Guerrero, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - It’s not exactly the Balloon Fiesta, but another festival is soaring over Balloon Fiesta Park this Labor Day weekend. It’s a celebration of all things that fly; including humans, sort of. The Sandia Open Aerial Rodeo and Soar Music Festival is a five day event. For about $150 you can get hang gliding and paragliding training, and experience it too. "Just kind of being suspended in the air and kind of feeling your own weight," said Damaris Donado who is learning to hang glide. "Flying a hang glider is like being a bird. You don't see the wing over you while you're flying. All you see is the ground thousands of feet below you," said organizer Chris Grotbeck of freewindaviation.com. If hang gliding makes you feel like a bird, remote control airplanes make enthusiast Robert Garcia feel like a kid again. "It's a toy in the ground, but when it's in the air you've got the safety factor with the people who are on the ground. It's kind of adrenaline pushing," said Garcia of flying R.C. airplanes. And what’s a festival without some good food? Safari Street Grill, formerly NY Grill, is celebrating one year in business. Owner Nabil Young hopes events like this help him move his business from a food truck to a local restaurant. Read more

Aerial rodeo flies over Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Park