After attending a balloon Festival in Marysville, Ohio in 1971, Gary became interested in buying his own balloon.  It wasn’t until 1981 that he was able to do so.  He obtained his pilot’s license that same year.  He worked as a locomotive engineer for the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad in Ohio for 18 years.  He quit and practiced law for five years then moved to New Jersey in 1988 where he again worked as a locomotive engineer for New Jersey Transit.