Jeff Reid has had an interest in ballooning for many years, crewing for Rich Mathers in Omaha in the 1980s.  Jeff's interest was rekindled in the summer of 2004 when his wife Jenny bought him a balloon flight with Rich Jaworski for their 10th anniversary.  Remember the old joke about the risk of ballooning?  The first flight is free, while the second one costs $$$.  So it was with Jeff.  Jeff says "we weren't 50 feet off the ground before I started quizzing Rich about how to get into this sport."   His 1994 Aerostar AX-8 was purchased in January 2005, and on her maiden flight was christened "The Blue Olive" for its appearance.  Jeff continued taking lessons from Rich, and earned his Private Pilot certificate in August 2005.

Although each flight is memorable, Jeff says that his first flight in Blue Olive (seen at right) was the most special.  "All the local pilots showed up and helped, even though it was a brisk 5 degrees!  It was exciting knowing we had a balloon that was airworthy and could enjoy for the future and share in other's enjoyment by taking them up."  Jeff likes flying from Lake Zorinsky because of the wide open spaces and the possibility of a flight over the lake.  The presence lots of spectators is also a thrill, and the kids get a kick out of all the balloons inflating and taking off.

When he's not flying Blue Olive, Jeff works as an insurance inspector and chauffeur for Jacob, 8, and Jayla, 6.  Willing or not, Jeff's grooming them for crew duties, because "it's in the family!"  Jeff is also on the NBC Executive Committe as Member-at-Large, a good fit for this easy-going, friendly balloonist whose favorite saying is "I pretend to know a little bit about a lot of things!"

Jeff can be reached at jreid@tconl.com

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Last updated 6:37 PM 4/7/2008.  Contact webmaster with questions or comments about this site.