All things ballooning
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Ray Lekich
- Male
- Doylestown, PA
- United States
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That's an expensive repair....
ok sorry
Timmy, please don't comment on who owns a balloon unless you are 1000% sure. It is not the balloon you think it is.
it looks like one from the glen falls area. i think it is one for sale.
This is a neat little balloon... Anyone know its volume?
great shoot i hope he has his feet tied to the bottom of the basket
Don't know who the pilot was. Had a loaner truck so probably from outside the US.
Nice picture! The balloon is Sheronda's Joy owned by Sheronda Greenwood of Dallas, TX piloted at Fiesta by Sheronda and Bill Broker two of my best friends.
Whee!
Darn those dead tree's, they're magnets as they seem to attract the balloon to them!
wow who is the pilot
OMG, that sucks :-(
Ouch that sucks
great picture!
Profile Information
- City, Country:
- Doylestown, PA
- About Me:
- My interest in ballooning began 20+ years ago when my cousin, Suzi, who lives in Albuquerque suggested I schedule one of my business trips to ABQ during Fiesta week. I did and had so much fun that I began scheduling business trips the first week of October every year. Once after a mass assencion, a guy in a van stopped as I was wandering around the field and asked if I wanted to help chase. I jumped at the chance.
Then I found out that balloonists were actually looking for help and if you volunteered, you didn't have to pay extra to be part of the Fiesta, you actually got in free and didn't have to pay to park. Cool! Better yet, pilots there like to fly volunteer crew! So, I began crewing and eventually became Crew Chief for Desert Drifter (Pilot Judy Holt).
My ballooning was limited to crewing at the Fiesta once per year until oddly enough, Judy, who lives in Phoenix introduced me to a pilot, Ben Hanbicki, in my home town, Doylestown. I began crewing for Ben who noticed my interest and began giving me burner time. I was hooked. Later Scott Saxton started flying in Doylestown and I began crewing for Scott. Scott was good about giving me rides when there was room in the basked and even some burner time.
I am getting ahead of myself. I have 3 children and took each of them out of school when they were a Senior to take them to ABQ to introduce them to ballooning. I also started crewing at the NJ Festival of Ballooning. So, of course, they wanted to go to NJ with me. One weekend we had a lot of fun and were talikng about it Saturday evening and my wife, Leslie, said she would like to go Sunday to see what all the fuss was. Sunday morning the two of my kids that were there with me flew in different balloons and I flew in a third one. That evening, the balloon that my wife was crewing with was getting ready to take off and she asked "Hey, who is driving chase?" The pilot (Tom Stoldoski) said "Keys are in the ignition". She was hooked and made plans to go to ABQ the next year. She had so much fun that she said "You should get your own balloon". This was something I had never considered, but the rest is history.
In November 08 I earned my private license and now fly locally in Doylestown and more often than not, launch from the same field and fly along side Scott Saxton in his balloon.
I told Tony Saxton that if I did not have 50 hours by the end of 2009 that I would eat my basket. After a rainy June, I began wondering what spices would go best with wicker. August so far has been much better and I am only a few hours away from sparing myself the extra fiber in my diet.
Ray Lekich's Photos
Comment Wall (3 comments)
- At 3:59pm on August 2, 2009,
Carrie Lekich said… - Okay, seriously dad, I've left you comments and for some reason they don't show... whats up with that??
- At 3:05am on August 2, 2009,
Heather Krug said… - Btw, congratulations on getting your license!! What a huge accomplishment and you must feel great about it!
- At 3:04am on August 2, 2009,
Heather Krug said…
- Hi Ray! I am a friend of the Saxton's, though neither of them would probably admit it. I am also the Pilot Relations Chairperson for the Wellsville Balloon rally. Scott told me you are interseted in attending the rally next year. Consider yourself invited! I will just need your address so I can send you a registration packet. But don't worry about it now, I don't need it until spring of next year.
I have heard alot of great things about you from Scott, and look forward to meeting you at some point.
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