- May 30, 2025
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Pilots prepare a hot air balloon for take off on March 9. The Sarasota Balloon Festival takes place this weekend. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
Ben Humphreys fires up a hot air balloon. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
Pat Fogue, owner of Aerial Advantage, spreads out a balloon to prepare it for take off. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
Ben Humphreys checks ropes and cables before take off. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
Hot air balloons can reach an altitude of 12,500 feet. At 14,00 feet passengers would need oxygen. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
The first Sarasota Balloon Festival continues until Sunday, March 11.Photo taken by Katie Johns.
Hot air balloons can reach an altitude of 12,500 feet. At 14,00 feet passengers would need oxygen. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
The Sarasota Balloon Festival is taking place at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch until Sunday, March 11. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
The Sarasota Balloon Festival includes carnival rides, live music and food trucks in addition to the hot air balloons. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
Due to wind conditions, only three balloons were put in the air on the first day of the festival, Thursday, March 8. Conditions are expected to be better by the evening of March 9. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
Collapsing the hot air balloon is a multi-person effort. In addition to rolling the balloon up, the basket and fuel tanks need to be broken down as well. Photo taken by Katie Johns.
The view from 1,200 feet included more fields, power lines and the three tethered balloons located at the meeting point. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Ben Humphreys attempts to steady the IMTS balloon after landing. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Ben Humphreys pumps fuel into the IMTS balloon. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Ben Humphreys prepares the IMTS balloon for a short flight that lasted around seven minutes. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Along with flying the IMTS balloon for The Aerial Advantage Inc., Ben Humphreys works with a commercial flying company in his hometown of Columbia, MO. Photo by Niki Kottmann
The balloons are blown up on their side before the basket is moved to an upright position. Photo by Niki Kottmann
Several members of the Sarasota Camera Club helped prepare three tethered balloons (one was the Remax balloon and the others were shaped like cartoon characters Tom and Jerry.) Photo by Niki Kottmann
The IMTS balloon lands safely beside another media flight balloon. Photo by Jay Heater
Fred Vereb pilots a Remax hot air balloon Friday morning. Photo by Jay Heater
A hot air balloon gets ready to land next to the carnival attractions early Friday morning. Photo by Jay Heater
Several members of the Sarasota Camera Club helped prepare three tethered balloons. Photo by Jay Heater
Only the best mornings start with the words: “It’s not inherently dangerous.”
This is what Patrick Fogue, owner of The Aerial Advantage Inc., told us before we ascended nearly 1,200 feet into the air March 9 above Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch.
The early-morning flight was a chance for local media to see what pilots competing at the Sarasota Balloon Festival will experience this weekend.
The balloon festival began on Thursday, March 8 and continues until Sunday, March 11. Festival promoter Ricky Garvie enticed pilots with a $5,000 prize pool for the competition, which involves dropping a bean bag on a target more than a thousand feet below their basket.
Our pilot, 21-year-old Ben Humphreys, learned to fly when he was 13 years old, and he flew solo a year later. He learned to fly from a pilot in his hometown of Columbia, Mo., which became a popular spot for ballooning in the 1990s when it was the host city for the U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship.
At 16, after about 50 hours of flying, Humphreys got his private pilot license. Technically, he only needed 10 hours of flying to qualify for it.
“By the time I got my license, I was way more ready than most [other pilots],” he said.
Humphreys currently owns four balloons, and he enjoys buying and selling them. His parents bought him his first balloon for $4,500.
Balloons are kind of like cars, he says. The balloon we rode in was top of the line, but he compares the cheaper ones to Honda Civics.
Our balloon is owned by Fogue under a contract he has with International Manufacturing Technology Show, and Fogue hired Humphreys to fly it for events like this festival.
He skipped class at University of Missouri today to be here.
Although he’s an agricultural business major, he says he’s not sure why he’s in school when ballooning is his real passion.
“It’s tempting to ditch school and do this full time,” he said.
After about 12 minutes in the air, we landed in front of the carnival rides and held open the balloon’s bag as Humphreys, Fogue and their colleague rolled it up. We drove back to our meeting spot and parted ways — us to work and them to prepare for their next journey into the sky.
In addition to balloon ascents, the competitions and tethered rides, festival-goers can revel in fair fun with carnival rides, food trucks, retail vendors and more.
