Jon Thompson

Apr 15, 2026

Jon is originally from Kissimmee, Florida and he’s been in ballooning as long as Rainbow Ryders has been a company – over four decades. However, his very first balloon ride was back in 1974.

He attended the National Balloon Championships with his family in Indianola, Iowa as a spectator. During that time, they met a pilot and helped him pack away the balloon. At that point, his brother Jeff was hooked and talked their parents into letting him take lessons. Hot air ballooning quickly began a family sport, with Jon becoming the 3rd pilot in his family (just behind his brother and dad).

Jon has flown all over the world, including Canada, Ecuador, Japan, and Mexico. He loves flying in the mountains the most though, no matter the country. He’s even flown over the continental divide in Breckenridge, Colorado! Nowadays, you can catch him flying in any one of our three cities.