The Ohio Challenge

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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. )

	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	Rick Cusick Lima, OH Arrythmia 2005 Champion
	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.)
	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.
	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
	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.
	Jim Knepper Dayton, OH Houser Asphalt Replacing Pilot Denny Deis who withdrew due to illness.
	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.
Steve Searles—Remax I Steve Bond—Remax II Laurie Givin—Remax Hopper Oregonia, OH
	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
	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.
	Sandy Barlett Sharpsville, PA Tumbleweed Sandy and Jeff designed and built the bal-loon themselves.
	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
	John Burns Napoleon, OH Painless Too Dr. Burns is a dentist, hence the balloon name.
	Dave Conrad Cincinnati, OH Bob Bud’s Old Balloon
	Jim Cusick Westerville, OH Butter Knot
	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.
	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.
	Craig Lucas Chagrin Falls, OH Bolero The movie ―"10" sparked the name of this balloon.
	Janet Lutkus Medina, OH Moonlight Sun-ATA Ballooning since 1985, she became a licensed pilot in 1993 and has soloed in fixed wing aircraft.
	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.
	William Meserth Springboro, OH Tuscan Sunrise
	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.
	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.
	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.
	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.
	Don Trapp Loveland, OH Dream Catcher
	David Troutman Louisville, KY Celtic Cross
	Theodore Watts Meadville, PA Legal Eagle A balloon rally chairman himself since 1988, pilot Watts enjoys flying in other events around the country.
	Debbie Young Newbury, OH Dulcinea One of the few female balloon pilots, Debby set the Feminine World Record for Distance Duration in 2001.
	Robert Zanella Barberton, OH PADA Pharmacist Zanella takes his message to the skies—Pharmacists Against Drug Abuse
	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)