Beloved Smokey Bear pilot remembered at Balloon Fiesta

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A special tribute was held Saturday morning for a beloved balloon pilot who died earlier this year.
Bill Chapel flew the smokey bear balloon for more than 20 years.
This Balloon Fiesta is the first since he passed.
He died in February after battling cancer.
“We invited all the pilots and the crews to come by and have a tailgate, Bill would not want to do anything but celebrate his life with a tailgate with all of his ballooning friends,” said crew mem