A long time ago, apparently a beautiful hot air balloon roamed the skies at Dudy Noble Field. This majestic mixing of maroon and white material rode the winds outside of the Carnegie Hall of College Baseball, overlooking the Bulldogs as they
Okay, some of that might be a bit over the top with a sprinkle of exaggeration.
*extreme Stephen A. Smith voice*
HOWEVER!
*normal Ethan voice*
Apparently back in the day, there used to be what appears to be a maroon and white hot air balloon with the classic “Walking Bully” logo covering the side of it. I don’t know who I need to talk to about this, but Mississippi State baseball absolutely needs this iconic hot air balloon back at its games.
According to a tweet from Bart Gregory, who knows more about Mississippi State sports than most, the balloon was around for a while and was a common sight at Mississippi State baseball games.
But, for some unknown (to me at least) reason, this eighth wonder of the world was taken “out of commission and trashed about 20 years ago,” Gregory said in his tweet.
Which, *checks math* would be in the early part of the 21st century, possibly before many of the Mississippi State baseball players were even born!
(Side note, I need to know how one trashes a hot air balloon. What is the process behind this? Who takes trashed hot air balloons? Do you just drive up to the dump with this thing in the back of your truck or trailer and tell someone “hey, I need to get rid of this” and then just get rid of it?)
If this thing wasn’t actually trashed and is just hiding in someone’s garage or storage unit somewhere, it needs to be unearthed and brought back to life and to The Dude. If it was indeed trashed, I need someone to perfectly replicate this thing and get it to Starkville as soon as possible.
This thing is majestic and we need it to fly again at Mississippi State baseball games.
So far it looks like the balloon MIGHT be making a comeback as Leah Beasley, Mississippi State’s Deputy Athletic Director for External Affairs, is apparently on board with reviving this thing.
Someone please make this happen. 2020 was awful and 2021 has been a mixed bag. We could all use more Mississippi State hot air balloons in our lives.
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Categories: Baseball
This balloon was flown by my step father Walter Bishop.
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Ethan, if you want to know anything about Air Bully, call, E-Mail or text me and we can meet. I was one of the pilots and the designer of the balloon. It was owned by Air Bully Inc. and Walter Bishop who was the Area Manager for Mississippi Valley Gas here in Starkville. The balloon could come back if someone has $40,000.00 to repurchase all the equipment and about $20,000.00 /year for operating expenses. Jim Lytle. 662-418-7684; JLytlePhoto@gmail.com
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Air Bully was not trashed. It was deactivated because of age, maintenance needed and most of all, lack of interest from the university officers at that tome. Equipment was donated to another MSU supporter that also was a balloon pilot. Lack of support was Air Bully’s demise.
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For more Information on Air Bully find or buy a copy of Stuart Vance’s book “Aviation in the Golden Triangle” published in 2011. ISBN – 978-1-6185000014.
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