(air blowing) (engine humming) - [Participant] It's gonna be a while.

- [Woman] Yeah - [Attendee] Tired - [Participant] Let me check you in.

- (Woman laughs) - [Instructor] Jason.

- [Jason] I'm over here.

- Mark.

- [Mark] Here.

- Ron.

- [Ron] Here.

- Darrin - [Darrin] Here.

- John Rucker.

- [John Rucker] Yep.

- [Instructor] Is everybody set crew on who that hasn't...I mean, I've talked to some people, and so I know where I need but does anybody else have needs that hasn't talked to me?

(no answer) Okay.

What we're looking at doing this morning is we're going to do a mass extension from the field here that really works the easiest.

We did note that on the map South of here for walking or for the airport, if you do get there, it's the runway number's 1, 8, 3, 6.

Star.

So.

Questions?

Anything?

All right, let's go ahead and go out and we'll put up a pie ball here in a little bit.

And if you need a marker, just let me know.

(bag thumped) (wheel bouncing) (crank whirring) - Actually, those two cross this one doesn't.

- [Participant] All right.

(air blowing out) (air whooshing) All right.

My name is Sonja Belgarde.

I'm a private balloon pilot.

I live in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, grew up in North Dakota, been around ballooning most of my life.

My dad was a balloon pilot, so it just kinda came natural that I wanted to eventually.

(burner revving) (burner running) We start; we fill it up with cold air first.

We'll fill it up probably 80% of the balloon.

(people talking) (air whooshing) And then, once we turn the burners on, it actually warms the air inside of the balloon.

warm air rises.

(air blowing) So, that's how we get it to stand up.

(air blowing) (burner whirring) (air blowing) - All right, hands off.

Clear above me?

We're good.

We're good.

And we're off.

Thank you.

(burner whirring) (soft music) We're climbing 300 feet a minute right now.

(soft music) (burner softly whirring) (soft music) - It's so peaceful and so calm up in the air.

I dunno; it's like you leave all of your worries behind and you're just there to fly.

(air blowing) (burner ticking) I don't get nervous very often.

I mean, there's been a few times where, you know, you're looking for that landing spot and you really have to test your skills sometimes to be able to drop it in.

That's what you're trained for, too, though.

So is to be able to find those spots and, you know, get into them if you need to.

(burner cranking) (wind blowing balloon skirt) Ballooning definitely brings some great experiences.

You get to know all of the pilots; they become like family.

You see the same ones quite a bit, especially when you're in the same area.

(burner cranking) Not a lot of women in the sport.

There's getting to be more than when I first started, it seems.

And definitely more than when my dad was flying.

I had only heard of one other woman pilot when my dad was a was a pilot.

So it's definitely taken off.

(soft music) (burner whirring) (soft music) I mean, I think everybody should try it at least once.

Yeah.

You'd be surprised.

I have a lot of people that say they wouldn't want to do it because they're scared of heights, but it's a completely different feeling when you're up there.

It's not like standing on a ladder.

It's not like standing on a roof, and you're going with the air.

So like with the wind.

So you don't really get that sensation that you're really moving.

It's, you're floating.

(soft music)