About GEBA

Overview

The Great Eastern Balloon Association, Inc. (GEBA) was formed in 1986 and is an association of balloon pilots, crew, and enthusiasts, formed for balloonists in the middle Atlantic states of the US.  While most of our members are from  Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York and Maryland, we have members as far north as Vermont and as far south as the US Virgin Islands!

Objectives

• Promoting Public Interest
  GEBA acts as a conduit for obtaining and disseminating information about ballooning to the general public.  This is accomplished through this web site, the newsletter, mailings, participation in numerous events, as well as active participation in the Balloon Federation of America.  The following web pages provide additional information:
       The EVENT CALENDAR is a comprehensive listing of balloon-related activity.
       The LINKS page is a collection of interesting balloon-related web sites that offer additional information.
  
• Improving Communication Between Aeronauts And Enthusiasts
  Through the work of the newsletter committee, we continue to disseminate information among GEBA's ballooning community via SKYWRITER.  This web site is part of our efforts to increase the scope of those communications.  
  
  Each GEBA member receives our annual membership directory, which lists the current association membership.  The publication is useful in supporting communication between members.  The social committee plans several events each year to give GEBA members the opportunity to meet and enjoy each others company.
  
  The competition committee encourages friendly (flying skill) contests and records the results for annual association recognition.
  
• Promoting Safety
  GEBA runs an annual safety seminar. This event follows the Balloon Federation of America suggested format.   It provides pilots and crew with essential information that is used to improve the safety aspects of ballooning. 
  
• Establishing Rapport With The Public
  The landowner relations committee works with the local community through various programs to educate and communicate information about ballooning.  One highly-successful effort of this committee is the Landowner Response Card project.

Administration

GEBA is managed by a Board of Directors with elections being held in November.  Functional areas (committees) are managed by individual chair people, reporting to a Board (liaison) member.  General membership meetings are held 3 times per year, at various locations so as to spread travel time for the membership.   Prospective members are encouraged (and welcome) to attend general meetings to learn about the activities of GEBA and ballooning.