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Pilots and their Balloons
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2007 Thurston Classic
2006 Thurston Classic
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2006 Thurston Classic
This page has a summary of all the
events of the 2007 Thurston Classic Hot Air Event:
The cost of bringing this event to
Meadville was over $45,000 and the attendance was 30,000 to 35,000 people.
We thank you for your contributions
The Pilots and their
balloons
Cluster Ballooning
The
Pilots and their balloons
Balloonmeister,
Bob Zanella
|
Pilot |
Balloon |
Home Base |
|
Pilot |
Balloon |
Home Base |
| Jeff
Bader |
INDECISION |
New
Castle, PA |
|
Janet
Lutkus |
MOONLIGHT SUN-ATA |
Chagrin
Falls, OH |
| Jeff
Barlett |
TUMBLEWEED |
Sharpsville, PA |
|
Louis
Merryman |
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN |
New
Castle, PA |
| John
Burns |
PAINLESS TOO |
Napoleon, OH |
|
Robert
Mihaly |
BOOJUM |
Lakewood, OH |
| Bill
Cloninger |
HIALEAH |
Chagrin
Falls, OH |
|
Greg
Miller |
ENDEAVOUR |
Brunswick, OH |
| Mike
Emich |
SECOND WIND |
Akron,
OH |
|
Roger
Miller |
DAYDREAMER |
Meadville, PA |
| Paul
"Homer" Frick |
JUST A DREAM |
Edinboro, PA |
|
John
Moran |
FUN SHINE |
Cortland, OH |
| Wayne
Gibbons |
RAGGEDY RAINBOW |
Akron,
OH |
|
John
Ninomiya |
NECESSITY |
Solana
Beach, CA |
| Dan
Greathouse |
KILROY |
Eastlake, OH |
|
Tom
Ragland |
CLOUD 9 |
Lewisburg, PA |
| Don
Hamilton |
FREBBIE |
Homesville, OH |
|
Abby
Rice |
SEAN'S BALLOON |
Newark,
OH |
| Gary
Hughes |
AMNESIA TOO |
Saxonburg,PA |
|
Bill
Thompson |
SHARED MAGIC |
Broadview Hts., OH |
| Alex
Jonard |
SUNKISSED |
Doylestown, OH |
|
Terry
Wasson |
FREE SPIRIT IV |
Chagrin
Falls, OH |
| Richard
Kohut |
WIND TREK |
Louisville, OH |
|
Debby
Young |
DULCINEA |
Chesterland, OH |
| Ken Hus |
DIAMOND GIRL |
Chagrin
Falls, OH |
|
Bob
Zanella |
PADA |
Barberton, OH |
| Steve
Lachendro |
SILENT SEA |
Butler,
PA |
|
Joe
Zvada |
FREE BIRD |
Wadsworth, OH |
| Craig
Lucas |
BOLERO |
Chagrin
Falls, OH |
|
David
Welch |
CHILE VERDE |
Pittsburgh, PA |
2006 Cluster Ballooning
On June 16, 2006, Meadville got to
meet John Ninomiya, a cluster balloonist, as he ascended from the Robertson
Field at Allegheny College with a cluster of helium balloons. Meadville is
proud to have John select the Thurston Classic as the number 22 site for his
goal of States of Enlightenment where he plans to fly a cluster of helium
balloons in every state.
Just when everyone thought his flying
was over, we saw John piloting a standard hot air balloon on June 17, 2006, as
Ted Watts and Joyce Stevens were searching through the program for an
unidentified balloon approaching the target area. Yes, it was John Ninomiya in
his hot air balloon. On Sunday morning he showed up flying a "cloud
hopper" which is nothing more than a harness suspended under a small balloon
envelope.
We are honored that John chose
Meadville, PA as his 22nd site for his States of Enlightenment and we recommend
that you visit his website
http://www.clusterballoon.org/index.html to see John's flight, the pictures
he took during his flight, and most of all his view of Meadville and the people
he met. We wish John success in his quest to fly all 50 states entitled
States of Enlightenment.
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 |
 |
|
Filling balloons prior to take-off |
John and Ted share balloon stories |
Getting ready for take-off |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
The take-off |
The flight |
A perfect landing |
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Please visit John
Ninomiya's website for more pictures of his flight at the Thurston Classic
at
http://www.clusterballoon.org/index.html
John,
We wish you well in your adventures and we thank you for choosing Meadville,
PA as your 22th state in your States of Enlightenment.
Sincerely,
Ted Watts and the
Thurston Gang
Photos courtesy of of John Ninomiya |
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|
John gives away his balloons after his successful
flight |
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