16-year-old boy becomes licensed hot-air balloon pilot

By Nicole Tam

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    INDIANOLA, Iowa (KCCI) — A 16-year-old Indianola native is a licensed hot-air balloon pilot.

Landon Olson grew up being interested in hot-air balloons. His first time in a basket was when he was just four years old.

“Indianola is common for balloons and they would just fly over the house, and I was just being awestruck, just staring up at them and it’s just really cool,” Olson said.

Since 2023, Olson has been training to become a hot-air balloon pilot. Throughout his journey, it took a village to make sure everything was smooth sailing.

“It takes more than one person to get a balloon off the ground. My family is here, my friends are here, it’s really cool,” he said.

Olson plans to compete in the National Balloon Classic in Indianola this summer.

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