I didn’t know Brian Boland very well. But I was with him when he achieved a monumental milestone. He is perhaps the only one who ever has done it — 10,000 hours aloft in a hot air balloon. The photo above shows Brian just after surpassing the 10,000 hours in 2015.
Brian passed away yesterday doing what he loved best — flying hot air balloons and sharing the adventure with others.
I remember Brian telling me that many years ago he was teaching art and started a balloon building club. He had built his first balloon as a Master’s thesis project, had one short flight, and then put it aside. When his students heard about it they badgered him and finally convinced him to take it up again. He started the club and became hooked.
His club became the most popular “class” in the school. Then Seventeen Magazine got wind of it and called the school about their “balloon class”. So the school quickly scrambled to create one. By 2015 he built 162 balloons, some very unique. He has ballooned all over the world.
Brian Borland in 2014
I arrived early evening, August 5, 2015, at the Post Mills Airport on a magazine assignment to photograph Brian and his ballooning. His two young assistants prepared the balloon. I expected they would lift off with Brian for some staged photos as planned. Instead, Brian pointed at me and said, “you’re coming with me”. Shortly thereafter he and I lifted off. It was an amazing experience. His airport is in the photo below along with his fantastic museum on the lower left and Lake Fairlee near the top.
I had learned earlier in the day that Brian was nearing an amazing record of 10,000 hours aloft in a balloon. When he started looking at his watch I realized he did not plan to set down for over 90 minutes, after dark, and after surpassing the 10,000 hour mark. It was quite an adventure.
Over the years Brian designed and built hundreds of balloons. Some of them were creative and playful. The one below was propelled around the 2016 Experimental Balloon Festival by a propeller driven by a gasoline engine on an outrigger.
Here is Brian with his partner, Tina Foster, in 2015.
His fantastic museum at the Post Mills Airport includes many dozens of sewing machines, piles of crutches, an airplane or two, motorcycles, and some old cars. It is well worth a visit. Every time I have been there it has been open for people to enjoy without paying or checking in.
Brian ran a totally free Experimental Balloon Festival at his airport for many years. I always enjoyed it more than the more conventional one in Quechee.
You can see photos of three festivals, his museum, and his 10,000 hour flight if you click these links:
