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Pilots
2008 MidFirst Ohio
Challenge Balloon Pilots
The following hot air balloons, flown by licensed balloon pilots, will take to the air over Middletown, Ohio on July 18-20, 2008. All flights are weather permitting. Balloons can fly only when the air currents are less than 10 mph aloft. Conditions for hot air balloon flights generally are only in the time immediately after sunrise until about 9 am and again in the evening from about 6 to official sunset when all balloon craft must be on the ground.
After dark on Friday and Saturday nights, weather permitting, many of the balloons will “glow” on site for the guests in Smith Park. See the balloons flicker in the night like giant fireflies.
Flights are scheduled Friday evening, Saturday morning and evening and Sunday morning and evening.
(Even when balloons cannot fly, there is still much to see and do at Smith Park in downtown Middletown. )
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American Rocket
Scott McClinton
Prospect KY
2007 Champion
Sponsored by Butler Tech
Pilot McClinton has flown the soccer ball and football at past Challenge events. The rocket is 87 feet tall and 103 feet from wing tip to wing tip. Empty, the balloon weighs 380 pounds and rises into the skies much more slowly than anything NASA puts in the air. Special shape balloons are notoriously difficult to fly and often cannot fly at all in even gentle winds. Winning the skilled flying tasks at MidFirst Ohio Challenge in 2007 was par-ticularly difficult. Pilots must steer the unsteerable bags of air as near as possible to a ground target to toss out a weighted streamer as close to the center as possible to rack up points. Scott aimed his rocket very well indeed.
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Michael Emich
Akron, OH
Second Wind
Placing second in the 2007 Challenge competition earns the right to carry basket banner #2 in the 2008 competition.
A Lieutenant with the Akron Fire Department, expert skydiver with 1200 jumps, scuba diver, sailor and designer of balloons, Emich is also a fixed wing aircraft pilot.
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Mark Yeakle
Springboro, OH
Mariah
Placing Third in the 2007 Challenge, Mark will carry basket banner #3 in the 2008 competition.
Pilot Yeakle placed 4th in the Challenge event in 2006.
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James Wannemacher
Middletown, OH
2006 Champion
Wayward Wind
One of the first balloon pilots to call Middletown home, James flew in the U.S.National Hot Air Balloon Champi-onships held in Middletown in 1992-93-94 and is a regular sight in the Middletown area skies. He is a member of the MidFirst Ohio Challenge Planning Committee.
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Rick Cusick
Lima, OH
Arrythmia
2005 Champion |
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Ron Terranova
Fairfield, OH
2004 Champion
Adam’s Nirvana
A member of the event planning committee, ar-chitect by day, super-balloon pilot by dawn and dusk, he was the very first Champion of the Mid-First Ohio Challenge. (The first year of the event, high winds prevented competition flights—no champion was crowned.)
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Sean Askren
Middletown, OH
Francies Son Dancer/ Atrium Medical Center
Sean has been flying in the MidFirst Ohio Chal-lenge event since its be-ginning. An experienced pilot, he has flow in 48 states and has piloted a balloon at the Winston Cup NASCAR race for 10 years. His most memora-ble flight was flying over the Continental Divide in Colorado for the World Record.
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Brian Trapp
Oregonia, OH
2007 Kentucky Derby Balloon Fest winner, Grand Champion 1988, 1990, 1992, 2007 at Mountaineer Balloon Fest, Morgantown, WV
Owns Gentle Breeze, SW Ohio’s largest balloon company.
Ordained minister—performs balloon weddings.
Kettering Medical Center |
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Gary Cass
Yuma, AZ
IMTS—International Manufacturing Technology Show
Flying since 1978, 2200 hours in the air, Competor in US Nationals—was in Midd. US, Mexico, Japan, Canada.
Retired Ironworker. Flown in 42 states. |
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Jim Knepper
Dayton, OH
Houser Asphalt
Replacing Pilot Denny Deis who withdrew due to illness. |
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Ron Frusher
Woodway, TX
Spirit of Curves
Pilot Frusher has flown for 24 years, was ranked first in the USA in 2007 by the Balloon Federation of America, has been the Oklahoma State Champion and has been in the movie ―Steal/Big Steal/Little‖ with Andy Garcia. |
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Steve Searles—Remax I
Steve Bond—Remax II
Laurie Givin—Remax Hopper
Oregonia, OH
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Kevin Knapp
Fenton, MI
Mayflower Transit
When he moved to St Louis in 1989, a balloon pilot said ―Here hold this.‖ He’s been flying ever since! Kevin has flown Bozo the Clown for WGN, pilots other corporate balloons, and has won the Distance Award in the Trans-Michigan Balloon Race in 1996 to the 2006 America’s Challenge Gas |
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Michael Gliatti
Lebanon, OH
SanMarGale I
A member of the event plan-ning committee. His wife gave him a balloon ride gift in 2004—which turned out to be the most expensive ride he’s ever taken. He bought a bal-loon. Owners of Bella Bal-loons, the couple now are now a full-time professional bal-loon team. |
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Sandy Barlett
Sharpsville, PA
Tumbleweed
Sandy and Jeff designed and built the bal-loon themselves. |
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Jim Birk
Defiance, OH
Who Cares
A long-time balloon pilot, Birk flew in the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championships in 1992-94. He has also been a geology professor and chair of the department at both Defiance College and Ashland Univer-sity. His list of awards and balloon chairmanships is long and distinguished dating back to 1975 |
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John Burns
Napoleon, OH
Painless Too
Dr. Burns is a dentist, hence the balloon name. |
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Dave Conrad
Cincinnati, OH
Bob Bud’s Old
Balloon |
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Jim Cusick
Westerville, OH
Butter Knot |
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Dr. Mark Frazer
Middletown, OH
Release
Dr. Frazer is a member of the MidFirst Ohio Challenge executive committee, a private practice family physician, Middletown High School sport team physician and former president of the Mid-dletown Board of Education. |
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Rick Kohut
Louisville, OH
Wind Trek
The 2001 Rookie of the Year for NOBPA bal-looning association, he serves as a Clinical director of Pastoral Counseling Services. |
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Craig Lucas
Chagrin Falls, OH
Bolero
The movie ―"10" sparked the name of this balloon. |
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Janet Lutkus
Medina, OH
Moonlight Sun-ATA
Ballooning since 1985, she became a licensed pilot in 1993 and has soloed in fixed wing aircraft. |
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William Mason
Middletown, OH
Black Beauty
A tax accountant who learned to love hot air during the U.S. Na-tionals held in Middle-town 1992-94. |
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William Meserth
Springboro, OH
Tuscan Sunrise |
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Charlie Mays
Cincinnati, OH
Miss Niagara
A balloon pilot since 1988, he owns a com-mercial balloon ride company, Balloon Impressions.
When not ballooning he is a busy father of seven, grandfather of eight and still finds time to scuba dive. He flew the balloon carrying Middle-town’s first female post master as she was swore into office. |
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Robert Mihaly
Lakewood, OH
Boojum
After flying during the Nationals in Middletown, he returned for the very first Challenge event and has flown each year since. He expresses his appreciation to the farmers who allow balloon pilots the use of their land for launch and landing sites by helping the Ohio Farm Buearu raise money for scholarships. |
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Al Nels
Beavercreek, OH
A two-timer—twice US National Hot Air Balloon Champion, twice World Champion, pilot Nels will be on the 2008 US team at the world competition in Austria. His teenage son is also a balloon pilot. An engineer and industrial control products sales rep, he adapts high tech toys to improve his weather readings and flying prowess. |
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Socrates Rettos
Liberty Twp, OH
Hot Flash
A pilot for 14 years, Soc got involved as an official ―Observer‖ and debriefer for National events. He is proof of an old ballooning cli-ché—the first balloon ride is usually free, the second one costs thou-sands of dollars because you’ve bought a balloon of your own. |
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Don Trapp
Loveland, OH
Dream Catcher |
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David Troutman
Louisville, KY
Celtic Cross |
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Theodore Watts
Meadville, PA
Legal Eagle
A balloon rally chairman himself since 1988, pilot Watts enjoys flying in other events around the country. |
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Debbie Young
Newbury, OH
Dulcinea
One of the few female balloon pilots, Debby set the Feminine World Record for Distance Duration in 2001. |
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Robert Zanella
Barberton, OH
PADA
Pharmacist Zanella takes his message to the skies—Pharmacists Against Drug Abuse |
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Joe Zvada
Wadsworth, OH
Free Bird
Qualified for the 2008 World Championships in Austria. |
For more information, please email info@ohiochallenge.com
or call 513-705-1770 |
Competition Map (jpeg 17MB)
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