"Jimmy"
Jimmy Hill
|
"Jimmy" |
Scarlet Angel |
Michael's Angel |
| Jimmy was born May 21, 1950 in Fort Worth, Texas. He moved to Albuquerque in 1958. He currently works for Hoffman Corporation as a Site Project Superintendent. He recently returned from work involving the construction of a semiconductor facility in Israel. Jimmy is now back in the United States, and Dotty Hill, his wife, as well as his numerous friends in the Adams Family are certainly grateful. |
| Jimmy got into ballooning in 1984 when Sam Baxter, who was working for Jimmy asked him to go ballooning one weekend. As Jimmy says, "You know the story from there. The first balloon ride will cost you thousands of dollars". So in April 1985 Jimmy got his Student Pilot License or as he calls it his "Learners Permit". He learned to fly in Angel Wings. When he earned his pilots license in July 1986, he and Sam purchased Midnight Angel. Jimmy flew Midnight Angel until he took a ballooning sabbatical in 1990. In 1993 Jimmy repurchased Midnight Angel from Bob Woodall on the last day of the 1993 Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Two weeks after he bought Midnight Angel another balloon he and Dotty had looked at in St Louis became available. They sold Midnight Angel to Steve Colbert in order to finance their purchase of this new balloon, a 1983 75,000 cubic foot Adams "Pop-Top". Dotty thought of the name Scarlet Angel because the balloon is predominately red in color. Its deep red color reminded her of Scarlet O'Hara in the movie "Gone With The Wind". They had flown this new balloon for several weeks before she was named and Jimmy says, "She flies to her name"! In 1996 Jimmy and Dotty bought Michaels Angel. Jimmy had wanted a duck balloon since the first time he saw Mike Adams fly the original at the KAIBF in 1987. He finally talked Mikes brother-in-law, Scotty into building him a new duck balloon. The result was a 1996, 83,000 cubic feet, Adams "Pop-Top". Fittingly, they named the new balloon "Michaels Angel in memory of Mike Adams, the founder of Adams Balloons, who died of cancer in 1989. Michaels Angel had it's maiden voyage on the first day of KAIFB in 1996. To date Jimmy has logged 320 hours of flight time in the four balloons. Jimmy has flown in "The Big One�" for nine years. In addition, he has flown at Juarez International Balloon Rally, Elephant Butte Balloon and Boat Regatta, Raton Santa Fe Trail Balloon Rally, Los Lunas St. Patrick's Day Rallye, Gallup Red Rock Balloon Rally, Durango Snowdown Rally, Taos Mountain Balloon Rally, Friends and Lovers Rally and Jingle Bells Rally in Rio Rancho. He also tethers each Christmas season at the Albuquerque Country Club Balloon and Luminaria Glow. He has given tethered rides at local special events. |
| When asked what was his best moment in flying, Jimmy responded, "They are all good, But the high altitude flight to 24,250 feet MSL is still in first place". As to what his motto is, Jimmy said, "I will have to ponder this one". |
| Jimmy's crew include: |
| Dotty Hill | Scott Olive, Crew Chief | Barry Schoeneman |
| Paula Schoeneman | Tracy Olive |
Tamara Olive |
| Jaimie Olive | Jay Olive | Pete Aguirre |
| Vi Aguirre | and many others |
| Jimmy's personal data include: |
| Aeronautical Licenses: Private Balloon Pilot. |
| Day Job: Site Project Superintendent. |
| Hobbies: Hot Air Ballooning, Water Skiing, Snow Skiing, Golf and Fishing. |
| You may contact Jimmy with any ballooning question at: |
 e-mail address: michaelsangel.earthlink.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.
