News and events
06-04-2008
The Great Reno Balloon Race Solicits Community Support The beloved event issues a call for sponsors (RENO, Nev.) – Support is still needed to ... more
04-29-2008
The Great Reno Balloon Race Launches New Web site User-friendly site for hot-air balloon enthusiasts (RENO, Nev.) – Now in its 27th year, The Gre... more
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Pilots
The Balloonist's Prayer
The winds have welcomed you with softness.
The sun has blessed you with his warm hands.
You have flown so high and so well
that God joined you in laughter
and set you gently back into
the loving arms of Mother Earth.
The Great Reno Balloon Race would not exist without the support and participation from its talented and dedicated pilots. The pilots bring the beauty, splendor and thrill of hot air ballooning to the Truckee Meadows with such grace that one might think flying a hot air balloon is easy. Those of us on the inside know it's a very challenging and technical sport.
The Great Reno Balloon Race is an invitational event. The pilots that are invited have flown a minimum of 100 hours and have met the Great Reno Balloon Race safety standards. Many of our pilots have been flying at the Balloon Race for over 20 years and have logged thousands of hours of flight time. Some are known around the world and have numerous awards and accolades to show for it.
Pilots travel from far and wide to fly in The Great Reno Balloon Race. We've welcomed pilots from as far away as New Zealand and Great Britain. No matter where they hail from, our pilots are always near and dear to the Balloon Race and we can never say enough about them.
Listed below are just a few of our most notable pilots:
Koh Murai - Launch Director of The Great Reno Balloon Race
Daryl McKee - Pilot traveling the most miles to fly in the Balloon Race (New Zealand)
Diane Karlsson - Owner of "In the Air", a balloon specialty order company
Robert Romaneschi -Pilot and owner of "The Little Bees"
Shane Cory - Pilot and owner of "The American Bald Eagle"
Carol Rymer-Davis - First female champion of the Gordon Bennet Cup
Katie Griggs - Operates the balloon repair station at the Balloon Race
Larry Houska - Has flown in the Balloon Race for 26 years
These are just a few of the tremendous pilots that continue to participate in The Great Reno Balloon Race. To view the entire list of participating pilots and their unique and vibrantly colored click here.
If you would like to learn about the Balloon Race launch crew please click here.
The mission of the Great Reno Balloon Race is to provide a premier, safe, family-oriented/tourist-attractive, visually dramatic event that celebrates the joy of flight while remaining free to the public.
