Some people say that flying in a balloon is the sensation without sensations.
When the balloon lifts off the ground by superheating the regular air inside, the balloon overcomes the forces of gravity. When you start to float with the winds, there is no bumping bounce or turbulence. The basket comes is very tall and sturdy, you will feel very secure while standing there feeling like you are watching a movie.
When I was 19, I saw a flyer that said they were looking for some help with some hot air balloons. I called them up. They were looking for some help with this large group of passengers for a 2 day event. No experience necessary. Come out and if we like you we will invite you back, if you like us you’ll come back. My first day out I helped the owner of the company get the people to the launch site. By the time we got this large group to the field there was 40 balloons standing in a row. The pilots gave the passengers a great ride. The owners invited back to help the next day.
That night the company who paid for all the rides threw a big party and a lot of passengers slept in. The balloon needs enough passengers the fly correctly, so they put me in as a passenger. To be able to leave the ground was amazing, but to be able to see everything from a different view (bird’s eye) view was breath taking. It is a totally different perspective to see everything from above. To see the mountains, the houses and various field from the sky from something that did not seem to be moving. Just blew my mind. I would never be the same after I left the planet for the first time.
It has been over 29 years since I took that first ride. I have been flying commercially since 1997. I have over 8100 flights that I have done. I have flown in Arizona, Michigan, Utah, New Mexico, but most of my flying has been in southern California. Every flight is a little different and I get to meet people from all walks of life that want to experience something they have never experience before.
