Featured
Journey to flight: sa国际传媒官网网页入口 native Tristan MacLean has spent a lifetime learning to pilot hot air balloons
As you look up to the sky during the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 International Balloon Fiesta, there will be hundreds of pilots in the air.
Each has their own story about flying.
For sa国际传媒官网网页入口 native Tristan MacLean, becoming a hot air balloon pilot always seemed to be in the cards.
鈥淚 got my first taste of hot air balloons from Richard Abruzzo,鈥� MacLean says. 鈥淓ver since that moment, I couldn鈥檛 get away from it.鈥�
MacLean will be one of the hundreds of pilots to take to the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 skies during the Balloon Fiesta from Friday, Oct. 7, through Oct. 15, as he flies the ExxonMobil hot air balloon.
It will mark his fourth as a pilot 鈥� though MacLean鈥檚 journey has been a lifetime of work.
As a child, Abruzzo piloted MacLean for his initial rides in a hot air balloon.
鈥淚 just really enjoyed it,鈥� he says. 鈥淎fter that, Francine Stewart invited me out and introduced me to Tyler Young, who was crew chief. That was back in 2010. I started to crew for them.鈥�
By 2012, Brad Rice became his instructor and crewed as much as he could.
In 2016, MacLean hit a milestone.
鈥淚 got a loan for a hot air balloon and I started flying,鈥� he says. 鈥淏rad offered to be my teacher.鈥�
Journey to flight: sa国际传媒官网网页入口 native Tristan MacLean has spent a lifetime learning to pilot hot air balloons
MacLean balanced his flying lessons alongside getting his education at Fort Lewis College in Durango.
鈥淚 would drive home on the weekends to do my training,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an expensive hobby, but the ballooning world is so tight-knit. I had so many people helping me get the lessons and time I needed to get my pilot鈥檚 license.鈥�
In 2018, while in college, MacLean participated in Fort Lewis鈥� Hawk Tank, where he submitted a business plan with a classmate called 鈥淎lways Time to Fly.鈥�
鈥淚t was a hot air dining business in the sky,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e won the event and was awarded $5,000. I had to open a business with the money.鈥�
The next year, MacLean got his commercial pilot鈥檚 license and was immediately approached by XTO Energy to be their sponsored pilot for the Balloon Fiesta that year.
As a pilot, MacLean can be often seen with his team going over all safety precautions.
He wants others to know that flying a hot air balloon is a serious job.
He鈥檚 also on a mission to get younger people involved in the sport.
鈥淲hen I first flew at Balloon Fiesta in 2019, I started bringing out more youth,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne of the struggles for me is trying to get more youth involved. I got my college friends involved, and I would take them to fly in Durango and in sa国际传媒官网网页入口.鈥�
Ready to purchase his second hot air balloon, MacLean turned to fellow pilot Doug Lindberg.
鈥淚 bought Time Flies from Doug,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was meaningful to me because it came from him. He鈥檚 a close family friend. He鈥檚 always created some amazing moments and makes me feel at home.鈥�
His mother, Susie, is proud to see MacLean accomplish a lot in the industry at a young age.
鈥淭ristan鈥檚 innate ability to make everyone around him feel comfortable and included has contributed to his success,鈥� Susie MacLean says. 鈥淔rom his crew to the passengers and spectators, he is always certain to make their experience memorable. Last year, when the balloons were not able to fly one morning, he and his team started a dance party with music, flickering burners and Tristan dancing in his basket! (We knew that theater degree would pay off at some point!).鈥�
She says his love and passion for the sport of hot air ballooning is palpable.
鈥淚 once asked him why he loved it so much, and he said the feeling of freedom when he is in the air feeds his soul,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 would have to agree! I don鈥檛 care for heights however, floating over the city in a hot air balloon is an experience I would鈥檝e never had without Tristan鈥檚 influence and ability to make me feel safe; it is like no other.鈥�
MacLean now relies on his crew based in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 to help him be a successful pilot.
He knows it takes a team to be successful and is quick to admit that.
鈥淭he folks in my crew are something special,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he energy we bring is like no other. The thing that we teach our crew is safety. As young crew people, we鈥檝e really got to be focused on it. We talk about safety and how we can be safer. The crew team makes me better.鈥�
