Meet Your Pilot

Hi, I'm Austin Hopp, the pilot of Hoppin' Around hot air balloon.  I have been a hot air balloon pilot since 2013.  It has been a dream of mine since I was about 5 years old.

When I was 5 years old, my grandfather, Dan Hopp, sponsored a balloon at the Lincoln Art and Balloon Festival.  We got to be up close and personal and get hands on with the balloon.  I will never be able to explain why, but I fell in love with balloons and have been obsessed ever since, and knew I wanted to fly them.  

At the age of 15 I took my first ride with pilot Jim Ireland.  This also got me officially started in crewing.  It started out slow, but the next year I was connected with pilot Jim Phelan.  I crewed for him every chance I could for the next 4 years, gaining lots of knowledge and experience along the way.

In 2013, Jim Phelan offered to train me to be a pilot.  Of course I accepted without hesitation.  By August of that year, after lots of studying, hands on training, and written, practical, and oral exams, I had earned my Lighter Than Air Privat Pilot Certificate from the FAA.

I flew often after this in other pilots' balloons gaining more experience and growing my skills as a pilot. In 2020 I took the next big step, and purchased Hoppin' Around. 

I began flying Hoppin' Around in a few events around Illinois, my first event being the Lincoln Balloon Festival.  It was hard to believe I went from being a spectator of the local festival that started it all for me, to being part of the show.

In 2021, I decided to attempt my next achievement.  I went back to the books, and after lots more studying, hands on training, and written, oral, and practical exams, I was granted my Lighter Than Air Commercial Pilot Certificate.  This allows me to instruct other pilots.  (It also allows flying for hire, but I do not offer that at this time.  I focus on flying as a hobby with friends and family.) 

Today I enjoy traveling around to balloon events and flying locally with friends and family.  Of course it's my dream come true. But the honest realization after getting where I am today, is that flying a hot air balloon is only 25% of the fun.  The rest of it comes from the places you travel, the people you meet, the friends you make, and the laughs we share.

My next goal is to train a student pilot from start to end, and watch them achieve their pilot certificate just as I did.  And maybe one of these days I can train my own son to fly and extend my passion to the next generation.