Ballonatics Book Shares Experiences of Hot Air Balloon Pilot in Northern Oakland County

Ballonatics Ebook shares sizzling air balloon pilot experiences in North Oakland County

(Lara Mossa, November 11, 2025)

Holly, MI – “The Ballonatics” takes you on a high-flying experience by way of the sky.

Craig Elliott, 66, from Holly wrote the 332-page e book about his life as a sizzling air balloon pilot.

“It is actually virtually inconceivable to explain how wonderful it feels to fly,” he stated. “It feels such as you’re floating within the air and the earth is slowly turning beneath you.”

A 1976 graduate of Okemos Excessive College, Elliott started crewing and took his first flying classes in 1976, incomes his driver’s license in 1978. A household good friend, Dr. John Corridor, was searching for floor crew for his sizzling air balloon.

“A balloon simply floats with the clouds,” he recalled. “I simply fell in love with it. It was wonderful.”

With one pilot, every sizzling air balloon carries two to a few folks, relying on its measurement. Some massive balloons can carry greater than 30 folks. Since balloons can’t be steered, a car follows beneath and brings the passengers again.

“Should you go low and sluggish you’ll be able to actually see issues,” he stated, describing the view as a “nature stroll within the sky” and including that sizzling air balloon rides in winter are unimaginable. “It is simply wonderful.”

The $20 nonfiction e book chronicles Elliott’s 42-year profession as a sizzling air balloon pilot — all of the totally different balloons and occasions he flew along with his buddies.

The Eighties and Nineties had been the heyday of ballooning, he recollects, and never many individuals in Michigan supply the service now. A typical balloon season is April by way of October.

In 1990 Elliott met his spouse Michelle, they usually had two youngsters. They’d their very own balloon between 1990 and 2003, however Elliott determined to take a full-time job promoting well being and life insurance coverage. He continued ballooning for an additional sixteen years and just lately began working as an Uber driver.

Elliott launched the web site, www.theballoonatics.comtwo years in the past when he began writing the e book. It took a yr to finish and one other yr to self-publish.

“It was actually nice and plenty of enjoyable to relive these outdated reminiscences,” stated Elliott, who appeared by way of his logs for inspiration. “It is only a implausible journey story about one thing that most individuals have not completed or find out about,” he stated.

Balloonatics is out there now at Balkon Row Books in Downtown Holly, or order on-line with supply after November 18 at Barnes and Noble.

There are additionally two signing periods developing:

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