Trophée de montgolfières François 1er

Gathering of French and foreign pilots (from Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, etc.) to discover the chateaux of the Loire Valley in hot-air balloons. Organized by Jean Becker and the Ballooning Adventures association. The François 1er Trophy is a friendly competition. A "fox", or scout balloon, takes off 30 minutes before the participants. It sets a target on the ground, and the other balloons have to get as close as possible by releasing a marker (a sandbag with a ribbon). The balloons then continue their flight wherever the wind takes them. Points are awarded at each stage to the crews according to the accuracy of their release, and a ranking is drawn up at the end of the week.