Meet William Eaton, also known as Erik. He’s been hooked on hot air ballooning since 1990. He spent years as a crew member, chasing balloonists, and finally finished his ground school in 2000. He’s been working hard to get his private LT Certificate ever since. In 2011, he got his FAA commercial certificate, and now he’s all about flying as often as he can. He also loves teaching new hot air balloon pilots, helping to grow the sport.

Erik has owned and flown a few different balloons, including Firefly, Aerostar, and Kubrick. He loves participating in all sorts of festivals, like Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta, Leon’s Festival International del Globo and Chambley Hot Air Balloon Festival Metz in France. This October, he and his team are going to Japan for a 5-day event in Saga with Peanut the Flying Elephant.