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See: Disclaimer (Different person - Steven K. Sprague, Bexar County Sheriff's Office)
Our ballo
From: Linda Roggli
Sent: Friday, October 21, 2005 5:14 PM
To: Marcie Cook
Subject: would you post this on your site?
It's been six months since Steve 'C' Sprague worked his very clever con job on me, selling me a worthless hot air balloon that had been flown for hundreds of hours OFF the log book. When the FAA inspector checked it, the fabric split right in his hands! Unsafe at any altitude, I'd say! In addition, Sprague sold me a brand new $1400 inflation fan that was never delivered. That is a felony theft in Texas.
I am filing criminal charges against this incredibly brazen con artist, but I know that there are many others who have been defrauded and humiliated by his tactics. Please tell them to contact me via email so we can join forces to stop this man. The more people know about who he really is and what he does to people, the better off the field of aviation (and the women of San Antonio) will be.
Thanks Marcie
Linda
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From: Linda Roggli
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 4:54 PM
To: marcie@mlmconsultant.com
Subject: Can we talk about Steve Sprague please??
I am horrified by your story, which I just found online after I was scammed by him for $12k when he sold me an non airworthy balloon. My phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx. I really would like to talk to you in person if that is possible. I suspected that he would be difficult to find...I am talking to the FAA right now.. Why did he get to fly again after your accident??? And I was told he DOES have insurance!! But there has been no claim on it -- something is not right!
Honest people need to stick together here
Linda Roggli
"Plant your dreams; miracles will grow!"
Life & ADHD encouragement coaching, full presence communication and garden retreats!
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From: Susan Welge
Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 7:47 PM
To: marcie@mlmconsultant.com
Subject: (no subject)
Hi Marcie,
My name is Susan Welge. On Oct. 5, 1998 my life and the lives of my 2 best friends were changed forever as a result of the "Wayfinder" balloon accident in Albuquerque, NM. Our pilot (Tom Thompson) too did not care enough to carry insurance. Our accident entailed hit 2 sets of high tension power lines. After the first set put a gaping hole in our balloon, we somehow managed to hit the ground & were all ok.
For whatever reason the pilot did not seize the opportunity to deflate the remaining part of the balloon & we again ascended into the air. However, 2 burners were out and the large hole made it impossible to avoid the second set (thankfully they had automatically become off). However, the wires severed the balloon from the basket & we free-fell 30 feet to the ground. Luckily we landed on the Kirkland Air Force base & help arrived immediately. However, there was one fatality and the other 11 passengers all had pretty significant injuries.
Personally, I had a shattered pelvis, left hip, broken ribs, a ruptured bladder & many other injuries. My friends' injuries included a spinal cord injury, broken vertebrae, broken ribs, broken ankles, & a completely shattered foot. Although I still walk with a limp (due to a leg length discrepancy which resulted from my injuries) we all feel lucky to be alive.
We all share your passion in spreading the word as to how truly unsafe & unpredictable hot air ballooning is. Thanks for your efforts.
Sincerely,
Susan Welge
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From: Marcie Cook
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 11:42 AM
To: 'Jeff Thompson'
Subject: RE: Balloon Ride.
Dear Jeff,
This was the nicest letter I have received to date. You explained every thing in great detail and gave me a very different view of things.
It has now been three years since the accident and yes my feelings have changed. I still have issues with the FAA and the lack of insurance and will continue to work on these.
I now know it is the pilot and not the pleasure of the ride that is the problem. I don't choose to change the site though, as then I would probably not have heard from a person as nice as you. Thank you Jeff.
Very sincerely,
Marcie Cook
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Web Site by: DesignCarte
Below are comments e-mailed from viewers of this website. There are more posted in my guestbook: View Marcie's Guestbook
DEFAULT JUDGMENT AWARDED: $1.5 MILLION
See: Judgment
Ref: Cook V. Sprague dba Incredible Journey Balloons, Cause No 2003-cl-00661, in the 288th District Court, Bexar County, Texas.
SITE VISITOR COMMENTS - ARCHIVE DIRECTORY: 2005
From: Jeff Thompson
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 4:54 AM
To: Marcie Cook
Subject: Balloon Ride.
Wow Marcie. I am sorry to hear about your balloon flight.
I am a balloon pilot. My name is Jeff Thompson. I was surfing when I found your article. You have several things very right and several things very wrong. This is not to say that your incident was any less unfortunate or the pain you suffered any less real, but it certainly is the rare exception to the rule.
I do understand that in your case it is hard to think logically. Emotion after an accident like that would certainly cloud most people’s judgment. In fact, a balloon flight is one of the safest things you can do. Statistically, you are more likely to get food poisoning at your favorite restaurant than hurt on a balloon flight. We don’t even want to talk about your odds of getting hurt in an auto accident. The odds on injury or death are even higher in a plane than in a balloon but I do not know of anyone who requires the airline to show their insurance before boarding a plane. This is like the story about the shark vs, the coconut. When you go to the beach which worries you more? Statistically the Coconut kills more people each year than the shark. That is a fact but when a coconut falls and kills someone it does not make great news. A shark attack on the other hand is sensational news thus we are all convinced that the shark is the bigger danger. Balloons very rarely crash but when they do it is big news because they are so rare.
We all recognize that the waiver is worthless. However the insurance company requires it so what can we do? Consider this, If the waiver can be faked so can the insurance and you would never know until you had a problem. So requesting to see the insurance before the flight is actually no guarantee at all. The best advice I would give is to ask the pilot how long he has been flying and how many flight hours he has. This would be a better judge of his skill but would not be a guarantee either. Keep in mind that there has never been an accident that was caused by mechanical failure in a balloon. It is always pilot error. So flight hours are a better yardstick to go by than anything else.
I was in a motorcycle accident many years ago. I had my right foot torn off in the accident. It was a very unfortunate incident and the person who hit me was very minimally insured. He was 60 and did not see me and ran a stop sign. His insurance did not cover my hospital expenses. I had nine operations to repair the foot and do tissue reconstruction and skin grafts. I also had a rod inserted from my hip to my knee to repair a broken femur. If I reacted with emotion I would say that anyone over 60 should not be driving and everyone would be required to have the maximum amount of insurance they could get regardless of their driving record. I would also speculate that cars are dangerous and everyone should drive motorcycles. This is simply not the case. I will not allow my emotion over my accident to influence my common sense. If you drive anything, car or motorcycle or even a bus you run the potential risk of being in an accident some where some time. Period.
I hope you can understand my ill reaction to your web site. You make is sound like all balloon activity is a horrible risk. I have been flying hot air balloons since the modern hot air balloon was invented. I have over 30 YEARS of hot air balloon experience and still fly almost daily. I log around 250 flight hours each year. I have over FIVE THOUSAND FLIGHT HOURS. I have never ever hurt anyone, EVER. By your logic I am the luckiest fool to walk the planet. By my logic I am a competent and skilled pilot. Keep in mind that 50% of the doctors were in the bottom half of their class. Doctors make mistakes as well and they too deal with life and death situations like pilots. Your logic would suggest that we should ban doctors altogether as well because some make mistakes. Please understand. NO DOCTOR OR PILOT ever intends to hurt anyone. It is our pledge not to. There are experienced doctors and there are new ones. Same applies to pilots.
I guess the offence I take to your site is that it reflects badly on people like me who have dedicated my life to creating wonderful memories for people that will last the rest of their life. I have a web site where you can go and see dozens and dozens of emails I have received from my passengers about their flight http://www.ThompsonAire.com
You are giving people the impression that a balloon flight is a dangerous thing to do and that it is the responsibility of our government to fix it. Statistically balloon flights are the safest type of aircraft there is and the government can make all the rules it wants and that won’t fix anything. If Laws were the simple solution then why do we still have Rape? There are laws against that right? We still have people selling drugs. How can that be we have laws against that right? I am sure you get my point. The only thing extra laws do is make everything more expensive for all of us. It still boils down to you and me. We need to be responsible for our own lives and choices. We could have all the laws in the world and everyone could have insurance out the wazoo and accidents like yours could still happen. So my question is, what do you think you’re solving with your site?
That is why I am writing this to you. Your solutions won’t work! If you think about what I have said you will have a hard time arguing with it. At least if you use your common sense instead of feelings to argue with. The only thing you are succeeding at is hurting the reputation of good pilots
I understand your feelings. I have been there; I still fight terrible pain each day just to walk. But I am not campaigning against anyone who drives a car or a van, or who is over the age of 60. What happened to me was not their fault. My accident was just one poor choice by one person that resulted in my injuries. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and nothing will change that.
I hope you understand the intent of my mail. I am in no way trying to belittle your experience. I have had an experience very similar. I am just trying to have you re-examine your deductions and reconsider your judgments. Guns are not dangerous people are. Cars are not dangerous people are. Balloons are not dangerous people are. Laws don’t fix anything... personal responsibility will.
Capt. Jeff A. Thompson
Chief Pilot
Thompson Aire Inc.
13825 Avalon Rd. Winter Garden Florida 34787
407-421-9322
***
32 year veteran pilot
Commercial Flight Instructor.
FAA Pilot Safety Seminar Guest Speaker
BFA PAAP Distinguished Aeronaut. Level 8
Competitor 2006 US National Balloon Championships
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