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East Texas ballooners get on with the 'tasks' of the day

Great Texas Balloon Race - Facebook

The U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship is on as scheduled Thursday in Longview after being grounded for the past two days due to poor weather conditions. The pilots are now trying to rapidly complete the tasks of the competition.

When Mother Nature interferes in a multi-day ballooning competition, the stakes get higher. The pilots must complete tasks each day of the competition in order to rack up a higher score. When there are fewer days to fly, there are fewer tasks to complete. This makes the remaining tasks all the more important.

According to the race website, the pilots will be navigating to targets today at the Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex, Lear Park, and near Pine Tree Intermediate School, all in Longview. There are 51 ballooning teams in the competition. 

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