Up, Up and Away with Fantasy Flights – Kalispell, Montana balloon operator battles the elements

Paul Fifield, owner and operator of Kalispell-based Fantasy Flights http://www.fantasyflights.com/index.htm , says many balloon pilots are wary of heights.

“If you have me up on my roof, I’m not a real happy camper, but put me in a balloon and take me to 10,000 feet, I’m as happy as a clam,” he said.

Although some might have reservations about traveling inside a wicker basket suspended from a nylon balloon, Fifield calls the experience “magical” and “safe.”

“What a lot of people don’t understand about balloon flight is that it’s stable, very smooth and very different from standing on a roof or a ladder,” he said. “Those people who do get into the basket and are afraid of heights, 99.9 percent of them find out their fears are unfounded.”

As the sole balloon pilot navigating the Flathead Valley, Fifield has offered passengers one-of-a-kind views of the area’s spectacular terrain since 1996. Yet as his wife, Marlene, the company’s crew chief notes, the business’ operations are often “up in the air.”

By Erin Cole

Full Story: http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/up_up_and_away/18732/