Kathy McCoy her crew chief-husband, Tom, got their start in ballooning by sponsoring a balloon in a local rally.  They were fortunate to get 3 rides, enough to get hooked.  While crewing at their next "big" rally, the pilot let Kathy operate the controls, and in no time she began dreaming of flying her own balloon.  Next spring, she went to Albuquerque to take lessons and earn her license.  Kathy and Tom purchased Good Morning Sunshine, and the rest "is history."  The McCoy's 1998 Cameron Z-90 AX-8 balloon is so named "because it looks terrific in the morning sunlight."

Kathy and Tom like the familiarity of flying around their central Nebraska home of Cozad, where friends and neighbors come out to watch and help out.  Kathy says, "The people around home really enjoy talking about flights they have seen, and really want you to know they enjoy watching."  They also enjoy flying in Colorado (see the photo), where morning flights are the rule due to mountain winds. Unlike back home in Nebraska, Kathy claims, Colorado flights are rarely canceled because of weather.  Kathy says her most memorable flight happened in Snowmass, Colorado.  As she came down to land, Kathy scared up a black bear.  Heading back up and over the mountain, she came down once again, only to encounter the same bear!  Fortunately, the bear had had enough and left the area, but not before making Kathy's heart pound and her thoughts race with concern over the possibility of her crew, her passengers or herself becoming "bear breakfast!"

When they are not ballooning, Kathy and Tom like to travel to see their kids, work in the yard, or to sit around waiting for flyable conditions.  The McCoys "try to live life to the fullest and have a good time doing it!" 

Kathy is a Commercial pilot, and can be contacted for information about rides at (308) 784-2112 or by email at mccoys@cozadtel.net

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Last updated 6:42 PM 4/7/2008.   Contact webmaster with questions or comments about this site.