How to Become a Hot Air Balloon Crew Member

If you know where hot air balloons fly near your home, simply awaken and drive there to arrive about one-half hour before dawn. If you don't know, get out the Yellow Pages of your phone book and look up "Balloons," "Manned" or "Hot Air." Phone up the company and find out where and when they normally fly..

Be sure to ask about and carefully write down (a) the dates and times, and (b) the exact place (get them to send you a map if they have one) of lift-off. Commercial and amateur hot air balloons usually launch simultaneously from the same places.

Most flights commence at dawn on week-ends. Some are near dusk, but this is a bit more risky on account of higher winds. The launch sights are remote. Hot air balloons do not launch from your local K-Mart parking lot because there is no safe place to "land." Hot air balloons actually never land, they crash. The crash is usually quite safe. And the crash should occur in a non-populated, remote area where the chase crew can bring in the truck to pick the balloon. It ought not occur (a) in downtown Manhattan, or (b) 14,000 feet up on Mt. Whitney.
The temperatures at the launch site may vary significantly from the temperatures at the crash site. So layered clothing is a good bet. Dress in layers. Warm as can be for launch. Then allow yourself to strip off to shorts and t-shirt if the temperature at crash site warrants that.
A hot air balloon pilot awakening at 4 am first phones up the aviation weather service for the launch area. If winds at the launch site are 10 knots or more -- or if they are forecast to be -- ballon flights will be canceled. Get the phone number of your local aviation weather service so you can check for yourself. After you become a crew member, your pilot will phone and notify you.
If winds are less than 10 knots and forecasted for less than 10 knots, the pilot will not phone you but will instead head for the launch site. You should head there, too.
Upon your first arrival at the launch site, the winds still govern whether the balloons will fly. Most careful pilots will not launch in winds exceeding 10 knots. This is because winds generally increase. And crashing in winds over 10 knots can be hairy indeed.
Be prepared for the possibility of a cancellation. In Southern California we have about 100 flyable days per year; in New Mexico, they have 300 per year.
Approach a balloon launch site, introduce yourself to the personnel and find out who the pilot-in-command and chief of the chase crew are. Inform them that you would like to assist in unloading, unpacking, inflating, chasing, and repacking the balloon. You will normally be welcomed and put to work.
After you have proved your worth by crewing regularly for a few months, amateur pilots will begin giving you occasional rides as a reward.

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