All things ballooning
Kong's Page
Profile Information
- City, Country:
- Portland Oregon USA
- About Me:
- I started ballooning in 1972 when Chauncey Dunn flew over my house in Walla Walla Wa. I ended up crewing for him all week and received a balloon ride for my efforts. I have been doing it ever since. I got around to getting a license in 1978. I had three or four hundred hours at the time and somone suggested that I might want to get legal at some point. I flew balloons for a living full time for about 18 years and than somehow found my self in the music business. I am a tour manager which is a fancy title for running an executive nanny service for rock stars. Currently the 2 artists that keep me busiest are The Decemberists and Mavis Staples ( of The Staples Singers ). I spend about 10 months a year on tour around the world. I still do some commercial and corperate ballooning on the side but mostly fly for fun these days. My brother Scott Shields ( or Irving as we like to call him) is also a balloon pilot living in Bellingham Wa. and I find my closest friends are balloonists that I have been flying with for 30+ years. My current roster of balloons includes an Aerostar RX8 called I'll Take You There ( it was named by Mavis for her 1972 hit song) and a 1979 Piccard called Jean Luc that I bought a couple of years ago from Don Piccard with only 3 hours on it. I mostly fly around the pacific Northwest these days but I sometimes put a balloon on board the bands equipment semi so I can fly on those rare days off on the road. See you at the next concert.
Soft Landings
Kong
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Thanks for the invite. It's nice to talk to other balloonists every once on awhile. It's lonely up here, no one else to play with (been windy too). Thought I'd go to AIBF this year but just changed my mind and canceled. 24 hours on the road (one way)......
Hope all is well-wherever you are. Would love to get it up with you whenever you are passing through (unless, of course we are in Hawaii). Give us a jingle.
Val
Hope things are well, man!
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It's really me!!! Where are you these days? I am on the road so much we should be able to run in to each other some where.
Don
You talked this up so I had to come and check it out...looks like fun.
Hope all is well,
Carrie
Don
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