10 minute read
Holy Heights
Hot air balloon pilot Marti Keller finds peace and joy in the sky
BY ANNIE LUST
Exhilaration is the sensation I expected at 3,000 feet in the air. I am standing in a 3-by-4 wicker basket with a six story multi-colored hot air balloon keeping us — two passengers and a pilot — afloat. Below us, the countryside is neatly divided squares of rich greens, interspersed with the occasional golden square, with long, thin lines of roads slicing through. Houses and barns are mere dots. We can see for miles in every direction. I realize now that my expectations could not have been further from the truth. There is no adrenaline rush or lurch in my stomach. There is no fear. Instead, there is only serenity. At this height, the silence is unlike anything possible at ground level. There is no distant hum of traffic. No birds are chirping or crickets trilling. The wind itself does not make a sound. There’s also the feeling of weightlessness as we float on the breeze. And, of course, the deep awe at experiencing God’s creation in this unique way. I now understand Marti’s account of falling in love with hot air ballooning. And it suddenly makes perfect sense that Marti Keller has given hot air balloon rides to many religious sisters, priests and even Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, the other passenger in the basket with me.
The hot air balloon had not even landed on Marti Keller’s first flight, when she already knew she wanted to become a pilot. It was July 1997, and Marti arranged for a hot air balloon flight to take off from her home. “It was heavenly,” Marti recalls, her face rapturous at the memory. When the flight was over and Marti returned home, even her husband Russ, who had stayed firmly on the ground, realized something life-changing had occurred. “This isn’t over, is it?” Marti recalls Russ asking her. It was not.
Marti did not have abundant free time. With four children and a nursing career, she stayed quite busy. But she was convinced that this was something she should do. “In the hot air balloon, I felt closer to God than ever before,” she explained. Who could argue with that? Russ didn’t, nor did Marti’s four kids.
Marti immediately called Bob Zanella, a famed Ohio balloonist. Bob assumed that Marti was simply on a high after her first flight. “Call me back in a few months if you’re still interested,” he said. Marti was undeterred. She waited and called again. This time, Bob gave her homework — books on hot air ballooning and weather. She read them. She studied and passed the written test, and finally, Bob gave Marti her first flight lesson in October 1997. Marti absorbed every flight detail, writing nine pages of everything she remembered. She repeated the process — training flight and writing every detail — until October 31, 1998. Her lessons were complete, and she was given her license to fly.
Marti’s first flight as a licensed hot air balloon pilot was with her mother. She recalls the details: “It was windy. Too windy, but I was new, and like everything else, it requires practice to become really skilled,” Marti said. In the 25 years since her inaugural flight, Marti has taken more than 800 people up in her balloon. She doesn’t charge for flights, although she’s permitted to charge half of her costs for fuel with her type of pilot licensure: “I just couldn’t think of charging someone. We’re supposed to share our God-given talents, and that’s what I’m doing,” she explained.
Many of those flights are memorable moments both for the passengers and for Marti. “I’ve had cancer patients, and people with special needs, people celebrating birthdays, anniversaries … many, many special moments,” she said.
There have been unexpected moments too, like the flight for the 50th birthday of a woman with Down Syndrome when hundreds of butterflies surrounded the balloon. “I’ve never seen anything like it before or since,” Marti said.
Marti will never forget her oldest passenger, then 90-year-old Sr. Joan Sutter, SSND. Sr. Joan’s extended family gathered at Sacred Heart in Bethlehem, Ohio, to celebrate her 70th jubilee. “The weather that day was perfect, so I asked Sr. Joan if she would like to go on a hot air balloon ride,” Marti said. Sr. Joan was thrilled. The evening flight was incredible, but the landing was rougher than usual. Marti recollected, “Sr. Joan was in her gray and black habit, with thick pantyhose, and she scraped her knees against the basket as we came down.”
Marti was worried, but Sr. Joan brushed away the concern. “From that point forward until she died, Sr. Joan sent a Christmas card each year mentioning that hot air balloon ride,” Marti said.
Marti still has those cards. In fact, she has a drawer overflowing with every thank you card a passenger has sent. There are cards from other religious sisters, cards from priests, and one of the newer cards is from Bishop Daniel E. Thomas.
On a balmy August evening in 2023, Bishop Thomas arrived at Auburn Lake in Crawford County, one of Marti’s favorite launch points. The ideal time for hot air balloon rides is two hours after sunrise or before sunset, but as we step from our cars at 6 p.m., the sun is not relenting yet and the temperature hangs at 85 degrees.
Marti is meticulous in her preparation. Before even arriving, she’s spent the day checking weather conditions, topping off her propane tanks, and doing a litany of other tasks. Hot air ballooning requires a crew to assemble, follow the balloon in a car, disassemble and reload. Today’s crew includes her husband, grandchildren, friends, and even Fr. Jeff Smith, pastor of Sacred Heart, Bethlehem and St. Joseph, Crestline. Once the passengers arrive, the action begins. The basket and balloon are unpacked from their trailer, and the massive colorful nylon balloon is spread out over the grass with the basket laid on its side near the balloon’s opening. There are many steps before launch, but the most fascinating part is when two highpowered fans are positioned at the mouth of the balloon to begin to fill the balloon with cold air.
As the balloon expands, Marti walks inside the balloon to connect tabs to the parachute, which releases hot air during the flight when the pilot lowers the balloon. Inside, this is her prayer time. “I pray to God for a safe flight. I pray [for the intercession of] my dad and my instructor, who have both died. That’s part of my routine,” Marti said. Marti climbs in the basket while the balloon and basket are on their sides and lights the pilot light. The temperature inside the balloon itself must reach more than 100 degrees above the ambient temperature in order to rise. When the air reaches 185 degrees, the 6-story balloon lifts upright, the multi-colored rectangles towering above the crew, and the passengers quickly climb into the basket.
When Bishop Thomas is in place, the ropes tethering the balloon to the ground are released, and the balloon gently rises. Marti is in the center, directly under the burner system that releases the hot air. With a loud whoosh of hot air, we’re lifted up quickly. We hit peak elevation, over a half mile skyward, within a few minutes. It seems as if we’ve left the oppressive summer heat at ground level; in the air, the temperature feels ten degrees cooler with a light breeze. Gazing out at the rural landscape, we are all in awe. “It was glorious,” Bishop Thomas said emphatically. Marti added, “It was such a wonderful, prayerful experience.” In every flight, God’s glory is evident, but in this one-hour flight, it was at the forefront. “Shall we pray?” Bishop Thomas asked as we floated above the treetops. We did: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, Amen. Then admiring God’s creation from a completely new perspective, Bishop Thomas sang the words of St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer before the Crucifex of San Damiano. It was a deeply prayerful moment.
There’s a trust in God evident in hot air ballooning. The pilot controls the balloon's height, but the wind controls the speed and direction. Marti laughs, “You never know where you will land.” That’s true, but a seasoned pilot like Marti knows what to look for: Wheat stubble, waterways in cornfields, or a big yard, a place where the balloon will do no damage. Most landowners are gracious when it comes to Marti landing on their property. Some have been passengers in her balloon themselves, and others just enjoy seeing the balloon float by. “There’s something about seeing a hot air balloon that brings people joy, and I’m glad I can do that,” Marti explained.
Bringing the balloon down gently at precisely the right spot is a skill, and it’s evident that Marti has it when the balloon lands. Bishop Thomas turns to Marti with an incredulous smile, “That was it? That was as soft as could be!”
When the balloon is packed away and the sun is nearly set, Marti’s tradition is to share a champagne toast. We raise cups printed with words every hot air balloon pilot hopes for: gentle winds, soft landings and friendly neighbors. On this evening, we had all three. Before departing, Bishop Thomas offers a blessing for Marti and Russ, who were celebrating 45 years of marriage in 2023. It was the perfect ending to an already memorable day for Marti. “Bishop Thomas asked for God’s blessing on our marriage and our health,” Marti recounts, her voice filled with emotion, “and for more balloon rides.”
