Pilots are coming from Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, California and possibly other areas. Most pilots love to tell the story of their balloon or how they got into ballooning, so we encourage visitors to welcome our pilots and learn more about them. Every balloon has a name and a story.
Like all good stories, this one starts many years ago in a land far far way.... Gary started flying balloons in 1987 over the Loire Valley, in France and since that distant summer he has flown all over Europe, America, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand. He is qualified as both a British and American pilot. Holding licenses and
Like all good stories, this one starts many years ago in a land far far way....
Gary started flying balloons in 1987 over the Loire Valley and since that distant summer he has flown balloons in the skies over Europe, America, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand. He is qualified as both a British and American pilot, holding commercial and instructor licenses.
Pilot Bio: Kenny Bradley has dreamt of flying since he was 7 years old. A Machinist/Welder/Fabricator by trade, he met Mark Purdy when a repair was needed on his balloon trailer. It took little convincing for Kenny to accept an invitation to go flying! He took his first balloon ride in December 2009 and caught the bug! He began crewing and working towards the purchase of his first balloon in Fall of 2011 and earned his private pilots certificate in September 2013. Kenny has volunteered for tethers at special events including Breast Friends Footsteps for Hope to raise funds supporting women fighting breast cancer. He has also tethered at the Weld County Fair in Greeley, CO. Some of his favorite rally’s to participate at in Colorado include Walden, Windsor, Fairplay, and Fredrick. Kenny’s began flying his 135,000 cf balloon May 2021 and he recently completed his Commercial Pilots certificate in February 2020 so he can help others in the future to achieve their dream of flying. Flying is a family event for the Bradley clan as Kenny is often accompanied by his experienced crew members including Lydia (daughter), and Border Terrier; Standish’s Up Up and Away – aka “Chase” the Team Mascot.
In 1985 my parents attended the Tucson Balloon Festival, where they crewed for a local Balloon pilot. They were given an opportunity to fly during this event. They were hooked!!! The pilot like most, said that they could come out and crew anytime he was flying and that he never turns down good help. Well, Hot Air Ballooning is an early morning weekend sport, I was just a child and as it turns out there isn't a lot of options for child care at 5AM on a Saturday. So I got to tag along. As a child, I would crew for every Pilot and Balloon possible, especially the special shapes. I learned each different manufactured system and all the different ways each Pilot sets up and flys. I decided at a young age that I was going to be a Pilot. At 14 I began logging student hours, however school, and then work, and later a career seemed to get in the way of my dream. In 2018 I was given an opportunity to purchase my own balloon and not much later in 2019 I obtained my Private Pilots License. As a Balloon Pilot I now have the opportunities to share my lifelong passion for Flying and Balloons. One of my biggest joys of flying a Hot Air Balloons would be seeing the joy it gives to kids, because I was once that Kid.
Balloon:
This Aerostar Balloon is named Concho. Its pattern is what Aerostar calls a rally design with a Blue background and Yellow stripes. Concho holds 90,000 cubic foot of air and carries the Pilot and up to 3 passengers.
Pilot:Lilly is a commercial hot air balloon pilot at the age of 18. When she moved to St. George, Utah she took her first fight with her family. Lilly and her mom, Heather Watkins both fell in love with flying and got a balloon “Confetti Pebbles”. She then got her student license at 15 years old, one week after her mom. For her 16th birthday she got her favorite balloon “Renegade”, and did training for her private certificate. While still in High School, she took 50 credits of college, did drill team, and became a private pilot. She graduated High School at 16 with her General Education certificate, and then went to college at Dixie State University and got her Associates Degree the next year. After college I trained with some of the top pilots to get my commercial training complete. Once she turned 18 she then got her commercial certificate and has been flying since. She is excited to start flying more often and traveling to different places around the world with her mom.
Heather Watkins wants to live in a world filled with hot air balloons. No cars, airplanes, trains…. Just hot air balloons. As a mom with a built in Super Crew consisting of four amazing, energetic kids and a husband that is incredibly supportive, Heather set out to follow her dreams. Starting out over 2.5 years ago, she thought her fear of heights would prevent her from floating through the sky. But, after that first flight, she knew it was the thing she needed to do ALL THE TIME. Within three months she had her own balloon, "Confetti Pebbles," and her pilot license. Heather has jumped right into the ballooning community with all her heart. In just a short time she has flown in rallies in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Leon – Mexico, and Utah, She has also flown in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania with her balloon buddies. She is affectionately known as "Heather the Weather Wizard" in Southern Utah, since following sky conditions puts her closer to her next flight. In the first 10 months of her flying career, she racked up over 200 hours of perfect, safe, amazing flights. She currently has 450 hours just 2 years. Her goal is eleventy-bajillion hours in the sky.
Heather is a joy to be around. Her excitement and pure happiness is contagious, and anyone that flies with her comes away having been swept off their feet with their heads in the clouds. She loves sharing balloon with all the people that she can
Pilot: Susan and her husband, Greg, are both commercial lighter-than-air pilots from a small-town community in the Gila Valley of Southeastern Arizona. They enjoy flying the skies side-by-side as a husband and wife team. Susan started crewing for hot air balloons in 2007 but Greg, a fixed-wing pilot for 32 years, had no interest. Finally in 2016, Greg realized Susan, a breast and ovarian cancer survivor, deserved to live her dream. The couple bought a balloon and Greg became a commercial hot air balloon pilot. Determined to fully embrace the sport, Greg flew 100 hours in his first four months finding his new passion for ballooning and they opened AZ Air Ventures. In January of 2019, Susan fulfilled her dream by becoming a LTA pilot and earned her commercial LTA license in June of 2019. The Lindsey's now share the sky in their two Adams balloons, a remake of their first balloon, Just Ducky, and Floating Awaysis, a custom artwork balloon depicting a lake scene with palm trees, cactus and the Arizona mountains during sunrise and sunset.
Balloon: Colors of the southwest adorn the top and bottom thirds of the envelope including yellow, red, orange, purple, and light and dark blues. These vibrant colors frame a bright yellow equator where eight silhouetted flying and swimming ducks rest on light blue panels on every other gore.
Pilot: Hi my name is Spencer and I'm a huge balloon nerd! You've got a F16 fighter jet pilot on one end of the spectrum and then you have me a hot air balloon pilot on the other. I married into this fun so unlike my wife I wasn't born a nerd. We enjoy flying in many different events around the western states. My wife and I have five kids and they are all trained in the ways of ballooning. We fly along side the Stars and Stripes crew. We fly a ballon named Grasshopper and are so excited to be a part of your valleys event.
Balloon: Grasshopper is the coolest balloon in the sky. It's a new kubicek and we love the way it flies.
I was drinking a beer on the back porch Friday night when a neighbor came by and said , "Hey! You wanna go crew balloons in the morning?!" And so it began.
I crewed for a guy who ran a ride business for over 2 1/2 years. He also had an approved Part 141 school (FAA approved curriculium) to teach hot air balloon pilots. I crewed every weekend and got thrown in the basket ocasionally. It wasn't until I had a few opportunities for some time on the burner that I got hooked. I spent the next 10 months completing my training (book studies and flying) that I finally received my commercial pilot certificate. After that (it's like having a driver's license and no car) that I had to buy my first balloon!
Since then I have been blessed to fly all over the Western US, making friends throughout. I now fly with my 19 year old daughter who is a student pilot on her own way to becoming a skilled pilot!
We fly 'High Def', a custom designed balloon which is a Cameron O-90.
Balloon: A yellow balloon surrounded with primary colors around the equator and on the top.
Tristan MacLean is a lighter than air hot air balloon commercial pilot from Albuquerque New Mexico. Born and raised in Albuquerque. He has always had balloons in his surroundings. Approximately 12 years ago he began crewing and obtained his pilot license in 2017 before obtaining his commercial pilot license in 2019 now with over 250 hours, Tristan enjoys flying around the country and meeting all new people, Pilot, and friends. Tristan flys the balloon "Hot Minute" for his company "Always Time to Fly" He is grateful to participate in the Gila Valley balloon, extravaganza, and look forward to meeting all new people. You'll know his true, because most, if not all of them will be wearing cowboy hats!
Balloon: Hot Minute 🔥 is from Albuquerque New Mexico and is a Cameron balloons 105,000 ft.³ hot air balloon.
Pilot: Susan and her husband, Greg, are both commercial lighter-than-air pilots from a small-town community in the Gila Valley of Southeastern Arizona. They enjoy flying the skies side-by-side as a husband and wife team. Susan started crewing for hot air balloons in 2007 but Greg, a fixed-wing pilot for 32 years, had no interest. Finally in 2016, Greg realized Susan, a breast and ovarian cancer survivor, deserved to live her dream. The couple bought a balloon and Greg became a commercial hot air balloon pilot. Determined to fully embrace the sport, Greg flew 100 hours in his first four months finding his new passion for ballooning and they opened AZ Air Ventures. In January of 2019, Susan fulfilled her dream by becoming a LTA pilot and earned her commercial LTA license in June of 2019. The Lindsey's now share the sky in their two Adams balloons, a remake of their first balloon, Just Ducky, and Floating Awaysis, a custom artwork balloon depicting a lake scene with palm trees, cactus and the Arizona mountains during sunrise and sunset.
Balloon: Colors of the southwest adorn the top and bottom thirds of the envelope including yellow, red, orange, purple, and light and dark blues. These vibrant colors frame a bright yellow equator where eight silhouetted flying and swimming ducks rest on light blue panels on every other gore.
Pilot: Steven is based in Albuquerque, NM and has been an hot air balloon pilot since 2003. He flies 'Miss Shenanigans', a custom made 90,000 cf balloon manufactured by Adams Balloons. Steven enjoys flying the southwest with his wife, Patty, and two daughters Elizamarie and Veronica.
Balloon: Teal color with pink and yellow vertical stripes.
Debby
Young is a retired research nurse and commercial pilot, flying
competitively throughout the US and Mexico since 1997. Debby holds
the AX5 Feminine World Records for distance (180 miles) and duration
(9 1/2 hours) for a flight from Iowa to Illinois in 2001. Her most
recent and greatest achievement was participating in the 1st FAI
Women's Championship in Leszno, Poland in 2014. Debby's love of
ballooning has her competing in the Ohio area during the summer
months and traveling across the USA and Mexico to fly during the rest
of the year both with her own balloon, RoadTrip, and flying the Elvis
Special Shape balloon as part of the AirFly USA Team.
In 1983, Provo UT decided they wanted a Balloon Fest as part of America's Freedom Festival - a July 4th celebration Freedom and Independence. When they asked Susie and I to help organize it, I agreed upon the one condition - I got to go on a flight. Hot Air ballooning was the last of 25 item I had listed when I arrived in Utah from Chicago and the University of Notre Dame a decade earlier in 1983. This list included hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, climbing Mt Whitney, several other mountains, hang gliding, sky diving, scuba diving, spelunkin, and a host of other recreational activities. By 1993 I had done 24 of the 25 things on the list so when asked to organize an event it was only natural to negotiate for a ride. After that first ride in 1994, I earned my LTA license about a month later, then my commercial LTA license a few months after that. Our family has enjoyed ballooning now for over 38 years, we've competed at the US Nationals (1989-1991) and flown in several locations throughout the US and internationally. Perhaps the most unique flight we've done was a midnight flight over Provo on New Year's eve. Dawn Patrol in Boise, Reno, and 50th Anniversary Fiesta in Albuquerque, or flying Bryce Canyon at the request of the National Parks are some of the more memorable flights we've done.
Pilot: Scot has been flying and around balloons since he was 5 years old (38 years) when his dad started ballooning and organized the freedoms festival in Provo Utah over the 4th of July. He has been a pilot since 2018 and loves traveling with his family to different balloon events. He has the toughest and girliest crew you will ever meet - his wife Catherine is his crew chief along with their 3 daughters, Madie (18), Izzy (14) and Evie (8).
In 1972 Keith attended Albuquerque's first balloon rally and was thrilled watching those 13 balloons inflate and take off. It wasn't until 2000 that he took his first balloon flight, celebrating his 20th anniversary with Margie, his wife of 42 years. Keith was hooked and began crewing for and learning from the best. So began his weekly adventures and now, with over 1250 hours and a commercil pilot, enjoys competiting in two local balloon clubs. He still loves to fly first timers and welcome them into the wonderful family of ballooning
Balloon: Head 90,000 cubic foot multi color pattern forming a Greater Sign >
