Competition is fun, but some balloon pilots enjoy year-round air time
When Paul Petrehn steps inside his hot air balloon basket, all of his worries disappear as he floats away from the “hustle and bustle” on the ground.
“You’re focused just on flying,” he said.
Petrehn, who is ranked the No. 7 balloonist in the nation, is one of 54 pilots who will compete in the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship this week in Longview. A practice flight will be Monday, and competition flights will be held daily starting Tuesday and lasting through July 28. The national flights will partially be held in conjunction with the 36th Great Texas Balloon Race.
While some balloonists might be all about the competition, for others it’s more than just a sport.
Petrehn, who hails from Howell, Mich., views ballooning as a lifestyle. It’s also a family affair.
“I was born in 1974, and my dad was already involved in the sport. So I grew up in it,” he said.
This week, Petrehn will be competing in the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship alongside brothers John and Andrew Petrehn, who are nationally ranked No. 3 and No. 8, respectively. He credits one of his most “unique” ballooning experiences as competing with his brother, John, at the 2006, 2008 and 2010 world championships.
Six out of 11 of Paul Petrehn’s immediate family members are balloon pilots, and he said his nieces and nephews soon will be old enough to start training.
But Petrehn’s love affair with ballooning didn’t begin as such.
“I used to be afraid of the loud burner,” he said of the gas tank and blower that pump hot air into the balloon to control altitude and descent. “When I was 5 or 6, I was working up to getting closer to the burner.”
Now that he’s a professional pilot, Petrehn averages more flight time than the typical balloonist. He averages about 50 flights per year and upwards of about 75 hours of time in the air.
His years have been spent flying not only over American soil, but also across Australia, Austria, Luxembourg, Hungary, Japan and Canada. He said one of his most memorable flights was crossing the Continental Divide in Breckenridge, Colo.
When he’s on the ground, Petrehn also works with balloons.
In 2004, he started working at Cameron Balloon, the Michigan-based company responsible for building the Breitling Orbiter III, the first balloon to fly around the world.
For Petrehn, the moments when he is floating in the sky are the most stress free.
“Even though we’ve got a lot going on in the air, it is still relaxing and free,” said Petrehn, who has been a licensed balloon pilot for more than 20 years.
Robert Ambeau of Gonzales, La., said ballooning is pure fun.
“It’s like floating on a cloud,” said Ambeau, who is ranked No. 50 in the nation and who will also be competing in the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship this week.
Ambeau, nicknamed “Ram-beau” after a race announcer misread his name, started flying after he got a feeling he would enjoy it.
“It was one of those gut reactions where I just knew I was going to like this. I knew I was going to fall in love,” he said.
After 25 years of takeoffs and landings, Ambeau admits the nostalgia has waned, but the love is still there.
“Now don’t get me wrong, some of the newness has wore off, but I still enjoy the flying,” he said.
Ambeau is a nine-time Louisiana state champion balloonist and the three-time Mississippi state champion balloonist.
He operates Balloon Rides by Robert in Gonzales, La., year round. His company allows him to take other people up for repeat or first time rides.
“I still enjoy flying, just floating about the trees, and taking some people up sometimes and seeing the reaction of their faces the first time they go up is always exciting,” Ambeau said. “It’s one of the best parts for me.”