Growing up in Indianola, Tim McConnell was enthralled by the National Hot Air Balloon Classic and other hot-air balloons that flew over town during the spring and summer months.

“Once you get it in your blood, it’s hard to get rid of it,” said the owner of Tim McConnell Fine Photography.

He got involved in the sport in 1971 at age 9, chasing balloons during that year’s festival. He took his first balloon ride in 1976.

“I thought I was going to pass out,” McConnell said. But he loved the thrill of being 6,000 feet in the air. By age 16 he was driving a chase car and, after a hiatus from ballooning when he got married and started his business, he earned his pilot’s license in 1991.

“The first thing passengers ask is, ‘How do you steer this thing?’” McConnell said. “But the freedom of it is the fun part. And it’s so quiet, because you’re just hanging in midair.

Nearly 15 years later, he vividly recalls his first solo flight. Five minutes into the flight, he discovered a propane leak near his burner. But he flew 12 miles that evening – one of the longest trips he’s ever completed – and has never had another leak.

Todd Isley and Leroy Clair earned their hot-air balloon pilot’s licenses last year and both experienced near disasters on their first solo flights. Isley lost radio communication with his crew, while Clair missed his landing site and nearly became stuck over Indianola. But like McConnell, they learned from these experiences.

Isley, co-owner of Central Iowa Insurance Services Inc. in Carlisle, has vivid memories of watching hot-air balloons rising above the treetops, chasing the aircraft to their landing spots in nearby farm fields and taking that first ride in a balloon gondola. He and his grandfather spent more than 12 years as crew members, chasing balloons, preparing equipment and communicating with the pilots.

“It’s weird how the bug will get you,” said Isley, who co-owns the business with his father. “What I enjoy is the peacefulness. When you’ve had a hectic day and you get up there, nobody can reach you. It kind of puts things into perspective a little bit. You don’t have any control, and you just go wherever the balloon takes you.”

He passed an exam and completed training, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration, in order to become a licensed pilot, and purchased a new hot-air balloon and other equipment, which can cost up to $25,000. But he had the time needed to pursue this hobby, and said it’s an ideal getaway, and far different from his years on the golf course, having spent six years as a golf professional following college.

“It’s a totally different mentality,” Isley said. “It’s a lot more relaxing and a lot more enjoyable. It’s about the people more than anything else.”

Last year, he logged approximately 75 hours of flying time between recreational rides, festivals and competitions, during which he flies “low enough to skim the corn rows. But it’s also fun to be up 5,000 or 6,000 feet.”

Clair also grew up watching the Indianola balloon festival. As he got older, he would chase the balloons as they flew over town and greet them at their landing sites.

But it wasn’t until his wife purchased him a hot-air balloon ride for his birthday in 2003 that he felt the urge to pilot one himself.

“At first you’re nervous because of the elevation, but you get settled in,” Clair said. “Just looking at the balloon dancing with the wind, it was a phenomenal experience.”

He took flying lessons, volunteered as a crew member to learn about equipment and flying techniques and purchased a full hot-air balloon system. And he all but gave up his longtime hobby of racing cars.

“The adrenaline rush is totally different between the two,” said Clair, who is working to obtain his commercial pilot’s license. “When you get done racing a car, you’re tensed up and raring to go. But this is an awe experience. No balloon flight is the same. Every one has something different to it. You never fly the same exact pattern.”

This sport, he said, is much more family oriented. His wife and twin 6-year-old daughters pitch in on his crew, and enjoy the festivities surrounding hot-air balloon rallies and competitions. The first of the 2005 season was held this weekend near Waterloo.

“If you can get around with 50 other balloons, racing for one target, it’s an experience you’ll never forget,” Clair said.