Jerry Copas of Sellersburg, Indiana is a historian, published author, free-lance writer, graphic artist, and long-time balloon pilot. He has flown balloons in over thirty states and seven countries including Australia, Dubai and Switzerland. In 2021 Jerry was awarded the Balloon Federation of America’s Ed Yost Award for 40 years of safe ballooning. He has logged-time in 115 different balloons including 15 special shapes.  He has enjoyed many unique flights over the years, including four career “key grabs” and a first-place victory in the 2024 Kentucky Derby Festival Great Balloon Race. He has written articles on lighter-than-air history for Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine, Aviation History Magazine, and the B.F.A.’s Ballooning Magazine. He is author of the book “The Wreck of the Naval Airship USS Shenandoah” about the legendary 1925 aerial disaster. He is a former president of The Balloon Society of Kentucky, and currently serves as club historian. Jerry’s wife Kathy and son Spencer are also commercial balloon pilots.  Spencer is a United States Air Force officer, and very active in ballooning competition.  In their family ballooning business, the Copas’s have flown nationwide for companies like Jack Daniels, Caesars Palace, Michelin, Safeway Supermarkets, RE/MAX Realty, and many others.