NATCHEZ &8212; Hot air balloon pilot Steve Jones has flown in many races, but there&8217;s nothing like Natchez, he said.

Jones, from Bogue Chitto, has flown in the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race since 1998, and Natchez has a special place in his heart.

&8220;This is the first place I ever saw a balloon and flew in a balloon,&8221; Jones said.

He recently won several prizes in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, one of the largest balloon events in the world.

&8220;Albuquerque is beautiful, but it&8217;s not like Natchez,&8221; Jones said.

&8220;Natchez is one of the hardest places to fly because of the varying terrain. And it&8217;s beautiful. You get the antebellum houses, the bluffs, and then after the river, it flattens out.&8221;

The wind was too strong to fly Friday morning, but Saturday morning found Jones and his chase crew family inflating the locally-owned Budweiser balloon.

Jones&8217; wife, his daughter and her husband, and his wife&8217;s son and his wife, along with the balloon&8217;s sponsor, helped spread out and inflate the thin fabric.

In the basket, too, was Ilene Gill, a Natchez resident.

Part of the skill it takes to win races is knowing the weather and knowing your terrain. Wind can do strange things, pooling in low areas and changing direction at different altitudes.

Pilots have to know how to navigate the winds, he said, as he fired the burners after liftoff.

&8220;I&8217;m going up to a level where the wind will turn me right,&8221; Jones explained. &8220;See how that balloon over there is going north?&8221;

The aim of Saturday&8217;s race was to drop beanbags on giant X targets on the ground.

At the first one, just behind Braden School on Homochitto Street, Jones dipped down low enough to toss the bag but high enough not to clip the trees.

His balloon flew across Natchez at about 35 miles per hour &8212; speedy for a craft with no motors.

He crossed the broad ribbon of Mississippi River with Gill delightedly snapping pictures all the way.

Jones tossed the second bag toward the X on the Vidalia levee. Just before he landed a little past the levee, the wind picked up and dragged the balloon, pushing it over on its side. Passengers and pilot crawled out, laughing.

A little while later, the chase crew came to help pack up.

The delicate-looking fabric that had so gracefully floated up on takeoff turned very heavy. They wrestled the balloon back into its bag and packed up to go.

&8220;It&8217;s so much fun,&8221; Mandy Hoyle, Jones daughter said.

&8220;I hope we&8217;ll get to do it again tomorrow.&8221;