Youngest pilot at Balloon Fiesta inspired by family tradition
By Sasha Lenninger
Click here for updates on this story
Albuquerque, New Mexico (KOAT) — More than 500 pilots are expected to participate in the Balloon Fiesta, with 59 joining for the first time.
One of those first-timers was 20-year-old Marissa Vereb. She received her license in October last year in Albuquerque outside the airfield. Vereb has been involved in ballooning for as long as she can remember, with her father showing her the ropes. “Burn flame flame flame hold your redline down,” her father instructed.
Vereb remembers growing up watching her dad attend balloon tethers and waking up early to go ballooning, inspiring her to start flight training as a sophomore in high school.
“I didn’t have enough time to fly consistently with school and all my other activities. Once I graduated high school, I got to fly a lot more,” Vereb said.
Now, she is helping bring younger pilots into the sport.
“We’re always talking about how to keep it going and just getting new pilots involved, and I myself am trying to get my friends involved,” Vereb said. “I can just try to reel them in and take them for flights and start teaching them, and it gets people really hooked and they want to come out and crew and be part of it, and I can’t wait for the community to grow even more,” she said.
Vereb will fly her first-ever Balloon Fiesta with the Aerostar balloon named Mini Bob. Her advice to anyone thinking about becoming a pilot is to stay determined and consistent no matter what, because it’s worth it.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.