Mother and son flying alongside each other during Balloon Fiesta
By Stephanie Muñiz
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — William Vavra has been around hot air balloons since he was a kid, and Balloon Fiesta is an event his family doesn’t miss.
“It’s something that I have been so excited for. I have had this marked on my calendar for such a long time,” Vavra said.
His mom is a hot air balloon pilot and is also his teacher.
“She was the first instructor. My first balloon was actually called ‘Don’t Tell Mom’ because of our history,” Vavra said.
For Karalyn Mumm and her son, ballooning is part of everyday life.
“My mom runs a camp for teenagers to teach them how to fly hot air balloons and that’s where I really got my start. I was going through that program. I was in five camps and then this year was my first year as a camp pilot,” Vavra said.
This year, the mother-son duo will be reaching a new high. flying together for the first time.
“It is a dream come true if I enjoyed getting to see him learn to fly and getting to fly beside him. It’s so special,” Mumm said.
The hope is to inspire even more young people to fly.
“Ballooning is an aging out sport and getting young people involved in ballooning, getting interested is why we do this. It’s why we are at this school surrounded by kids because this is our favorite part of this sport,” Vavra said.
For Mumm, this is a moment to remember.
“I am so proud, like this much proud,” Mumm said.
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