Our Balloons
"Gusty"
"Palmetto Paws"
"Mister Z"
We use this balloon for most of our balloon operations. It is great for tethering, flights and also advertising!
"Mister Z"
"Palmetto Paws"
"Mister Z"
Mister Z is our newest special shape! We love to display him at balloon events all over the world!
"Palmetto Paws"
"Palmetto Paws"
"Palmetto Paws"
This balloon married into the family! Our favorite female pilot, Jayme Stukas, takes this balloon to events all over the country spreading love for her Clemson Tigers!
"Hot Apple Fly"
"Hot Apple Fly"
"Hot Apple Fly"
Our other special shape and this one was also added into our family by marriage! We love to display the apple and "burny" the worm at events across the country!
"Lucky Strike"
"Hot Apple Fly"
"Hot Apple Fly"
This is our racer balloon used for competition ballooning and fun flying! We loved this original design so much we created Gusty with the same design!
About Our Team
Dan Stukas - Pilot
Jayme Stukas - Crew Chief & Pilot
Dan Stukas - Pilot
Dan has over 3,000 hours in a hot air balloon. He is also a retired Delta pilot as well as a former USAF pilot. He is originally from Nevada and moved to the Southeast in the 80's where he met his wife Susan and began his adventures in ballooning!
DJ Stukas - Pilot
Jayme Stukas - Crew Chief & Pilot
Dan Stukas - Pilot
DJ Stukas has over 1,000 hours in balloons and also holds a commercial rating in airplanes. He was introduced to ballooning at birth, traveling around the world with his family and balloons. He loves the sport of ballooning and community that comes with it.
Susan Stukas - Crew Chief
Jayme Stukas - Crew Chief & Pilot
Jayme Stukas - Crew Chief & Pilot
Susan Stukas is originally from south Georgia. She first fell in love with ballooning when she was a little girl and one landed in her yard. She can be credited with getting Dan interested and making it the family hobby. She enjoys watching her husband and son fly and loves the thrilling chase to find them once they take off!
Jayme Stukas - Crew Chief & Pilot
Jayme Stukas - Crew Chief & Pilot
Jayme Stukas - Crew Chief & Pilot
Jayme Stukas was born into ballooning just like DJ. Her parents, Jim and Donna, started ballooning in the 80s and it has been the family hobby every since. She and DJ attended many of the same balloon events as children and became good friends. Jayme got her private pilots license in 2013. Ballooning finally brought Jayme and DJ together and they married in 2022.