Hershey Balloon Flights

10/19/2024

Say Hello to my little friend, Kermie. Feeling a little froggy, we are.

09/11/2024

08/05/2024

Congratulations to Helen Kreitz on the celebration of your 101st Birthday.
Several weeks ago Miss Helen’s granddaughter, April, from Oregon contacted me to inquire about taking her grandmother for a bucket list balloon flight. Arrangements were made and April flew in for the weekend and birthday celebration. The weekends weather was full of heat advisories and lots to instability which lead to several fight opportunity cancellations. For final window of opportunity the skies cleared and the wind settled. On Miss Helen’s 100th birthday she jumped out of an airplane and when asked what she wanted for her 101st birthday she said “fly in a hot air balloon”. Helen is an incredible lady and it was a honor to make her dream come true ( also a personal record for me). It’s moments like this that makes what we do so rewarding

07/26/2024

Excellent Friday morning media flight at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Classic. Thanks to our sponsor Marathon Oil and the wonderful Tiny the Fire Dog crew.

04/29/2024

Beautiful Spring flight.
Congratulations to Logan & Emily.

11/11/2023

10/27/2023

https://fb.watch/nXDcaNI4_N/

10/08/2023

Opening day of the 51st Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was amazing.

10/04/2023

These are not spy balloons. The scheduled launch this Saturday evening from Albuquerque NM for the 66th Gordon Bennett gas balloon race. These are manned balloons with 16 teams from around the world competing.

In an international race, pilots fly in special gas powered balloons designed for racing long distances — some traveling more than 2,000 miles.

09/06/2023

Welcome Pilot Mark MacSkimming of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Mark flies the balloon Movin' Magic.

07/28/2023

Introducing Tiny the Fire Dog. Sponsored by Marathon Petroleum. (Yes, I let the dog out)

07/01/2023

Celebrating America’s birthday flying balloons 🥰

02/16/2023

Joann Shoemaker
6-18-57 ~ 2-16-2023
Joann’s ballooning carer started out by almost by chance in 2004. A local balloon pilot walked into a local Advertising Specialty Store seeking apparel for his balloon team. Although the pilot was seeking a simple design silk screened on tee shirts, he was directed to consider direct embroidery. The design was made an order was placed. Little did the pilot know that embroidery technician working on the order was Joann Shoemaker, a sweet farm girl born and raised on the family farm in Carlisle Pennsylvania. Upon pick up of the order an offer was made to trade a balloon ride for the apparel order. The resulting deal was Joann’s first balloon ride. This balloon ride was the spark that started her nineteen-year ballooning career.
Joann immediately became fascinated with hot air balloons and wanted to do more. She volunteered for a local pilot crewing for local flights. After several years of local crewing the pilot landed a corporate balloon contract and invited Joann to join the corporate road crew, attending corporate events and balloon festivals required for the corporate contract. For the next six years she attended twelve to fourteen balloon festivals each flying season, very quickly becoming a reliable and valued member of the corporate balloon team.
As the corporate contract ended Joann continued to crew every opportunity she could. Her adventures included crewing for a high altitude flight and several long jump flights as well as continuing to travel to balloon festivals almost all of the summer weekends. Her travels took her to crew in many US states as well as Canada and Mexico.
Joann learned everything she could about ballooning. She attended safety seminars every year, watched and learned all the nuances of the sport, and became a very knowledgeable, reliable and skilled crew person. Through her career she got to fly hundreds of times, but often stepped back so that outer crew could enjoy the thrill of flight. Additionally, if she was attending an event with her pilot and another pilot needed crew for a flight, Joann was always to eager and willing to help out another pilot wherever she could.
Joann pursued her passion with skill, professionalism and dedication. Her kind heart and gentle spirit was her hallmark. She was well respected in the ballooning community and will be missed.

12/24/2022

A Very Merry Christmas to all my Family and Friends who made 2022 a Very Good Year.