Inside the Basket - Michael Steward, remote control balloon pilot and assistant balloonmmeister for Fiesta de los Globitos

As Balloon Fiesta’s assistant balloonmeister for Fiesta de Los Globitos, Michael Steward helped to coordinate the safe launch of the remote controlled (RC) balloons during the 2023 Balloon Fiesta.

In this month’s Inside the Basket, he shares more about how he became an RCballoon pilot of the Steggy the Dino-Soar, and explains these types of balloons and how you can learn about them.

1. Give a brief overview of your position with Balloon Fiesta - Fiesta De Los Globitos, what RC balloon you pilot, and how you became an RC balloon pilot.

I pilot the Steggy the Dino-Soar RC balloon. During the 2023 Balloon Fiesta, I was the assistant balloonmeister. I started flying RC balloons in 2008 after many years of flying RC airplanes.

2. What is your favorite part about being involved with Balloon Fiesta in this role?

My favorite part is the community and getting together with all the pilots. It is always a lot of fun to see everyone enjoy flying together. My favorite part of this year’s event was being able to help coordinate the ascension of 58 RC balloons in an effort to beat the world record for the number of RC balloons flown at the same time.

3. What items do you consider when coordinating RC balloon flights at Balloon Fiesta?

Safety first. We make sure everyone is aware of the rules and that they are comfortable with their systems. At the 51^st Balloon Fiesta, we made sure to put together a process to achieve the necessary coordination of flight with 55+ balloons all together. Our system consisted of the use of an airhorn to signal all the pilots to start cold inflating and then another airhorn to signal when to hot inflate and fly.

5. What advice do you have for those interested in becoming an RC balloon operator?

Go out and fly with someone who is into the hobby to understand what it takes to be involved. Learn from those who have experience, and then work on getting your own system! We would love to have others join our ballooning community, and I am always willing to teach and help others learn!