Hot Air Balloons
Meet the Magic Behind the Balloons!
Welcome to the heart and soul of the Rossford Balloon & Fireworks Fest—our amazing hot air balloons and the pilots who fly them!
From colorful classics to creative showstoppers, each balloon has its own story—and so does the skilled pilot guiding it through the sky. Scroll down to meet the talented crew, see the balloons up close, and get to know the high-flying heroes who bring the magic to life!
It’s Out of This World!
Space Cowboy
Sponsored by S-K Mow and Snow Mower Center
Making a Special Appearance at the Saturday Night GLOW
Pilot: Space Commander Burdue
Balloon Name: Space Cowboy
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What got you started?
I dreamt of space travel ever since I was a young boy.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?Floated through the Pleiades, did a splash and dash on Arcturus, and a spectacularly
epic landing on Jupiter!
Jabberwocky
Sponsored by: W. Toledo & Perrysburg Animal Hospitals
Pilot: Andrew Barnum
Balloon Name: Jabberwocky
How did you choose and name your balloon?
Lewis Carroll poem.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
42 Years
What got you started?
Crewing for my dad.
How many events do you participate in a year?
4-6 a Year.
Describe your ideal flight?
3 knot takeoff, from short perfect grass. 70-degree evening. 12 knot cruise, splash and dash, 3 knot stand up landing on short grass lawn with an excited landowner.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
Crewing for the Mr. Peanut balloon and flying out of Central Park NYC.
Quarter Life Crisis
Sponsored by: Hansen's Tree & Crane Service LLC
Pilot: Zack Jackson
Balloon Name:
Quarter Life Crisis
How did you choose and name your balloon?
Some people have midlife crisis' mine just happened to come a little early
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
20 years give or take.
What got you started?
Starting chasing Chris Smart around Huntington, IN as a young kid. Joined his crew in my teens and the rest is history.
How many events do you participate in a year?
10+
Describe your ideal flight?
Lots of steering and beautiful scenery.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
Flying in Leon, Mx and getting mobbed by the local children for candy and families to get pictures with the pilots and balloons
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Wait for iiit...
Sponsored by: Meijer-Rossford
Pilot: Andy Gross
Balloon Name:
Wait for iiit...
How did you choose and name your balloon?
It's the catch phrase from my favorite TV show.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
40 Years
What got you started?
My dad is a retired balloon pilot, he started flying the year before I was born. So I've been ballooning my entire life.
How many events do you participate in a year?
5
Describe your ideal flight?
Safe, with some wind so you go somewhere, and a good landing spot.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
I have to many to pick from and its impossible to pick just one to share.
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Old Cat
Sponsored by: Rust & Rust Ltd.
Pilot: Steve Mitchell
Balloon Name:
Old Cat
How did you choose and name your balloon?
I bought my balloon used from a very close friend Rick Kerber, who use to fly it with a Michigan Caterpillar banner on the side. When I purchased it and started flying it, everyone would comment that it was the OLD CAT balloon, so the name stuck.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
25 Years
What got you started?
I volunteered as crew at my childhood hometown balloon event in Battle Creek, MI. A few years later my two brothers, dad and I decided to buy our first family balloon to learn how to fly and earn our pilot's license.
How many events do you participate in a year?
10
Describe your ideal flight?
My ideal flight is one with calm winds on the surface with some good steerage and 8-12 knots above treetops. A fun flight with friends over beautiful terrain, and a gentle landing in a nice grassy yard in a neighborhood filled with families and children. You can't beat sharing our sport with others and seeing the smiles it puts on their face.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
My most interesting ballooning story is one where I was flying a balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta one morning. The winds took me over a congested part of town with limited landing spots. I ultimately ended up landing in a large waterway runoff ditch. While accessible by vehicle, the area was completely fenced in with a locked gate. It took several phone calls to the event and the city to find the right person with a key. I was finally able to retrieve the balloon 2 hours later.
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ECM
Sponsored by: Genoa Bank
Pilot: Steve Strine
Balloon Name:
ECM
How did you choose and name your balloon?
ECM is named after my three children Ella, Colin, & Myla.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
4 Years
What got you started?
Starting chasing Chris Smart around Huntington, IN as a young kid. Joined his crew in my teens and the rest is history.
How many events do you participate in a year?
3-4
Describe your ideal flight?
I enjoy calm mornings and staying low over the trees and planted fields. I enjoy giving rides to friends and family that have never gone and sharing the experience with them.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
Nothing too interesting. I have only been flying for a few years. My best flights are flying with my wife and kids and doing it as a family. My son is getting older and has picked up more of an interest so I am enjoying sharing flying with him and flying over Ashland.
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Tyler Athletic Fields balloon
Pilot: Jake Tyler
Balloon Name:
Tyler Athletic Fields balloon
How did you choose and name your balloon?
coming soon
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
35 Years
What got you started?
Family Affair
How many events do you participate in a year?
5
​Describe your ideal flight?
We all land safely..
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
Landing on Mount Planatubo in the Philippines.
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Tallulah
Sponsored by: NSG Pilkington
Pilot: Jordan Cox
Balloon Name:
Tallulah
How did you choose and name your balloon?
From the movie Cool Runnings the colors were similar and there is a funny line in the movie when they name the sled.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
33 years as crew 11 as a pilot.
What got you started?
My family helped crew for a local pilot starting when I was 2.5 years old, and I told my parents when I was 3 I was going to be a balloon pilot one day!
How many events do you participate in a year?
10
Describe your ideal flight?
Any type of adventure flight maybe through a canyon or over pyramids.
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RUBIK
Pilot: Eric Burdue
Balloon Name: Rubik
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How did you choose and name your balloon?
Came pre-named. Named after a Rubik's Cube.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
19 Years
What got you started?
Family Sport. Crewing for my dad and his friends all my life.
How many events do you participate in a year?
2
Describe your ideal flight?
Good weather conditions, we go up, enjoy the scenery, come down, and land with no
bumps or bruises.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
Balloon hopping a large brick wall.
Skylight
Sponsored by: Miller Diversified
Circle City Balloon Rides LLC
Pilot: Andrew Brindley
Balloon Name: Skylight
How did you choose and name your balloon?
We wanted some bright, bold colors that were not that common in many balloons, and a name that signifies an uplifting and positive feeling for the same reason we work so hard to deliver smiles for the public!
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
6 Years
What got you started?My amazing wife and I stopped by a morning flight festival and were mesmerized by the balloons! We were asked to help crew by a pilot who needed some extra help and were immediately hooked! We believe that Hot Air Ballooning is the perfect balance of peacefulness and adventure, and the best way to
explore the world. Whether it is the unique camaraderie, the exciting celebrations, or the relaxing flights, hot air ballooning has become a very special and inseparable part of our lives! Thank you so much for having us!
How many events do you participate in a year?
12-15
Describe your ideal flight?
The best flights are the sunrise flights that float peacefully above the ground in the calm, morning mist - seeing the world wake up beneath you. If we can find some faster winds up higher to see more along the way, it is an even better bonus!
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
The most interesting balloon flights happen with friends, and where the winds change in flight. This makes for a great problem-solving equation to figure out the new flight plan and continue the adventure to a safe landing!
Tooty Frooty
Sponsored by: Reliance Propane
Pilot: Brad Burdue
Balloon Name:
Tooty Frooty
How did you choose and name your balloon?
Because it is all the colors of the rainbow and reminded us of the candy.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
20 Years
What got you started?
Maintaining balloons first. Traded maintenance for balloon flight lessons.
How many events do you participate in a year?
8
Describe your ideal flight?
Calm winds with lots of spare crew. It makes for soft landings and a better party after the flight.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
We took off with the intention to land on the Roche de Boeuf bridge in Waterville OH. After we planned and took off, the winds were not as predicted. We dropped down below the tree line and found a wind running up the river which put where we needed, and we landed on the bridge. Made for great pictures and a YouTube video.
Arrhythmia
Sponsored by: Savage & Associates
Pilot: Richard Cusick
Balloon Name:
Arrhythmia
How did you choose and name your balloon?
That was the name that the original Arrhythmia came with.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
44 Years
What got you started?
Local balloon pilot used our and neighbors’ yards for a launch site.
How many events do you participate in a year?
4 or 5
Describe your ideal flight?
Light winds with a box working so I can land back where I took off.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
Took my daughter and her boyfriend for a flight when he proposed to her. She said yes and their 14 year old son will be a pilot also.
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Mini Bolt
Sponsored by:
Perfect Site Property Maintenance, LLC
Pilot: Payton Cusick
Balloon Name:
Mini Bolt
How did you choose and name your balloon?
This is a Mini version of my dad’s balloon.
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Good Question
Sponsored by: HotelsOnClark.com
Pilot: Zach Burgess
Balloon Name:
Good Question
How did you choose and name your balloon?
Its fun when people ask what the balloon's name is, and we respond with "Good Question"
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
Flying for 18 years
What got you started?
Local hot air balloon festival in Ashland, OH www.ashlandballoonfest.com.
How many events do you participate in a year?
10
Describe your ideal flight?
Anytime my wife and kids are involved in the flight, it just makes everything more fun!
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
Ringing the pole at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in 2024. It's a very challenging thing to do, I was the only one during the entire event. And I had my son in the basket with me. Great experience together.
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High Ryes
Sponsored by:
Northwest Electrical Contracting, Inc.​
Pilot: Chris Raskob
Balloon Name:
High Ryes
How did you choose and name your balloon?
High Ryes is named after our dog that we had when we ordered the balloon. She passed away unexpectedly from a rare form of cancer while we were waiting for it to be built.
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
32 Years
What got you started?
I grew up in Albuquerque, NM, where my uncle is a pilot. He owned two balloons at the time and started teaching me when I was in middle school.
How many events do you participate in a year?
3-5 each year.
Describe your ideal flight?
45 minutes to an hour long, with friends or family on board. I enjoy flights that offer good steering and unique sights to see along the way.
What is your most interesting ballooning story?
There are too many to choose from. Let me get back to you on that one.
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REMAX
Pilot: Jim Cusick
Balloon Name:
REMAX
How did you choose and name your balloon?
It is a corporate logo balloon.
Remax marketing fund LLC
How long have you been involved in ballooning?
20 Years
What got you started?
Learned to fly from my father.
How many events do you participate in a year?
10
PENELOPE SKYROCKET
Pilot: Jason Provost
Balloon Name: Penelope Skyrocket
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How long have you been involved in ballooning?
19 years
What got you started?
I was a balloon crew chief at ABQ 2006. Hooked ever since
How many events do you participate in a year?
4-5
Describe your ideal flight?
Light winds in a constant direction make almost every flight ideal.
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What is your most interesting ballooning story?
I was flying in Vermont during the winter. A snow squall started dropping as I flew. I decided to match the descent rate of the snow. The snow appeared to stop falling and it was like I was flying in a photograph.
