The Merritt Ministry

ARKY, the Hot Air Balloon stand 85 feet tall, is 100 feet long, and is 55 feet wide. ARKY has the air capacity of 131,000 cubic feet of air, which is almost twice that of an average hot air balloon. With over 1,700 individual patterns, ARKY is the most complex hot air balloon built in North America to date.

ARKY has been used as a vehicle to draw attention to the plight of abused children. ARKY is owned by Merritt Ministry and its Trustee, veteran balloon pilot Robert Schaible (a.k.a. the Professor of Professor Muldoon's Hot Air Balloon and Flying Machines) based in Tracy, California. ARKY has a passenger list of 28 animals beginning with Anonymous Hippopotamus to Zuba Zebra. Unlike the original Noah's Ark, ARKY holds only two "human" passengers and its pilot.

ARKY will be one of two special shaped hot air balloons which will be used by the non-profit, non-denominational, Merritt Ministry as evangelism tools to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The specific message of ARKY, with it's colorful rainbow arched over the top of the ark is that "God Keeps His Promises".

For more information on how you can arrange to have ARKY visit your event, contact
The Merritt Ministry