John Ninomiya has demonstrated ultralight flight in 35 of the 50 states! During the Mountaineer Balloon Festival he added West Virginia as number 36!

On Saturday, John took to the air using 90 helium balloons for buoyancy. The balloon Beez'nflowers piloted by Bob Redinger flew with John as WBOY broadcasted live from the basket. John left the field just prior to the Pepsi-Cola Challenge Race and floated through the air for about 45 minutes before landing at the University Town Center. His flight was an amazing spectacle enjoyed by festival-goers and pilots alike. We're honored that John chose the Mountaineer Balloon Festival as his venue for the West Virginia stage of his "States of Enlightenment" project.

For more information about John Ninomiya's demonstration, visit his website at: www.clusterballoon.org

About John:

John Ninomiya has over twenty years of experience as a balloonist.  He has over 800 hours of flying time in hot-air balloons, including several hundred hours in single-person “Cloudhopper” hot-air balloons that are flown in a harness rather than with a basket.  He holds a commercial balloon pilot’s rating from the FAA for both hot-air and gas ballooning.

John began flying cluster balloons in 1997, under the tutelage of ballooning pioneer Don Piccard.  This unique and exciting form of ballooning, which involves flying in a harness attached to a cluster of helium-filled balloons, is practiced by only a handful of people worldwide.  John has made thirty-two cluster balloon flights, making him the world’s most experienced cluster balloon pilot.  His flights have included an ascent with oxygen to 21,000 feet, a flight off the coast of San Diego to a landing in a boat, and featured appearances at various balloon festivals across the United States, including the New York State Festival of Balloons, the Adirondack Balloon Festival, the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival and the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race.  All of his flights have been conducted safely and in compliance with applicable federal aviation regulations.

John’s cluster flights have been featured in Ballooning, Balloon Life and Aerostat (UK) magazines, as well as in the Wall Street Journal (November 1, 2002), Reader’s Digest (March 2003) and ESPN Magazine (June 2004).  His cluster balloon flight to 21,000 feet appeared on the Extreme Machines series on The Learning Channel.  He has also appeared on MTV’s Senseless Acts of Video, TechTV’s Tech Live, the nationally syndicated program Inside Edition, and the History Channel’s Tactical to Practical.

John is currently engaged in the “States of Enlightenment” project, a series of cluster balloon flights taking place in each of the 50 states of the U.S.  Where possible, these flights will feature locations of regional significance or scenic interest.  The project is anticipated to take 7 to 10 years to complete.