Two of the most famous faces at the Albuquerque international Balloon Fiesta won't be in the air this year.
The Fiesta helps pay for special shape balloons to participate in the event, but the organization has already hit the budget limit. That leaves one pilot deflated.
Two popular pieces of ballooning history, which have been fixtures for decades, will be noticeably absent. Chick-I-Boom was the first special shape in the history of the Balloon Fiesta.
"There was always a slot for us. And this year, I'm ready to apply and I find out, there's no room in the inn," pilot David Miller said.
Miller pilots balloons Chic-I-Boom and Uncle Sam. He said he filed all the proper paperwork with Balloon Fiesta a month before the deadline.
"We were told that they had hit their mark, and there was no more budget money to go around," Miller said.
Miller said it would cost him thousands to cover the costs without the Balloon Fiesta's contract.
"They'll probably figure that we chose not to come down, and that's not the case," Miller said.
A Balloon Fiesta spokesperson told Action 7 News that it's not about money. Special shapes have the same budget as years past, and Miller was just too late...
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