Hocus Pocus Crew

Crew members are responsible for many things throughout the course of a flight including setting up the equipment, providing ground support while the balloon is in the air, packing the equipment after the flight, and community relations along the way. The Ca-Zoo Balloon Team have put together a "Crewing 101" page that breaks down some of the aspects involved.

Crew members come from all walks of life, they can be former or future pilots, friends and family of the pilot, or any others who share a fascination with the sport. While there are some crew members for commercial operations who are paid for their efforts, most participate simply out of a passion for ballooning, the social aspects of it, and the occasional flights they earn along the way.

Our crew consists of the Goodnow family, a few co-workers, fellow members of the Great Plains Balloon Club, and many others that we have met along the way. If you would like to get involved yourself please contact US or the GPBC.

We would like to recognize our "Wall of Fame" Crew Members:

OVER 100 CREWS -Julie Goodnow

OVER 75 CREWS - Matt Hinck, David Inverarity, Tim Rumpel

OVER 50 CREWS - Marie Djuren, Bonnie Inverarity

OVER 25 CREWS - Paul Costello, Dan Waterman, Connie Goodnow, Kirk Maher, Kevin McConnaughey

And though not mentioned above, our children Ashton, Daniel, Ellie, Satchel, and Taylor join us whenever they can and will hopefully take active roles on the crew as they get older.

In addition to being members of the Great Plains Balloon Club, we are also members of the Kansas Chapter of the Black Sheep Squadron, a group of balloonists who share not only a passion for the sport, but a system of beliefs and goals that encourage anyone interested in ballooning to follow their dreams and keep the true spirit of ballooning alive and well. We also believe that maintaining an active membership in the Balloon Federation of America, a unified voice representing balloonists across the U.S., is a vital step to keep ballooning as an activity that can be experienced by people from all walks of life.

A special "Thank You" goes out to all of the landowners across the country who allow balloonists to launch and land on their property. If it wasn't for your hospitality none of this would be possible. We are at the mercy of the winds and consider ourselves lucky to meet so many wonderful people when we drop in uninvited. We hope you have had a pleasant experience and have some photos and special stories of your own to share with your friends and families.