| BFA Pilot John Kugler to Join Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame |
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| Written by Glen Moyer |
| Friday, 19 December 2008 09:12 |
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John Kugler, BFA pilot from McCook, Nebraska will be inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame on January 29, 2009. The induction ceremony will be held during the banquet of the Nebraska Aviation Symposium at the Kearney Holiday Inn, Kearney, Nebraska. Kugler, his brother Mike, and their late father Russ started flying hot air balloons in the late 1970’s. Manned balloon flight dates to the late 1700's but was a rare event in Nebraska. Gary Sines, of Jefferson City, MO, the son of Kugler Oil Company employee John Sines suggested to Russ that hot air ballooning could be an exciting pursuit for his adventurous sons and the rest is history. The pioneering Kuglers led in making it a colorful spectacular sport that we know today and John, rated as a Commercial Balloon Pilot and Instructor has made his mark in the sport the world around. John competed in the International Coupe Gordon Bennett Gas balloon race and uncounted national and local ballooning meets. He’s taught numerous people from around the United States fly hot air and gas balloons. Most notable of his students was the late Steve Fossett who went on to set numerous aviation world records, including the first solo round the world flight. Kugler Company is a McCook-based regional farm fertilizer manufacturer which led to Kugler’s assistance in pioneering the use of Anhydrous Ammonia as a lifting gas for gas balloons. Anhydrous Ammonia is a commonly used farm fertilizer and is much more economical than using helium or hydrogen gas. |
| Last Updated on Sunday, 08 March 2009 15:58 |