Debra Jameson
Debra |
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Angel Twist |
| Debra was born January 6, 1961 in Madison Wisconsin and to this day remains a "Cheesehead". She has lived in New Mexico since 1972 and currently resides in the town of Los Lunas with her Co-Adams pilot, husband Allan "Jamie" Jameson. Debra works for Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), the local gas and electric utility as an Engineering Technician in the System Engineering department. |
| You need to read Jamie's page for the beginning to this story. Debra never liked ballooning, nor did she have anything good to say about balloonists. On the way to the field that Sunday morning of the St Patrick's Day Rallye in 1994, she warned her husband of the wild, crazy nutcases there would probably run into there. While her husband, Mr. J. as she refers to him, got a balloon ride that morning Debra got to chase, which she found out was a kick and without question, she was HOOKED. She was to officially join the wild crazy nutcases that very morning. |
| Debra crewed for Jimmy Hill's Scarlet Angel for almost a year until her husband started Pilot lessons, where she then took on the new position as Jamie's "Crew Chief". Late in the summer of 1995, Jamie and Debra were looking for "parts" to complete Mystique Angel. During this process, Doug Gobin was contacted and he knew of a student pilot, Art Stenberg in Rehoboth, Massachusetts who had an 83k parachute top system for sale at a great price, so they bought her. Debra named her new acquisition Angel Twist, which became Debra's baby. Now, for anyone who asks, "Why do the two Jamesons have three balloons?" (Technically 2 1/2), that's why! By the way Adams parts are interchangeable. |
| As soon as Jamie earned his private pilot certificate, Debra began her pilot training, once again commissioning Ms. Gay Jensen as instructor. The Jamesons believe in keeping their activities in sync. After seven (What Debra describes as grueling) months, yet another pilot was hatched. |
| Debra says "having two pilots in the family is both rewarding and challenging (as well as expen$ive). Early in the game, turf rules had to be established." "Sharing the crew is also interesting", Debra adds. "There are times that, inadvertently, all the crew will wind up chasing one balloon." Debra surmises that this phenomenon is because that balloon is giving the better rides that day! |
| Debra flies primarily in New Mexico and is actively involved with the Valencia Flying and Retrieval Society. By the end of 1997 she hopes to achieve her Commercial Pilot's Certification. |
| Her Best Moment occurred at the 1997 Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Here she experienced true pleasure and pain. She was a very new pilot and in spite of the odds she flew well on Sunday and scored high in the competition that day, and may have even won the flying competition for the Rally. (No matter what pilots may say, there is a LOT of luck involved with this). Of course, the adrenaline was high. As the flight progressed, the winds got real bad, 20 knots plus. Fortunately she was out on the mesa, so the landing was made somewhat easier, but as she relates "Butts were puckered". In the end, no one was hurt, however, all of the gondola's uprights were broken; but she had won the competition. As she says "Not bad for a girl." Debra has continued her winning ways by taking the Sport Division championship at the Inaugural Rio Grande Balloon Classic held in Albuquerque over the 1999 Memorial Day weekend. She bested more than 100 other pilots in the shortened two-day competition. The third day was cancelled because the Albuquerque breezes turned into Albuquerque winds. |
| Debra's crew include: |
| Steve Caron, Assistant Crew Chief | Suzanne Schulz, Assistant Crew Chief | Kissy and Peenut Jameson |
| Zippy Wilson | Robin Austin | Pauli Suriel |
| Michelle "Yankee Woman" Angelucci | Ted Leyerly | Deb Shelburne |
| Forest Shelburne | Alfred "Uncle Fla Fla" Zaragosa | Ellen Betts |
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| Debra's personal data include: |
| Aeronautical Licenses: Private Balloon Pilot |
| Day Job: Engineering Technician |
| Motto: Girls Rule and Boys Drool. |
| Hobbies: Hot Air Ballooning, Hunting, Fishing, Snow Skiing, Caring for a 300 Gallon Fish Aquarium, Cooking, Flower Gardening, Bird Feeding and Watching, Beer, Spending Time With Friends, Bike Riding, Sharing Life Experiences With Her Labrador Retrievers, and Hoping Husband Will Win The Lottery. |
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| You may contact Debra with any ballooning question at: |
 e-mail address: djameso@mail.pnm.com |
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Click on a pilot's picture to go to that page
Copyright� 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. Except for educational entities, no reproduction without written permission of The Adams Family Hot Air Balloon Teams is allowed.