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Larry Simburger
I am asking for your consideration and support for the BFA Western Region Director position.
My name is Larry Simburger. The Ballooning community and the BFA Board have many challenges; our pilots are aging out and new pilots are scarce, pressures from the FAA concerning Class 2 Medical and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), the business of autonomous Drones are threatening our ability to fly near urban settings, are just a few of the pressures facing our Ballooning family.
If elected to the BFA Board, I will help the board effectively focus their energies and efforts on the most urgent issues and problems that they can impact and manage the many more minor things that tend to deflate a Board and prevent effective productivity.
Since I can remember I have had a passion for aviation, my earliest memories are from my pre-school days when I heard sonic booms from fighter jets from the nearby Air Force base and I imagined being a pilot flying high above the clouds. I went on to have a very interesting career in the aviation industry, having worked at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, MO., and much more time at Boeing in Seattle, WA. area. I have worked on internal boards at Boeing that were responsible for making decisions that drove investments and I have supported the implementation and execution of those plans. I want to bring those skills and energy to the BFA Board to tackle our Ballooning Community's urgent issues.
Ballooning Biography:
- 1976 Began crewing
- 1979 First flight in a Hot Air Balloon
- 1983 Private LTA
- 2000 Commercial LTA
- 2002 First flight over Mt. Rainier (Washington state) along with Victor Johnson, 2002 winners of the Montgolfier Diploma.
- 2003 Flight over the Cascade Mountains from Sultan Washington to George Washington; duration 3 hrs, distance 80 miles, max altitude 8200 msl, max ground speed 90 mph.
- 2005 Removed limitation of Air Borne Heater
- 2011-2013 Co-Owner and operator of a Hot Air Balloon Ride business in Eastern Washington (focusing on Prosser and Walla Walla, WA)
- 2018 Received City of Arlington Mayors Volunteer Award for the many hours of volunteer service as Hot Air Balloon Director for the Arlington, WA Fly-In
- 2022 accepted as the Lighter Than Air FAAST Representative for the Seattle Washington region.
- Over the years have contributed, as a speaker for various local Safety Seminars, Balloon Meister, and Weather and Safety Officers.
Thank you for your consideration,
Blue Skies and Soft Landings,
Larry Simburger
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