Mike received his FAA Private Pilot Certification on July 12, 2007. He is a founding member of the Black Sheep Squadron and takes flying the local area very seriously. He has been instrumental in finding new landowners in the area and developing important relationships with anyone he comes in contact with while ballooning. When not flying in Rally's around the region you can generally find Mike, Ellen and the Team flying the Tri-County area around Glens Falls, NY.  Mike is the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds for the Greenwich Central School District and resides in South Glens Falls, New York.

Ellen Hernandez - Crew Chief & Pilot's Wife

Ellen was completely responsible for getting the Hernandez Family involved in ballooning. It was a birthday gift in October of 2006 that got her and Mike hooked. Ellen is responsible for directing the crew in their duties during pre-launch while Mike briefs the passengers. She also leads the chase vehicle while Mike flies and keeps him in check during their daily life. She is the glue that holds us all together!

Amanda Hernandez - Crew & Oldest Daughter

Amanda loves crewing and is responsible for handling the fan side of the throat during inflation. She also enjoys taking pictures and videos of our flights.

Amanda is a Freshman at SUNY Potsdam and will return home when she can to help her mom and dad fly the balloon. She will be missed terribly when she is not around but she knows how proud we all are of her and wish her the very best in her college years. She will help crew mostly during the summer when she is not working and will attend as many Rally's as possible.

Allison Hernandez - Crew & Youngest Daughter

2008 has been a coming out year for our youngest daughter Allison. She has been training as a crew person and has learned how to safely operate the fan and mouth of the balloon. She will be learning even more in 2009 as she gets ready to learn to fly when she gets her Student Pilot Certificate at the tender age of 14.

She is getting ready for life without her big sister who will be away from home at college. I think she can handle the pressure.You may notice that Allison has a set of headphones implanted in her ears for her Ipod.

Don Donofrio - Crew

Don is a long time friend who has attended many hockey games with us. Don has been with us from the start and rarely misses an opportunity to come join us. Don resides in Glens Falls, New York.

Don and Mike have a flight plan to one day get to 10,000 feet AGL! He also looks forward to the Balloon Rally's that we will be attending in 2008.

Josh Clark - Crew

Josh played baseball for Mike starting at the age of 14. Josh has also been with us from the start and has his Student Pilot Certification. Josh can be relied on to razz everyone around him on a day that we fly. Nobody is immune to his humor.

Ken Hughes - Crew & Chief Translator

After Ken came out to crew and fly one time, he was hooked. A great friend and co-worker, he enjoys the great camaraderie and friendship that everyone has when we  are around each other. Ken has his Student Pilot Certification. Ken's wife Courtney and daughter Charlotte both enjoy coming out and hangin' with everyone. Charlotte is "Balloon Mike's" #1 fan. We welcome the newest addition to the Team as Courtney gave birth to her and Ken's second child, Oliver on February 29th 2008.

Mark Brown - Crew

Mark is another great friend who has been with us from the start. Mark comes out to crew and fly as much as he can and thoroughly enjoys all the laughs that come from being a part of this team.

Dave Hughes- Crew

 Dave began crewing for our team early on in 2008. His first real taste was during the annual Ameri Glow in Lake George. Since then Dave has come out to crew as much as his job allows and has learned each piece of the balloon very well. He is the other half of our very own "Twin Towers" crew as his older brother Ken crews with us also. Both of these guys stand over 6'4" tall and are gentle giants. Dave's personality is infectious and we look forward to his participation in a couple Rally's in 2009 with our team.