Balloons Unlimited History and People

Aerostats against a Wisconsin sky

Where did we come from?

Balloons Unlimited was formed in 1978 by Pete Asp with a partner. It flew it's first fare-paying passengers in 1979. It was incorporated in 1982 as Balloons Unlimited of Wisconsin, Inc. In 1985, Pete assumed full ownership of the corporation.

A balloon repair station was added in 1984. In 1989, operations were moved to Sullivan. This location allowed all flight operations to be conducted from our own launch site. This greatly simplified the logistics involved in getting passengers, crew, pilot and equipment together for each flight. The repair station was separated from the passenger flight business and incorporated as Wisconsin Aerostation, Ltd. in 1994.

Who are we?

Pete Asp bought his first balloon with a partner in 1978. They built an enclosed trailer for their instructor in exchange for their training. His background was in steel fabrication, his last job in that field was industrial/manufacturing engineer. His first balloon flight was his first training flight in March of 1979; his Private and Commercial pilot certificates followed later that year. He earned his Repairman Certificate in 1985. He became a FAA Designated Pilot Examiner in 1990. He built his own balloon, PH-One in 1995. He continues operation of repair station "Wisconsin Aerostation" and flys passengers as weather permits.

Pete Asp

2001