Patrick Stevens

Apr 15, 2026

Patrick’s love for hot air balloons began early, as his grandmother often took him to the local balloon races. His first flight as a passenger was in 1984 with his mother and grandmother. In 1988, he began crewing for a recreational balloonist, and just two years later, his family purchased their own hot air balloon and began flying recreationally. By 1991, Patrick had earned his commercial rating and was flying passengers as well as training others to fly.

He has participated in numerous balloon events across the country, including multiple years at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, dating back to 1991. Over his career, Patrick has logged approximately 11,000 hours in hot air balloons, averaging around 350 hours of flight time per year. Much of that time has been spent flying passengers for hire in the Phoenix area, with over an estimated 100,000 passengers flown since 1991. Patrick has flown so many hours in hot air balloons that, if you converted his flight time into miles, he would have traveled around the Earth more than three times!

Hot air ballooning has remained a lifelong passion for Patrick. He enjoys traveling and makes a point of flying a balloon wherever he vacations. Even in his spare time, he could often be found at the launch site, flying recreationally.