Canowindra hot air balloonist Steve Campbell flew over the Grand Canyon last month, marking just the 27th balloon pilot in history to cross the natural wonder.
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Campbell completed the two hour flight on October 23, launching from the Grand Canyon Airport at 7am before landing near US Highway 89 near Tuba City, Arizona at 9am.
Campbell, whose love of balloons derived from his childhood days in Canowindra, said he was connected to oxygen for more than three-quarters of the flight.
“Initially, taking off elevation at the airport was 6600 feet above seal level. We then climbed up to 15,000 feet to clear some airspace restrictions and spent a lot of the flight around 15,000 to 16,000 feet which ended up being my max altitude,” Steve Campbell explained.
Campbell said the opportunity to fly over the Grand Canyon came after competing at the 2016 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, when he decided to plan some adventure flying around Arizona.
“My friend Jon Radowski is a very experienced Phoenix based pilot who has flown the Grand Canyon before,” Campbell said.
“He did most of our weather planning and we couldn't believe it when a slot for the perfect weather conditions and wind direction came along just as I arrived in Phoenix. It was meant to be, you could wait months for the right winds.”
Campbell, who flew solo alongside a support crew of three further balloons, described the flight as amazing.
“As you approach the canyon the green trees just disappear from the cliff tops into the huge canyon and you can’t believe your eyes. Most of the flight I just kept looking at it and thinking it was not real,” he said.
Campbell’s first balloon flight was in 1983 when he was seven years old, since becoming a fully licensed pilot in 2010 he’s registered 250 flying hours through Australia, USA, Taiwan and Japan.
“Growing up in Canowindra, going to watch the balloons is the thing to do when you are young so that got me started. I was fully involved in ballooning as a part of a crew and as a student pilot from the age of 16.”
Campbell said he’s still doing some research but believes he’s the first Australian to fly over the Grand Canyon, and piloted the smallest balloon to ever fly the journey.
