Plano Balloon Fest

2022 HOT AIR BALLOONS & PILOTS

Things are really looking up for the H-E-B | Central Market Plano Balloon Festival & Run and dozens of beautiful hot air balloons will participate in the 2022 activities. The special shapes include Zorro, Allycorn the Unicorn, Axel the Tiger, SpyderPig, Billy the Kid, Gizmo, and Airmadillo Cowboy. Take a Tethered Balloon Ride that lifts off the ground, hovers 20-30 feet above the ground for several minutes, but you won’t launch or fly away.

The festival is open September 22-25 and TICKETS are available online or at the gate. General admission is $10 for adults, $ 5 – kids 3-12 years old, $ 5 – Seniors 65 and older, free for kids 36″ and under, and free for all Military and First Responders (with valid ID).

Airmadillo Cowboy Pilot: Charlie Edwards Ft. Myers, Florida — **AIRMADILLO COWBOY**
Pilot: Charlie Edwards
Ft. Myers, Florida

Aris Pilot: Jason Provost Hurst, Texas — **ARIS**
Pilot: Jason Provost
Hurst, Texas

Axel Pilot: Craig Farrell Australia — **AXEL**
Pilot: Craig Farrell
Australia

Big Red Again hot air balloon pilot Joseph Calabrette from Hickory Creek, Texas — **BIG RED AGAIN**
Pilot: Joseph Calabrette
Hickory Creek, Texas

Billy the Kid hot air balloon pilot Steven Stokoe from Lutz, Florida — **BILLY THE KID**
Pilot: Steven Stokoe
Lutz, Florida

VOLUNTEER TURNED HOBBYIST KEITH BERRY TO PILOT FOX 4 NEWS BALLOON

By: Amanda Fazzino

Balloon pilot Keith Berry caught a bug for hot air ballooning 29 years ago. “I flew as volunteer crew at a balloon festival in Missouri in 1990,” Berry recalls. “I was immediately hooked!”

That one act of service launched a decades-long commitment to the sport.

“It’s one of the most awesome feelings to be free and in control of a 75 foot tall, 50 foot wide bubble of hot air floating through the sky,” Berry says. “It’s like being able to walk on air!”

Continue reading “VOLUNTEER TURNED HOBBYIST KEITH BERRY TO PILOT FOX 4 NEWS BALLOON”

Safety First, Adventure Second

Guest contributor: Susan Zacheis

“Safety first” has always been my motto as an overprotective mother of two. In addition to being a neurotic mother, I am also afraid of heights, so the thought of being miles above the ground in a hot air balloon was a little terrifying. However, my sense of adventure prevailed through the research for this blog.

I got up bright and early on a recent Saturday morning to be part of a volunteer crew training session with some of the pilots and their balloons. It was a beautiful sunrise at Oak Point Park with not a bit of wind, or so I thought. Keith Berry, pilot of “Highly Cool”, said they wouldn’t be able to hold the balloon competition because of the windy conditions. I was quite surprised and notably the first clue that these guys might just follow my “Safety First” motto. Continue reading “Safety First, Adventure Second”

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