Tony Sandlin

Tony is the owner of Midwest Balloon Rides.

Tony has flown more hours than any other balloon pilot in the state of Indiana over the last year and has currently logged over 1000 hours in balloons total.  He was born and raised in Indianapolis, IN and now lives in Fishers, IN with his wife, Gail and their 3 sons.

Tony became involved in ballooning in 1989 after answering an ad in the Thrifty Nickel Newspaper looking for a person to join a hot air balloon crew team.  From there he studied to become a private pilot and then became a commercial hot air balloon pilot in 2005.  Tony recently sold his first balloon “Inflated Ego” and currently flies either “Blown Away” or the largest of his balloons “Out of the Blue” that carries one of the only baskets with a door in the tri-state area.

Tony has flown extensively throughout the United States as well as Canada, Mexico and the Middle East.  In 2011 & 2012, Tony was included as one of only 30 balloons permitted to give passenger rides at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, an annual gathering of over 600 hot air balloons.  He has been invited back to do the same in 2013. This past August Tony was hired to film a commercial using his balloons in Cailfornia for a company from Spain.

Tony’s team includes his crew chief, Bob Owens along with several other crew members, Beth Hopkins, Alan Saloh, Ted Gransburry, Tim Coughlin, his wife Gail and sons Will, Bailey and Taylon that help make flying possible.  Tony loves giving folks the thrill of a balloon ride and appreciates the serenity offered by being in the air.

Brad Chism

Brad was born and raised in St. Joseph, IL and loves the beauty and peacefulness of floating through the sky.  Brad is usually being chased by his dedicated crew that includes his wife Terri Chism, his adult son Ryan and longtime friend Mike Miller.  Brad and Terri live in Fishers, IN and have been involved in ballooning for over 9 years.  Brad has logged approximately 160 hours of time in the air.

In 2011, Brad had the experience of flying in Leon, Mexico and plans to make the trip again this coming November.  Brad’s current balloon is a Thunder & Colt and goes by the name of “Slow Ride”.  It holds 90,000 cubic feet of air!

Mark Westra

Mark was born in Beech Grove, IN and today lives just a few miles away in Greenfield, IN.  Mark has been involved in ballooning for over 20 years and is now flying his third balloon, “Too Hot to Handle” since he became a commercial hot air balloon pilot.  Mark has flown in Canada and Mexico and is a veteran of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Mark has logged over 600 hours and a special thanks goes to his team; wife and partner, Alora, chief and second pilot in command, Jennifer Garst, and other crew members Bailey Hunsberger, Angie McGraw, Vickie Reid, Sherry Gibbons, Terry Pettigrew, Keith Deimer and Josh Mollenkopf.

Mark loves to share the sport and thrill of hot air ballooning with others.  Each time he takes someone on the experience of a lifetime; it is new and different for them all.