Before sunrise on a summer morning, Jim and Sue Barnosky can often be found standing in a Delta field, helping transform thousands of cubic feet of fabric into a colorful aircraft. Within minutes, a hot air balloon rises above the valley.

Jim, 75, and Sue, 74, are licensed balloon pilots and two of the key volunteers behind Delta’s Fourth of July Western Sky Balloon Festival, which returns July 3-5. 

Married for 50 years, the Delta residents have logged thousands of hours in several types of aircraft. They are, as Jim puts it, “an aviation family.”

A LIFETIME OF FLYING

Jim served as a Navy pilot in the 1970s before flying for Pan American World Airways and Alaska Airlines, where he stayed until retirement.

Sue was a Navy nurse when Jim taught her to fly. The two of them have been airborne together, in one form or another, ever since.

Their interest in ballooning began when their son, Michael, was about 8 years old. The family traveled to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, a nine-day event featuring more than 500 balloons.

Preparing a balloon for launch takes several helping hands.

“We wanted to expose our son to all kinds of flying,” Sue said. “The fiesta was a great way to do that.”

After experiencing the magic of so many balloons in one place, the Barnoskys were hooked. It didn’t take long for them to get the balloon rating added to their pilot licenses, and once they did, they bought a brand new balloon.

The manufacturer gave them a color palette and a blank drawing of the balloon’s panels, then invited them to create their own design.

“We gave it to our son, and he picked every single color they had,” Jim said.

The resulting multicolored balloon is difficult to miss in the sky, making it a crowd favorite. Its many colors, however, make annual inspections more complicated.

“Part of the process is they have to pull on the fabric with a calibrator stretching device to make sure it’s still strong. And they have to do that on every color because the colors age differently. So I got all these colors on it and the mechanic says, ‘Oh boy, here you come again!’”

 Sue and Jim Barnosky, right, share a balloon basket with a passenger during a morning flight.

CHASING THE WIND

After decades of conventional flying, the Barnoskys say ballooning offers an entirely different experience.

“In an airplane, you’re in this little pod of technology,” Jim said. “You have a headset on, and you’re surrounded by instruments. In a balloon, you’re back to very elemental things.”

Balloon flight is quiet. Because the balloon travels with the wind, passengers feel little or no breeze in the basket.

“You can look and see things. You can experience the environment,” Jim said. “And you feel more a part of what you’re flying in rather than flying through it.”

Sue described the appeal more simply.

“It’s just low and slow,” she said. “It’s so nice.”

First-time passengers sometimes do not realize the balloon has left the ground. Flights often remain below 100 feet, allowing passengers to wave to people, drift near treetops, or, if you’re skilled enough, dip the basket into a lake.

“There’s not a balloonist who hasn’t tried that,” Jim said of dipping a basket into Confluence Lake. Some, he added, have emerged with wet feet.

You can’t fly alone, though. Each flight requires a chase crew of at least three or four people to help get the balloon off the ground, then follow along in a support vehicle to meet the pilot wherever the wind carries them.

One of the Barnoskys’ regular chase vehicle drivers is 80 years old.

 Jim and Sue Barnosky, pictured with their son, Michael, made ballooning a family affair. Michael is also a licensed pilot. 

BRINGING BALLOONS TO DELTA

The Delta Balloon Festival began in 2023 as the idea of Whitnee Lear, community enhancement administrator, with help from Gary West, the former community program director at Bill Heddles Recreation Center. After the COVID-19 pandemic, they wanted to create an event that would bring the community together.

When Jim and Sue heard about the plans, they volunteered.

“We said, ‘We’re local, we’ve got a balloon, and we’ve been to all these festivals over the years,’” Jim recalled. “‘If we can help, we’re certainly willing to do that.’”

 The Barnoskys pose with passengers. 

 Robin Lyon, the city’s program director for special events, met the Barnoskys while helping organize the inaugural festival.

“They were so generous to share their balloon and help train our chase crew so we could assist the other balloon pilots,” Lyon said. “The whole experience is always celebratory, and they share so much fun and joy.”

The festival now features 20-25 balloons, food and craft vendors, live entertainment, fireworks and a drone light show.

For the Barnoskys, the event is as much about people as it is about flying.

“You can’t hide a balloon when it’s flying,” Jim said. “Everyone is attracted to it. People gather around when you land. When you’re flying low, people wave, talk to you and honk their horns.”

Spectators often approach the crew after a landing and offer to help.

“It’s a real social thing,” Jim said. “That’s the enjoyable part of it.”

FOREVER FLYING

Even after decades in the air, the Barnoskys are not finished exploring new ways to fly.

The couple is building a small sport plane in their garage, a project Jim began in 2008. When will it be finished?

“Tuesday,” he said with a grin.

Which Tuesday remains unclear.

Sue said retirement has given them more time to enjoy flying and working on projects together.

“He’s been retired for more than 14 years now, and it’s been the best time ever,” she said.

Delta’s Western Sky Balloon Festival runs July 3-5, with morning flights and evening balloon glows. For more information, call Lear at 970-874-0923, ext. 405, or visit CityofDelta.net/parksrecgolf/page/4th-july-western-sky- balloon-festival-0 for the full schedule. Please note local wildfires may affect this event. 

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