Hot Air Balloon Program

Chief Pilot and General Manager of the Balloon Team

Cheri has been flying balloons for over 40 years and has over 2,600 pilot hours. She is the former America's Challenge Gas Balloon Champion, current and 2 time US Women’s Hot Air Champion and 2020 BFA Female Top Pilot. In 2016 she finished third in the Women’s World Hot Air Championships in Lithuania. Read "Flight of a Lifetime," from BFA Ballooning Magazine - January/February 2010.  Cheri is the past President and Southwest Regional Director of the BFA, is a Texas Cooperative member and mother of twins. Her son Gordie and niece Renai are third generation balloon pilots.

John is the current US National Hot Air Champion and has been involved in ballooning since early childhood, growing up in a ballooning family. He has logged over 2,300 hours flying balloons all around the world.  When not flying the Touchstone Energy® Balloon, John can be found flying in balloon competitions.  He won the World Hot Air Balloon Championships in Japan (2006) and in Hungary (2010).  His favorite balloon experience was watching the northern lights from the basket of a gas balloon while flying over Lake Superior.

After flying balloons for over 30 years, Scott still enjoys the ballooning experience and the people he meets across the world. He has completed flight operations in 30 states and 4 countries. Adding a new state every year is a goal. Previously, he was the At-Large Director for the Ballooning Federation of America/BFA and the BFA Vice-President. Also, Scott runs a FAA Repair Station for Hot Air Balloons and Designated Pilot Examiner/DPE. Finishing in 1st place in a BFA Long Jump contest is one highlight of his flying. He is a member of the FAA FAAST Team, FAA Ambassador Program as an SME, and speaker at many educational seminars. Scott's spouse Cynthia, is also a Commercial Hot Air Balloon Pilot. Scott & Cynthia have crewed for their Daughter Kim in Lithuania and Poland for both the Women's & Jr. World Championships.

Competitor & event organizer in both hot air and gas balloons.  Earned his commercial hot air balloon license in 1983 and his gas rating in 1985 and has 3100 hours.  Winner of the North American Hot Air Championship in 1992.  In 1995 won the U.S. National Gas Ballooning Championship and the 1st U.S. National Hot Air Team Championship.  He has competed in the Gordon Bennett 20 times, finishing 2nd and 3rd. Competed in the World Gas Balloon Championship 4 times.  Mark served as the U.S. delegate to the FAI Ballooning Commission for 21 years and is the current President of the FAI Ballooning Commission. 

Zach started crewing at a local balloon festival when he was 9 years old. From there his passion grew and he obtained his pilot’s license in 2007. Zach enjoys flying for pleasure with family & friends, competitively at events across the United States, commercially promoting brands at events, he owns & flies special shape balloons, and operates a ride business in his hometown. In 2017, Zach competed in the Balloon Federation of America’s Team Long Jump Challenge flying 115.39 miles and winning the AX-9 category. Zach, along with his wife and sons, love to share the magic of hot air balloons with others and put smiles on everyone’s face!  

Joe began crewing for Hot Air Balloons in 1989 and became a pilot in 1994.  Since then he has flown for pleasure, passenger flights, competitively, and commercially.  Joe began flying for Touchstone Energy in 2006, is employed by Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., and is a member of First Electric Cooperative.  One of his proudest ballooning moments was winning the 2009 Centralia, IL Balloon Fest, his hometown, and receiving the prestigious “High Fly” cup which is presented to those pilots who are “true ballooning ambassadors”.  Joe, along with co-pilot Scott Wooge, are also the winners of the 2010 Balloon Federation of America “Team Long Jump Challenge” with a flight of 2.5 hours at 16,500 feet covering a distance of 135 miles.

Bob, a Union Rural Electric Coop member, has accumulated about 2,000 hours flying balloons over the last 30 plus years.  Ballooning is really his life as he operates an FAA balloon repair and inspection station, sells balloons for Lindstrand Balloons USA, manages a couple local commercial balloon advertising contracts in the Central Ohio area, including one that he has run for over 25 years.  He has been a past BFA competitor, has flown balloons in 24 states, and also runs a passenger ride business.  One of his favorite things, that never gets old, is sharing the wonder and excitement of ballooning with people that have never been up before.