Press Release

"Meet the Pilots"

This year's event has slated some time for festivalgoers to get close and personal with hot air balloons. The segment of the day is called "Meet the Pilots" and it will occur on Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 noon and then again at 1:30 pm . This will give a chance for people to walk up to a grounded hot air balloon and see what it looks like up-close and learn how it operates. This is a chance in a lifetime and something to not let pass up. The Professional Hot Air Balloon Pilots will also be at your disposal to ask questions and it will also be an opportunity to hear their flight experiences. Be sure to stop by the main launch field to partake in this wonderful segment. Feel free to pick and choose the balloons that you wish to stop by and learn more about.

For questions on the Meet the Pilots event, please call 800.SHAWNEE.

Pilot Biographies

George Blair - Bridgeton, NJ - Balloon Name: Finnigan.
George's brother John had built his own demo hot air balloon. "I crewed for him and learned to fly in his experimental balloon," George explains. This experience took place when he was 42 years old, and within a year, he was performing his first solo flight. George refers to having several memorable flights at Shawnee, but his most unforgettable one had to be "shooting the Gap" in 1997. George and his wife will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary while they are here this weekend.  Congratulations!

Raymond Chase - Moscow, PA - Balloon Name: Pinwheel.
Raymond first became enthused about ballooning after experiencing his first flight at the Moscow Country Fair with balloonist Mike Fairbanks. He fell in love with the sport instantly and decided to do ballooning as a family affair. Raymond took his first solo flight May of 1987 at the age of 36, and a year later in November, he took his first passenger flight. Raymond had the privilege to have Bob Sparks as his passenger. The most memorable flight for him at Shawnee was landing on DePew Island and the rescue team having to make a road over to the island.

Hal Cooper – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – Balloon Name: UPTUIT.
Hal got into ballooning after the first time he watched a balloon being rigged and launched in 1990; he says that it “put a spell on him”. He shares that he has gotten a chance to fly over the Delaware Water Gap during his flight for the Ray Horan Memorial Flight. Hal has also had the privilege to give flights to two famous people: Joe Carter from the Toronto Blue Jays and Jim McKean who is a well-known American League Umpire. The most media coverage that he has received was during the London Balloon Festival when he was doing a ballooning demonstration in 20 knots of wind. Sports Illustrated also covered a story on him during a flight at the NJ Festival of Ballooning. The most memorable flight for him here at Shawnee was when his balloon flew across the Delaware River to New Jersey and back to Shawnee to land at the point of take off. He sarcastically asks, "Does Shawnee have box winds?"

Al Dashevsky - Vineland, NJ - Balloon Name: Neon Wind.
Al is the Vice President in Information Technology for the Security Industry Association. He was influenced to take his first passenger balloon flight as he watched balloons at festivals for a number of years. He finally bought a ride and the pilot "invited"- him to crew…from that, he decided to get his license. Launching off on his first solo flight at age 46. He comments that all passengers are interesting, some more so than others. The most interesting one was a very spry 80+ year-old lady who had a motorcycle taken away by her children…so she then bought a new Mustang convertible. I want to be like her, if and when I ever grow up.

Diane Dashevsky - Vineland, NJ - Balloon Name: KAT.
Diane owns and operates a retail store in Vineland, NJ. She first found her instinct for ballooning after years of watching balloons fly over her house as a child. She took her first passenger flight as her 28 th birthday gift. After getting hooked she then took her first solo flight August 17, 1996. Diane and her ballooning experiences have been featured in Discovery Pennsylvania Magazine after 1 st Hazelton event. She has also had several articles in the local newspapers. Her most interesting passenger was a woman on her 90 th birthday!

Bob Dicks - Holland, PA - Balloon Name: Flecksfolly4.
The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort hired Bob Dicks as the Chief Balloonist for the 21st Annual Shawnee Autumn Balloon Festival. This will be his second consecutive year coordinating this exciting event. Bob Dicks started flying balloons in 1981 and has flown all around the country and also in Canada, Newfoundland, and France. While logging approximately 1200 hours in the air, Bob has accomplished many things and has received many awards. In 1985, Bob won the tri-state Championship (PA, DE, and NJ). He was also the first pilot to win the Pennsylvania State Championship for two consecutive years in 1987-88 and he won it again in 1993. During these years, Bob has participated in and has won several other competitions. Bob Dicks previously served as the Executive Director for FAVIA (First Air Voyage in America) and is one of only two remaining charter members still active in the Great Eastern Balloon Association. The only other active member is his wife, Marie, who also is the club's newsletter editor, and has been for 23 years. When speaking with Bob, he was proud to say that his most memorable balloon experience was being one of the pilots that flew the replica basket commemorating the 200th anniversary of flight in the United States in 1993. To this day, Bob remains active in the balloon community and greatly enjoys spending time with his crew, which consists of his wife (crew chief), his daughter and also David and Evelyn Tryon. He shares that once you see 20-30 balloons in the air you get hooked and that every flight is a memorable one.

Jack Edling - North Wales, PA - Balloon Name: Blue Dragon.
Jack got inspired to become a balloonist the day a balloon landed in his backyard - pure curiosity. In 1985, Jack earned his hot air balloon license at the age of 34. He shares that the most interesting and famous passenger that he has ever had on board is his father. The most exciting and memorable flight for him was flying out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. During the Annual Shawnee Fall Foliage Festival his most anticipated moment is flying over the beautiful ridge during the peak of the fall season.

Stephen Esser - Kutztown, PA - Balloon Name: Bloomin Balloon.
One year Stephen decided to buy a balloon ride for his wife on her birthday, and ever since he has been hooked. He was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, so he is a native "Pennsylvania Dutchman". He was always fascinated by the small plane and glider traffic in an out of the Kutztown Airport a half mile from his home. His desire to learn to fly was only fulfilled when a balloonist friend convinced him to go into partnership on a new balloon and to take flight training. In May of 1989, Stephen completed his flight training and was issued his Hot Air Balloon Pilots certificate. One year later, further training earned him the Commercial Pilots rating. Steve and his wife, Lois, now own and operate -Bloomin- Balloon- in the Kutztown area. Their distinctive balloon, with six tulips, follows traditional "Pennsylvania Dutch" quilt patterns. In addition to flying in their home neighborhood, they venture to various balloon festivals throughout the country, including a winter festival in Maine each February. Annually, "Bloomin- Balloon" travels to St. Jean sur Richealeau, Quebec and Albuquerque, New Mexico for the two largest festivals in North America. Steve's competition claim is his 25th overall place at Albuquerque in 1999 out of a field of nearly 1,000 balloons. He has also placed first and second in individual daily tasks at the Albuquerque Fiesta Festival. When not flying his balloon, Stephen Esser spends his time as owner and president of Kutztown Publishing Company. A family owned printing business, which his great grandfather founded years ago. Today the company provides printing and graphic art services to a customer base around the country.

Patrick Fogue - Columbia, MO - Balloon Name: Pepsi Supercan.
Patrick got introduced to ballooning when his father took the family to the Finals of the US Nationals and at the Iowa State Fair. In 1974 he took his first flight and in 1978 he took his first solo flight. The most interesting flight for him was in Wadi Rum (The Valley of the Moon) Jordan and the Jungles of Malaysia and Jamaica. He is proud to say that his balloon gets a lot of press attention since it is "The World's Biggest Pepsi Can". His most memorable flight was when everyone was landing near the airstrip NE of the Inn over the mountain. He shares that "it was pretty cool to have balloons gliders and airplanes congregated in a tight proximity." Another exciting flight was when he took one of the marketing ladies from the Shawnee Inn on her first flight and hearing a bald eagle from the balloon.

Larry Konash - Mahwah, NJ - Balloon Name: Gus T. Guppy and Air America.
Owner of Air America and chief pilot, Larry Konash began flying in 1971 at age 21. He obtained his pilot certificate by starting in airplanes. He owned and operated a Piper aircraft for years, flying all over North America before taking his first balloon ride. It was love a first flight. He immediately added the commercial, lighter than air rating to his pilot certificate and started Air America, a hot air balloon ride company located in northern New Jersey. Today, Larry owns three hot air balloons and has flown all over the world, spreading happiness and joy of unpowered flight. He has over 3000 hours as pilot in command time and looks forward to flying any chance he gets. www.AirAmericaBalloons.com

Roger Hooper - East Fishkill, NY - Balloon Name: Limelite.
Roger Hooper has been involved in ballooning for almost 20 years, with his first experience taking a balloon ride at the Adirondack Balloon Festival in 1983. Ever since that first flight he has been hooked on ballooning. Roger received his commercial pilot rating in 1994 and has been flying his own balloon in festivals throughout the Northeastern United States and Canada for the past 14 years. Roger owns and operates Hudson Valley Balloon Adventures of East Fishkill, NY and enjoys flying in the Majestic Catskill Mountain Region of Southern New York. When Roger is not flying balloons he is a Regional Sales manager for PURATOS Corporation, a Belgian manufacturer of Fine Chocolates and Bakery ingredients based out of the U.S. Corporate headquarters in Cherry Hill, NJ. You can visit his website at www.hudsonvalleyballooons.com.

Ken Krieger - Elmira, NY - Balloon Name: Gone with the Wind.
Ken got into ballooning when a close friend started training with Dale Berka and went for a flight with them. He has had the opportunity to fly over the gap once a few year's ago. He shares that all of his flights are memorable and always have something unique about them. Shooting the Gap, wining Hare and Hound and many -Interesting- landing sites.

Kenneth R. Leota- Howell, NJ- Balloon Name: Sir Prize / Tuxedo.
Kenneth is the Operations Manager for DEL-MED, Inc. Kenneth got into ballooning when a friend of his invited him and his wife, Janet, to help him put up his balloon. From then on, they went to a few festivals with their friend and easily became hooked. Kenneth received his own balloon and license within 2 years, took his first flight at the age of 27, and then soloed at age 29. He shares that all passengers are interesting because of the many personalities they bring to you and their reactions to the whole ballooning experience. This year will be his 2 nd time at the Shawnee Autumn Balloon Festival.

Cliff Logan, Jr. - York, PA - Balloon Name: Airship Enterprise.
Cliff is an FAA-certified and licensed commercial pilot. In 1989 for his 17th birthday, Cliff got to experience the Art of Hot Air Ballooning. From that point on, he was hooked. Having always wanted to fly balloons, Cliff earned his license in 1999 and has been flying ever since. He grew up in Columbia, PA, attended and graduated from The University of Findlay, Ohio. He later found a a wonderful woman and proposed to her from his balloon, with the words, "Marry Me Kim?", with 100 bails of hay. Kim is learning to like ballooning only by association. Together they have found some wonderful people they are happy to call friends. They now make their home in beautiful York, PA, with their two adorable boys, Hunter (9/14/01) and Bryce (7/8/03). His balloon has received some interesting press and he encourages people to read more about it by visiting www.AEBalloonFlights.com and clicking on "In the News". His most memorable flight was in 2003, when he did the balloon glow in the rain. "The balloon was drenched, won't do that again! We did it for 'The Gipper'!"

Jon Radowski - Clark, NJ - Balloon Name: Pointless.
Jon is a full time commercial balloonist and repairman. He got spurred to fly while attending a New Jersey Balloon Festival at age 2 and has since then been his life. Since entering the sport, he has built a number of hot air balloons, has flown a handful of special shapes, and always tried to leave everyone smiling! His first passenger flight was at the age of 12 and his first solo flight was at age 17. He built his first balloon at that age too and earned his commercial pilot certificate at 19. He has not flown over the Gap yet but is hopeful that it will soon happen, maybe this year! Each flight is unique as it brings new personalities and faces into each one of our lives. It's impossible to pick out the most interesting!!! One of his balloons named "Oscar" was featured in an article on the front of the local section of the Newark Star Ledger. It got so much attention because it was a home-built model with a recycling bin as a basket. Lots of people saw it. Without a doubt, the greatest part of ballooning is the people that make the whole experience so enjoyable and unique. Shawnee holds a special place in his heart as one of the most memorable balloon events he has had the pleasure to attend, which is in no small part due to the people involved and friends that he has made over the years.

Daniel Pregnar - Scranton, PA - Balloon Name: Liberty Bell.
Daniel Pregnar is a Broadcast Engineer for Entercom Inc. He got introduced to ballooning through a friend and he took his first solo flight in 1985. The Delaware Water Gap is a frequent flying destination for Daniel; most flights taking place during the Shawnee Autumn Balloon Festival. He shares that the most interesting passenger was the CEO of Weiss Markets. His most exciting flight was while flying through the Delaware River just inches above the water and talking to the people on the shoreline. For the 21 st Annual Shawnee Autumn Balloon Festival, Daniel will be flying the Liberty Bell .

Tony Saxton - Nicholson, PA - Balloon Name: Rachel's Aslension.
As a child Tony remembers watching another balloonist fly over their parents' home. Our family chased the balloon, began crewing, and eventually learned to fly. Tony's first solo flight was on October 12th, 1997. He has gotten the honor to fly over the Gap two times. His first time was one he will never forget - the balloon was traveling at approximately 50 mph at one point. The family has now had three generations involved in ballooning. One of their most interesting flights was in Albuquerque 2002 and 2003, when they flew a special witch-shaped balloon from the Corn Palace Balloon Club in San Diego. The special shaped balloons are always fun because they get a lot of attention. Other special shaped balloons that they have flown are Chesty, Uncle Sam, Balloon Hilda and Matrioshka. The most interesting passenger that he has had was a num who during her flight stated, -This is probably the closest I'll ever get to heaven. So I better enjoy it."

Mark Schilling - Morristown, NJ - Balloon Name: Discovery.
Mark Schilling is a commercial pilot from Southern New Jersey. He fell in love with ballooning after stopping his car on the Ben Franklin Bridge to watch balloons splash-and-dash in the Delaware River. He started his ballooning career in 1982 after receiving a ride certificate as a gift. Together, Mark and his wife Jan operate Odyssey Balloons, a commercial balloon company. Besides their full-time ride business, they perform over 80 RE/MAX balloon events each year in New Jersey, including a substantial number of school presentations. Father of three grown children, Mark especially enjoys winter flying, crewing for gas balloons, missing competition targets, and meeting other balloonists on the internet. He is a former president of the Great Eastern Balloon Association and a BFA member. Mark and Jan consider Shawnee one of their favorite balloon events. You can visit their website at www.njballoons.com.