HR 111 (LSB 6279YH (13) 90)

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 111

BY  BODEN

A Resolution honoring Phil Gray for his contribution to aviation in the state of Iowa.

   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray took his first balloon flight with pilot Gene Dennis at the 1972 National Hot Air Balloon Championship held in Indianola, and soon afterwards helped form the Hawkeye Aerostation Society, LLC, a 10-member balloon club presided over by Mr. Gray, with Mr. Gray being chosen by club members as the first member to receive flight training; and
   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray began flight training on January 3, 1973, with Matt Wiederkehr, embarking on a three-hour flight from Indianola to Alleman, culminating with a high-wind landing on frozen ground; and
   WHEREAS, completing his first solo flight after receiving only six hours of training, Mr. Gray piloted his balloon by himself for two hours and 30 minutes over central Minnesota; and
   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray completed his “check ride” with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight examiner Lowell Sonquist, obtaining a commercial balloon license on February 2, 1973; and
   WHEREAS, during his “check ride”, Mr. Gray made a brief landing during which time the examiner exited and his first student entered the balloon to fly for his first time as pilot, while Mr. Gray flew as the instructor; and
   WHEREAS, in 1973, the same year he was certified as both an FAA designated pilot examiner and an FAA safety officer, Mr. Gray also began a certified aircraft repair station that same year, and later became a dealer for Raven Industries; and
   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray began commercial pilot work in 1973 and continued such work for the past 50 years, flying for multiple companies; and
   WHEREAS, when he was not flying commercially, Mr. Gray used his artistic talents to create commercial signs for pilots and many ballooning events; and
   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray helped form a race circuit for balloon enthusiasts, giving pilots the opportunity to race and receive meaningful prize money; and
   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray was determined to achieve more so he went on to manufacture his own balloon he named “Azure”; and
   WHEREAS, following the success of building his own balloon “Azure”, making its first maiden flight April 28, 1979, Mr. Gray and his wife, Linda Gray, began their quest to manufacture a balloon based on his own design, and on July 15, 1981, their company, National Ballooning Ltd., received “type” certification from the FAA; and
   WHEREAS, after finalizing the manufacturing process on July 22, 1982, National Ballooning Ltd. received an FAA production certificate, becoming the only balloon manufacturer in Iowa and the midwest; and
   WHEREAS, always innovative, he constructed a special basket with a door that had a large enough opening for a person using a wheelchair to board a hot air balloon, calling the balloon “Serena’s Song”, it features a 60-feet-high wheelchair-accessible symbol wearing a red heart on a solid blue balloon, and on July 28, 1992, the balloon was issued a standard airworthiness certificate, making it the world’s first wheelchair-accessible hot air balloon approved by the FAA and the first aircraft that was designed, built, and certified specifically for persons with disabilities; and
   WHEREAS, since 1982, Mr. Gray has continued to serve as the CEO and chief engineer of National Ballooning Ltd., the only FAA certified aircraft manufacturer in Iowa, and continues to manufacture hot air balloons to this day; and
   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray was awarded the Wright Brothers’ Master Pilot Award for 50 years of safe flying, becoming the only Iowa pilot to receive this award for safe flight with a lighter-than-air aircraft certificate, with all flight hours in a hot air balloon; and
   WHEREAS, Mr. Gray’s passion for ballooning has reached far beyond just the sport, hobby, or dream, and has now ascended into aeronautical history; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, That the House of Representatives honors Mr. Phil Gray, who holds an excellent safety rating having reported zero accidents, for his contributions to balloon aeronautics and for his endeavors to make ballooning accessible and memorable for all.