Balloonatics Book Shares Experiences of Hot Air Balloon Pilot in Northern Oakland County
(Lara Mossa, Nov. 11, 2025)
Holly, MI – “The Balloonatics” will take you on a high-flying ride through the skies.
Craig Elliott, 66, of Holly wrote the 332-page book about his life as a hot air balloon pilot.
“It’s just really almost impossible to describe how wonderful a feeling it is to fly,” he said. “It feels like you are suspended in air and the Earth is rotating slowly below you.”
A 1976 Okemos High School graduate, Elliott started crewing and took his first flight lessons in 1976, obtaining his license in 1978. A family friend, Dr. John Hall, was looking for ground crew for his hot air balloon.
“A balloon just floats with the clouds,” he recalled. “I just fell in love with it. It was amazing.”
With one pilot, each hot air balloon carries two to three people, depending on the size. Some large balloons carry more than 30 people. Since balloons cannot be steered, a vehicle follows below and brings the passengers back.
“When you are going low and slow, you can really see things,” he said, describing the view as an “aerial nature walk” and adding that winter hot air balloon rides are incredible. “It’s just amazing.”
The $20 nonfiction book talks about Elliott’s 42-year career as a hot air balloon pilot – all the different balloons and events he piloted with his friends.
The 1980s and 1990s were the heyday of ballooning, he reminisced, and not many people in Michigan provide the service now. Typical ballooning season is April through October.
In 1990, Elliott met his wife, Michelle, and they had two children. They owned their own balloon between 1990 and 2003, but Elliott decided to take a full-time job as a health and life insurance salesman. He continued ballooning for another 16 years and, more recently, works as an Uber driver.
Elliott launched the website, www.theballoonatics.com, two years ago when he started writing the book. It took a year to complete and another to self-publish.
“It was really amazing and a lot of fun to relive those old memories,” said Elliott, who perused his logs for inspiration. “It’s just a fantastic adventure tale about something than most people have done or know anything about,” he said.
Balloonatics is available now at Balcony Row Books in Downtown Holly, or order online with delivery after Nov. 18 at Barnes and Noble.
There are also two book signings coming up:
