August 2000
phone call from his brother Bill was all it took for Bruce Bussey
toset aside a decade of competitive archery and bow hunting in
ordertolaunchintoanewsport,hotairballooning.Itwasa
decision that launched Bruce Bussey downa very long road.
“Itwasreally unique inthe beginningbecause wewere so
dumb about it,” says Bussey. “Bill called one day and said he had
this balloon in a box sitting in his driveway. He wanted me to go
over andhelphimfly it.”
That was in1977 and for the nextfive years Bruce Bussey
servedascrew chieffor brother BillBussey.Despite frequent
promptingfrom Bill, it wasn’t until 1982 that Bruce decidedto
get a license and flyhis own balloon, or as he puts it, “I decided
to quit work (15 years at theSchlitz/Strohs Brewery in Longview,
Texas) to become rich and famous flying balloons.”
Bruce Busseyhasenjoyed“17yearsof retirement”flying
balloonscommerciallyforclientslikeStrohs,Oldsmobile,
CadillacandcurrentlyGMC. While some pilots workyearsto
sell a commercial program, Bussey’s developedalmostby hap-
penstance.
“I was working at what was then the Schlitz Brewery,” Bruce
explains,“whenPeterStrohscametotourthefacilitybefore
eventually buying it. He and I met by accident one morning and
I gave hima tour of thebrew house. Later that sameday, after
work, I was tethering the Schlitz balloon (brother Bill’s contract)
and Mr. Strohs came up, saw me and the balloon and asked if we
could build one withhisname onit. That’s how it started.”
Ballooningwasn’ttheonlysignificantchangetoenter
Bussey’slifeintheearly80’s.“WewereattheGreatReno
BalloonRace in Reno, Nevada in1983. Bill and I hadflownto
Renowithourenvelopes,andrentedacouple ofbasketsand
chase trucks for theevent. Beforethe first flight I went up on stage
andannouncedthatIneededsomeonetodriveforme,”says
Bussey.A youngwomanemergedfromthe crowdandvolun-
teered to drive for that day. They would be married on that exact
same spottwo years later bythe late JohnWallisand today, 17
years later, Lori Bussey is still driving and chasing Bruce and his
balloon.
Siblingsparticipatinginthesamesportcanoftenleadto
trouble, but Bruce says he never felt that he was competing with
brother Bill. “I’ve never felt we were competing for reputations
because he seeksa reputationI don’t. Bill hasalways strivesto
dothingsthatotherscannot, like hisworldrecordflights.I’ve
never pushed thatfar,” says Bruce,” and while competition has
beenafocalpointforBill,I’vealwaysdoneandenjoyed
corporate work.”
That’snot tosayBruceBusseyisn’tcompetitive. Even he
admits, “There is no one in the world I’d rather beat at a balloon
race than Bill.” And a quicklookat his 30Championships won
“I can remember it like it was yesterday,” he says, “Bill and
I were in first and second place and were coming in to a target at
Birmingham, Alabama. He chose a high route and I took the low
one andwecametothetargetandjuststopped.He can’tsee
anything but the top of my balloon underneath him, blocking the
target, and he’s on the radio yelling for me to move. As I laid my
baggie onthe target the officialswarnedthat I shouldn’tgoup
because there was a balloon above me,” he continues with a grin,
“so I just shook my head and said ‘Oh well.’ As we finally moved
off the target, wemovedoff together. Billfinallyhadto throw
backover my balloonin order to score.”
Among his competitive wins, none have meant more to him
thanhis1992winattheGreatTexasBalloonRaceinhis
hometown of Longview which he followed with a repeat win in
1993 with his mother and father in attendance.
With a 5-year old grandson at home, Bruce and Lori admit
toenjoyingtheirgrowingroleasgrandparents, andsayretire-
mentfromthe roadcouldbe justaroundthe bend. “Seventeen
years is a long haul,” says Bruce, “and every year now at the end
of the seasonI reallyenjoygoinghome. After elevenyearsof
remodeling, the home on Lake Cherokee is just about where we
want it; it’s a really comfortable home. I cansee maybe another
five or sixyears all thingsbeingequal.”
Of course it won’t be Bruce’s decision alone. “I couldn’t see
doingthiswithoutLoriatmyside.We’ve workedsoclosely
together for so long that she knows what I want to do before I can
say it. If she evergets tired ofthe road, then I’m probably finished
too!
“ButI don’tthinkwe’llevercompletelywalkawayfrom
ballooning. I’ll always own a balloonandalwaysgo toballoon
races because it’s thepeoplewe enjoy, thefriends we’vemade all
over the world, that’s what will always be most important tous
about ballooning.”
1982-pilot license
1983-wins first event
championship
1983-begins flying
commercially for
Strohs
1983-meets eventual
wife Lori at Great
Reno Balloon Race
1985-Bruce and Lori
married at GRBR
1992/93-back to
back Great Texas
Balloon Racewinner
1995-winner, AIBF
2000-Team
Championship
