Up in the air

The Flathead Valley is filled with adventurous excursions meant to make the most out of what the area has to offer, but few combine breathtaking views, relaxation and thrill-seeking the way that hot air ballooning does.

Fantasy Flights Hot Air Balloon Tours has been providing this experience for passengers since it was started in 1996 by Paul Fifield and his wife Marlene in Kalispell.

"I've always admired balloons for as along as I can remember," Paul said. "I have just been fascinated by them. It's a very relaxing and uplifting thing to do. It's very calm and peaceful. You get a point of view that you just don't get from the ground."

While most flights begin at sunrise during the season, which starts in May and ends in October, with passengers helping the Fifields set up the balloon in the field at the northeast corner by the National Guard Armory in Kalispell, that is pretty much where the similarities from flight to flight end. Every flight, which typically lasts about an hour, is unique. Paul, who is the pilot, takes the balloon to various altitudes each flight depending on the air condition.

The Fifields first got into ballooning in 1992 when Marlene purchased a trip up in a hot air balloon as a gift for Paul's 40th birthday.

"We fell in love with it and decided that we needed to do it some more. So I started working on getting more training," Paul said.

After getting his student pilot license in 1993, purchasing his own balloon in 1994 and obtaining his commercial license in 1995, Paul was ready to trade in 20 years of retail work to open up Fantasy Flights. During the off-season, he and Marlene operate a small vending business, but otherwise his retail years are behind him.

"It's been quite successful and it's a beautiful Valley to fly in but the weather is very important to us so we have to be very careful with that," Paul said.

In fact, the Valley's unpredictable weather causes Paul to have to reschedule a large number of his flights, but passengers are generally flexible with the situation.

"We tend to be very conservative fliers, so if there's any risk of problems we just cancel the flight," Paul said.

The Fifields have two balloons. The smaller of the two accommodates Paul plus two passengers and the larger can hold four to five passengers.

The unpredictability of the rides is one of the biggest draws to ballooning, according to Paul. He said most people assume that the trips start and end at the same location, but that is far from the case.

"Not knowing your destination is part of the charm," Paul said. "Never knowing where you'll end up in the Valley is pretty exciting. That bothers some people, but it doesn't bother ballooners. I guess that's part of the interest and intrigue."

The balloons follow a course determined by the wind and the air temperature.

Balloons can only move up and down and pilots must find an altitude that the wind is blowing in the desired direction. That is what makes a chase crew so vital. Marlene is in charge of that department, with the assistance of Kevin Kasperson.

"You never know what you're doing from one minute to the next," Marlene said of ballooning. "You're just flying by the seat of your pants."

The chase crew stays close to the balloon, preferably keeping a visual of it, throughout the flight. This is done in case there are radio problems and they need to track the balloon's route and also so they are nearby to help if there needs to be an emergency landing.

Therefore, by necessity, Marlene and Kasperson have become outstandingly familiar with the back roads and geographical locations of different natural and man-made sites in the north end of the Valley.

"It's addictive. It's as much fun, maybe more fun chasing the balloon as it is flying," Marlene said, as she waited for a response from her husband on the radio regarding his location and speed.

The couple's constant exchanges over the radio bring new meaning to communication within a marriage, as they try to keep one another updated on locations and potential hazards.

"A lot of what we do is a guessing game," Marlene said.

"It's a calculated guessing game though," Kasperson added.

The duo has plenty of technology to help them with that calculating. In addition to keeping in constant radio contact with the chase vehicle, which has a stack of map books in it and a GPS of its own, the balloon itself has a GPS. From the balloon's device, Paul can get his coordinates, measure his speed and altitude, take the ambient air temperature, determine the rate of accent and descent, and tell exactly what the winds are doing. Paul is also able to radio Marlene his coordinates, according to his GPS, and she can plug them into her vehicle's GPS to help track him or find him if he lands somewhere she can't spot him.

The Fifields are fairly lucky, and very thankful, that most people don't mind Paul landing in their field. Over the years Marlene has kept a log of people's land then have finished tours on and when she knows they are approaching someone's property for a landing she tries to call ahead to check that it is OK with them. It is an extensive log, though, as the winds have sent the balloon all over. In fact, as Marlene and Kasperson drive around the north Kalispell and Columbia Falls area, it is hard for the chase crew to make it too far without passing by an open space they haven't landed in before.

A morning in late August the Fifields took three passengers up in a swift balloon ride that moved the balloon at speeds up to 18 knots. At its greatest height it was 6,900 feet off of the ground. They traveled nearly 10 miles, which is a bit more than the usual five to seven miles. But again, every ride is different.

That unpredictability and constant change of situations is one of the reasons that Kasperson enjoys helping out with Fantasy Flights. He is a long-time friend of the Fifields and since he is self-employed he is able to volunteer his time to help them run their business. He not only drives the chase vehicle, but he also helps Paul, Marlene and that day's guests with the setup and takedown of the balloon. He and Marlene also help with preflight pictures and a post-flight celebration.

"It's fun to meet all the different people from all the different parts of the country," Kasperson said. "It's a very interesting thing to be a part of."

Fantasy Flights draws a split of locals and tourists for flights, and very commonly the passengers are going up in the air to do some celebrating.

Colleen Sullivan's husband Kris Omholt planned the excursion for the two of them as a birthday present for her.

"It was great. I have a height problem so I had to sit down when we got way up there," Sullivan said. "It was beautiful up there and so fun. It went by too fast."

Colleen enjoys taking scenic photographs so he thought it would be a perfect opportunity for her to mix her passion for thrill-seeking and photography.

"I thought this would be a good confidence builder for her," Omholt said. "She has some trouble with heights, but she's working on that and she did pretty well up there. She has been taking interest in some more adventurous things like four-wheeling and I thought this would be a good way to test her mettle."

As the couple, who are from Evergreen, returned to the ground with a camera full of pictures of the harvest and smiles a mile wide, Omholt realized he had chosen a prime present for his wife.

"It was great. It was all that it was cracked up to be and more," Omholt said. "The weather was the factor. The view was fantastic. We could see Lake McDonald, Whitefish Lake and Glacier Park."

Cricket Smith, who was also in the basket that August morning, was sent on the excursion by her family for her 60th birthday.

"It was fabulous," Smith said.

Smith is originally from Great Falls and currently lives in Denver, but for many years has spent her summers in Lakeside. Smith said she greatly enjoyed getting to see the area from a drastically different angle.

"Seeing the Flathead Valley, having such a beautiful day and getting to see the area in such a different way was just incredible," Smith said. "Being so high up above everything gave me a great perspective."

The Fifields will continue to take passengers up in their balloons over the next few weeks as the weather permits. Flights cost $225 per person and passengers are often paired up with others if multiple groups are interested in going on the same day. Private two-person flights can be purchased for $895. For more information, contact Fantasy Flights Hot Air Balloon Tours at 755-4172 or visit www.fantasyflights.com.