8 Questions for Tom Robinson
Red Rock Balloon Rally Board Member
By Fowler Roberts
Q. What got you interested in serving with the Red Rock Balloon Rally?
A. Well, it was sort of a natural extension of being a pilot. I started taking lessons with Peter Procopio in 1988 and bought a balloon. The natural thing to do was to join the association and help out with the rally.
Q. What do you enjoy most about your affiliation with the rally?
A. I enjoy the camaraderie. It’s a small, very tight group that puts on the rally. We’re all volunteers and we’re very close and work very well together. It’s a hectic time but it’s very enjoyable.
Q. What is the biggest challenge?
A. The biggest challenge for me is finding time. I’m very busy with my office and practice and sometimes I just have to tell my receptionist: “Block off next Thursday afternoon. I have some balloon rally stuff to do.”
Q. With regard to the sport of hot air balloon in general, what trends do you see nationwide?
A. Well, I think that the biggest thing we are seeing is fewer and fewer balloonists and the ones that are out there flying are getting grayer and grayer. Some rallies are dwindling as a result of that.
Q. What do you foresee in terms of the future of the Red Rock Balloon Rally?
A. We are better off than most rallies because this is a very popular rally with great flying conditions and scenery. We are still able to attract lots of pilots. I think in the future you will see us drawing people from wider and wider areas to our rally using social media and the Internet to advertise.
Q. What do you enjoy doing during the little off time that you have?
A. Well, when I’m not ballooning, I enjoy gardening, hiking and being outdoors. I also like reading. I’m enjoying my Kindle.
Q. What is your favorite book or author?
A. I like history and I recently finished Shelby Foote’s Civil War trilogy and really enjoyed that. It gave me more of an appreciation of what that era was about.
Q. If you could trade places with one famous person, who would it be and why?
A. I would like to be a member of the Louis and Clark expedition. The idea of using your skills and abilities to overcome danger and adversity and then be rewarded with discovery and adventure – that’s very appealing. (smiles) It’s like ballooning.
