Sky Rider weaves together the many threads of Van Tassel's extraordinary life journey, situating him at last in his rightful place among the prominent aerial exhibitionists of his time. Sky Rider has a place on the shelves of balloon enthusiasts, historians, and readers interested in a man who never gave up.--Melody Groves, Roundup Magazine Sky Rider traces the history of ballooning in the American West and worldwide through the biography of one of its most colorful showmen--Park Van Tassel. Fogel shows how a barkeep-turned-aeronaut popularized aerial entertainment through balloon launches, parachute drops, and trapeze shows.--Marilee Schmit Nason, Former Curator of Collections at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum Gary B. Fogel is an adjunct professor of aerospace engineering at San Diego State University and the CEO of Natural Selection, Inc. He is also the author or coauthor of Quest for Flight: John J. Montgomery and the Dawn of Aviation in the West , The Torrey Pines Gliderport , and Wind and Wings: The History of Soaring in San Diego . He lives in San Diego, California.