Cheri White 

This year is my 25th anniversary of flying gas balloons.  My first lesson was over the mountain in Albuquerque and my second flight was the America’s Challenge for a three-night flight to Georgia with a landing in a swamp.  This year I will be flying in my 17th Gordon Bennett in France.  I am passionate about ballooning and love sharing stories and promoting ballooning.  FlyGas on twitter and facebook was created in the early days of social media to share the adventures and stories of everyone’s gas flights.
  
The last three years I have served on the Gas Division Board.  Prior to that I was President and the Southwest Regional Director of the BFA.  My desire to be on the Gas Division Board is to continue to make sure interested pilots know how to have the opportunity to fly a gas balloon. 

I would appreciate your vote.

From Austin, Texas and mother of twins.  Second generation pilot.  Started flying in 1975 at age 14 with my solo in 1979.  Commercial Hot Air Pilot with close to 3000 pilot hours.  Instructor for son Gordie and niece Renai.

1. Founder and Chief Operating Officer for the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Balloon Program since 2000 
2.  Past Southwest Region Director (2013 to 2019) and Past President of the Balloon Federation of America (2017 to 2019)
3. Bronze medal at the 2016 Women’s World Hot Air Championships in Birstonas, Lithuania.  Finished seventh place at the 2018 Women’s World Hot Air Championships in Nałęczów, Poland.     
4. Started flying Gas Balloons in 2002 and has competed in seventeen America’s Challenge Races and sixteen Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett Races     
5. 2013 received the BFA’s highest honor, the Shields-Trauger Memorial Award for her notable flight in the America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race in 2012     
6. 2010 Received Ballooning’s highest honor, the Diplome Montgolfier for her outstanding flight from Geneva, Switzerland to Tavira, Portugal with a duration of 71:20 hours. 
7. 2008 Winner of the America’s Challenge Gas Race with a flight from Albuquerque, NM to Iowa Falls, IA with a duration of 68:35 hours and in 2012 with a flight from Albuquerque to North Carolina with a duration of 62.15 hours.
8. 2020, 2010, 2009, 2008 Balloon Federation of America’s top female pilot for Hot Air Balloons
9. 1999 and 2016 U.S. National Women’s Hot Air Balloon Champion
10. 1998 U.S. National Team Champion
11. 1995 Women’s North American Champion
12. 1993 U.S. National Rookie of the Year
13. Flights in Mexico, China, Japan, England, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Dubai and over 40 USA states