2026 Pilot Bios

Our Last Hurrah

Walter Rudy

Wadsworth, OH

Sponsored by

Bryant Industries

Years Flying Balloons - 42

When you are not flying, what do you enjoy doing?

Spending time with family, hiking/enjoying nature and constructing a new addition on our home.

Why did you become a pilot?

I was introduced to ballooning in the mid 1970's by the Ralph & Joe, the Flying Tomato Brothers known for their restaurant chain Garcia's Pizza in a Pan. The opportunity to purchase a balloon arose while working as a paramedic in Springfield, IL. I bought my balloon prior to having ever flown in a balloon.

What do you find is the most challenging about flying a hot air balloon?

Flying in unfamiliar locations and meeting sponsor and event expectations when the weather is challenging.

Short description of something interesting that ballooning has allowed you to do?

Ballooning has allowed me to meet and develop friendships with a wide variety of people here in the USA and around the world.

What do you most want the public to know/understand about hot air balloons and flying them?

Ballooning is by far one of the most weather dependent activities that one can engage in. Conditions must meet stringent criteria regarding winds not only on the ground but aloft as well. The atmosphere must be stable without the threat of adverse weather. Trust me, we pilots are as or more disappointed than the spectators when we are unable to inflate the balloons during festivals we attend. Many pilots have traveled great distances to in many balloon festivals.