Jaimie Trautman passed away. This is the full obituary where you can share condolences and memories. Published in the The Press Republican on 2024-01-04.
The Great BalloonFest, one of the hallmark Kentucky Derby Festival events, launched under perfect conditions Sunday evening. Unfortunately perfect is not the best for this event. It made it more of a challegene. You could be going 30/40 degrees one minute, 200 the next. So there is a lot of luck but a lot of skill. said assistant Balloon Meister George Trautman.
This year s event showcased 13 pilots and the format was fly-in challenge, where balloonists drop a bag of beans onto a target, and pilots choose their own take-off location within a few miles of the drop zone. A much different affair than the traditional hare and hound format that involves competitors pursuing a lead balloon.