Although modern ballooning has been an American sport since the early 1970s, it only became popular in Utah due to the efforts of two neighbors from Highland who thought ballooning fever should be contagious.
The story begins in Canada in 1969. Erwin Oerling owned a river rafting company and felt that ballooning would be a great way to advertise his business."In fact my pilot's license in Canada is XDB-9, which means I am the ninth in Canada to ever get a balloonist license," Oerling said. The sport became more than an advertisement for Oerling. It became a pastime that he started sharing with everyone he met.
Because of the seasonal nature of river rafting, Oerling decided he could live anywhere in the country and chose Utah. He had attended both Brigham Young University and the University of Utah and decided he liked this part of the country best.
In 1984, Oerling's neighbor, Brian Kelly, was writing an article for the New Era about ballooning. He asked Oerling to go with him to a balloon rally in Albuquerque. After the rally, Kelly was hooked.
Along with Oerling, Kelly bought a large yellow, blue and red balloon with large banners advertising the Bank of American Fork. From there, ballooning in Utah County took off.
Most of Utah's balloon pilots were trained by Kelly and Oerling in their Bank of American Fork balloon. The balloon itself has been rebuilt, panel by panel, but it is still the same balloon that started it all off.
Because of his experience, Oerling is the FAA's designated examiner for issuing balloon licenses in Utah.
Curtis Kelly, one of Oerling's students, said Oerling makes a living out of having fun.
"He's a 50-year-old kid that hasn't grown up. He just likes to play. He's a very colorful person, in all the best ways, of course," Kelly said.
The addictive part of ballooning, Oerling said, is the sensation of floating on air.
"It's different than airplanes. You get the sensation of being on a magic carpet," He said.
And Oerling should know. He has the honor of being the first person to balloon across the Canadian Rockies. He is also in the middle of building his third airplane.
But the best part of ballooning, Oerling said, has to be the way it involves the whole family.
"We go on vacations to balloon rallies, and there is always something for everyone in the family to do," he said.