Stripper
|
"Cowboy" |
Sunrise Angel |
| Bill was born in Kansas City, Missouri on the 4th of August 1945. He is another well-traveled Adams Family pilot. He has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Carlsbad, New Mexico, Hobbs, New Mexico, Snyder, Texas, Charleston, South Carolina, Norfolk, Virginia, New Orleans, Louisiana, Long Beach, California, Omaha, Nebraska, Springfield Oregon, Denver, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, Spokane, Washington, Moses Lake, Washington and his current home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. The reason for so many places is, you guessed it, he was a military brat. The same holds true for the schools he attended. He went to North Charleston Elementary in Charleston, Granby Elementary in Norfolk, Northside Junior High School in Norfolk, Martin Behrman High School, New Orleans, Mayfair High School, Long Beach where he graduated and then 2 years at the University of Omaha. Bill then spent 2 years in the U. S. Navy serving in Viet Nam. He now owns his own business, MB Industries, a fabrication and welding business. He has four children, Chuck, Amy, DeAnna and Chris. |
| Bill got into ballooning because "My sister Nikki drug me out". As is the case of all Adams pilots, he became addicted to ballooning early on. He kept his ear to the ground and finally got word that Keith Blank from Atlanta had an Adams for sale. It had a rather interesting history behind it. It was initially owned by a veterinarian in Atlanta who was married in the balloon. During the ceremony, it started to rain. Since they had three Adams balloons inflated, they used the other two to act as umbrellas for the wedding guests. The vet sold the balloon to a company who made 5-inch chocolate chip cookies, which sandwiched an ice cream bar. The company logo was a gnome, so they called the balloon Gnome D'Plume. Ignoring the old adage that a fool and his money are soon parted, Bill purchased the balloon and began his flying career. He got his private pilot's license on the 16th of January 1998. He gained his commercial pilot's license on June 26th, 1999. He took the commercial test ride in Bob Woodall's Angel del Sol because Sunrise Angel is in for repairs (didn't pass annual). Bill says, "Bob Woodall is one gracious and generous man." Of course he is, he is a member of the Adams Family! On December 20, 2000 Bill became a member of an elite Group. He piloted a gas balloon with Bruce Hale and Sam Baxter. He is excited that he is now a "Gas Balloon Pilot". |
| Bill has been the Balloonmeister at the Santa Ana Blue Corn Harvest Festival, a three day event at the Santa Ana Reservation for the three consecutive years, 2000,2001 & 2002. Actually, the ballooners call him "Cowboymeister" and had that printed on his shirts. He has also been the Balloonmeister at the St. Patrick's Day Rally in Los Lunas, in March of 2002 and has been invited to be the Balloonmeister again in 2003.Bill has flown in the Albuquerque Kodak International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque; Red Rock Balloon Rally in Gallup New Mexico; Fiesta de Colores Rally in Grants, New Mexico; The Santa Fe trail Balloon Rally in Raton, New Mexico; St. Patrick's Day Rally in Los Lunas, New Mexico; Elephant Butte Balloon Regatta, T or C, New Mexico; the Mesilla Valley rally in Las Cruces, New Mexico; Santa Ana Pueblo rally, Santa Ana, New Mexico; Chama New Mexico Balloon/Snowmobile Rally and the NABA SW Regional Championships over Memorial Day. He has worked as a volunteer at Balloon Fiesta Park and is religious about passing out Landowner Cards to all landowners where he lands. He says a highlight of his career was flying foreign students who were in the area from Russia. He is a member of the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association (AAAA), Top Gun Ballooning Club in Albuquerque, Valencia Flying and Retrieval Society, the Southern California Balloon Association and Balloon Federation of America (BFA). He is also a BFA Observer and recently a NABA Observer. He served as Observer for all tasks flown in August 1998 at the Nationals in Rantoul, Illinois and was invited back to attend as Observer again in 1999. In 2001, he was elected to a two year term to the Board of Directors of Top Gun, Inc. New Mexico's NABA sanctioned competition club. He was elected that year as the Secretary. He was elected as the President of Top Gun, Inc. for the year 2002. Top Gun hosts the annual New Mexico State Championship and the NABA SW Regional Championship, concurrently over the three-day weekend of Memorial Day. This year was the 20th anniversary for Top Gun, Inc. and the New Mexico State Championship. |
| Bill has the nickname "cowboy" with good reason. He earned the "Top Hand" award from the New Mexico Chuckwagon trail Riders in 1996. |
| As is the case with other Adams Balloon pilots, Bill's most exhilarating experience was in a high wind landing where the pucker factor is always high. The Adams came through as usual he states..."everything, including me in one piece". |
| Bill's crew include: |
| Zoe Ciscon | Chuck Clark | April Coleman |
| Mike Coleman | Chuck Dimmitt |
Nikki Dimmitt |
| Allan Wynn | Mike Grega | Jim McKinney |
| Dotti Rolli | Steve Montoya | Charles Rolli |
| Bill's personal data include: |
| Aeronautical Licenses: Private Pilot and Commercial Pilot. |
| Day Job: Owner, MB Industries, Fabrication and Welding. |
| Hobbies: Hot Air Ballooning and horses. |
| Motto: Just do it! |
| You may contact Bill with any ballooning question at: |
 e-mail address: dimmitt@flash.net |
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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.
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