Canna Walter prepares to fly in her late father’s vintage balloon and basket
Cameron Wall locating a launch site for the morning flight
That doesn’t mean Wall is antisocial, though. At the Classic, he knows almost every other pilot. Occasionally, as he jokes with one of his peers at a rapid clip, he catches my eye and smiles conspiratorially to let me know he’s stumbled on something or someone he thinks will make “good content.”“I don’t spend time with anyone outside of ballooning. At least, not on purpose.” —Cameron Wall
Cameron Wall prepares his balloon for takeoff
Chloe Reeder watches balloon traffic while following Wall’s flight path
A roster of hot air balloon pilots
More than anything, hot air balloon pilots and their crew members need to be excited by the prospect of floating in a quasi-controllable basket thousands of feet in the air—a quality that most people do not possess. On my first afternoon at the Classic, Wall, Reeder, and I wander through the balloon field as 30-odd pilots inflate their balloons for the benefit of the crowd on the other side of a fence that separates pilots from spectators. Burners flare with an unmistakable whoosh, and crew members strain to hold envelopes—the word for the balloon part of a hot air balloon—open or dig their heels into the grass and tug against a swelling balloon in order to keep it upright. Soon, all of the balloons are erect and bobbing slightly in the breeze, while pilots and crew members mill around and chat beneath them, using their weight to keep their baskets grounded.“I had a concept of the fact that you could do a hot air balloon ride, but I had no idea that people did it as a competition.” —Kate “Rage” Page
Crew members and fans appreciating the show
Chloe Reeder follows pilots and crews trying to locate a launch site
Crew members watch a morning flight
These days, there’s a feeling that competitive hot air ballooning is on the downswing. Sponsorships from big, sexy brands like Playboy and Kool Cigarettes—which sponsored a series of hot air balloon races in the 80s, despite the fact that it is extremely dangerous to smoke near propane-fueled hot air balloons—have long since dried up. Wall blames the sport’s downturn in popularity on a problem plaguing the broader realm of aviation: a pilot shortage that stems from the declining number of Air Force veterans who actually know how to fly an aircraft. But that’s hardly the only reason nobody wants to fly a hot air balloon anymore. It’s an expensive hobby that resists monetization—Wall says the first used hot air balloon he ever purchased cost him around $40,000, and he thinks he netted around $6,000 from this year’s entire competition season. (Do not even ask how much everyone spends a year on helium.)“I tried flying planes, and it was fucking boring. It was like driving a bus in the sky. No challenge.” —Cameron Wall
Packing up a landed hot air balloon
Pilot Blake Aldridge rests his head in exhaustion
Balloons taking off
The early morning takeoff
Unfortunately for Wall, it becomes clear pretty quickly that we’re not going to hit the intended target, a large X next to the concession stands at the Classic. His loss is my gain: We get to go lower to the ground. After that happens, the sensation of flight shifts from horrifying to, actually, very nice. My heart rate lowers and I get marginally less sweaty. Wall is relaxed at the helm of the balloon. He waves at the crowd of Classic attendees as we fly over them. A voice makes a booming announcement that he is Cameron Wall, contestant number 114, flying The Missile. “There was a huge crowd here when I knocked over the outhouse,” he says, glowing. “It was fucking awesome.”“If you take your shoes off, you can really feel it.” —Cameron Wall
Canna Walter taking off in her late father's vintage balloon
Canna Walter setting up
One last hurrah for the kids
A father and son in the morning mist
