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Dave Sullivan, INCUMBENT
Dave Sullivan is a retired Army officer and former helicopter instructor pilot with over 2800 hours of flight experience. The owner/operator of Balloonacy, ltd since 1994, he provides inspection and repair services for over 100 balloons in the Southeast. His subsidiary company, Parts Authority, provides parts for the remaining fleet of Aerostar balloons worldwide, and also holds the type certificate for Aerostar balloons. Additionally, he has previously operated the only FAA approved 141 training program for lighter than air in the Southeast, and trained over 80 pilots to FAA certification standards, as well as being designated one of AOPA’s Top 50 Flight Schools in 2013.
Dave was the lead tech writer for the FAA’s Balloon Training Handbook, FAA-H-8083-11A, released in 2007, as well as having contributed material to several of the current FAA training manuals. He is a recipient of the Balloon Federation of America’s Director’s Award, President’s Award, Distinguished Aeronaut designation, Ed Yost Master Pilot Award, and the Shields-Trauger Memorial Award. Dave is an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner in Lighter-than-Air/Balloons, and currently serves as the Southeastern representative to the Balloon Federation of America’s Board of Directors.
“Over the past ten months, I’ve had the pleasure of serving as the Southeast Director for the Balloon Federation of America. I currently sit on the Membership committee, and act as liaison between the youth camp program committee and the Awards committee. I also work government affairs issues directly with the BFA President, dealing with the many regulatory issues that we as a community are affected by.
I’ve come to the conclusion that we do some things very well, some things not so well, and frankly, there are a couple of things that we don’t seem to be doing at all. I believe it’s time to reconsider where we are as an organization, and move in a direction to “reimagine” the BFA. In our heyday, the BFA was the repository of “all things ballooning”; now, with the advent of the internet, Facebook and other social media sites, and the easy access to information, that’s not necessarily the case anymore. I believe we need to evaluate our products and services, and start updating those offerings.
As an organization, I believe we need to get away from the mindset of the BFA being a “members only” focus – we have a tendency to only be concerned about those who are card carrying members of the organization. We need to do a better job of representing all ballooning enthusiasts in the United States, and by doing that, I think our membership numbers will improve.
I think that we’re at a tipping point with the BFA, and that we need to move forward, perhaps in a different direction, to stay relevant. I’d like to be a part of that renewed effort, and hope to assist in driving the BFA forward in remaining the voice of ballooning. I would appreciate your vote.
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