forester with the u.s. forest service. for the past 15 years, he s piloted a hot air balloon modeled after smokey bear, the consummate symbol of fire prevention. it s a lot of fun. we all have a grand time doing it. it s a good excuse to be a kid again. and at the same time preventing fires. but during a 2004 flight at the albuquerque international balloon fiesta, ironically it s the friendly face of smokey bear at the center of a catastrophe. well, it was like any other day. it was the last day of the fiesta here. the weather was as predictable as it could be. they had predicted calm breezes, and that s the way it started. bill has two young passengers in his balloon, 14-year-old troy wells and 10-year-old aaron whitaker. on that particular morning, we had what you call microbursts or wind shears that just come out of nowhere. a sudden wind that just fouled everything up that morning.
consummate symbol of fire prevention. it s a lot of fun. we all have a grand time doing it. it s a good excuse to be a kid again. and at the same time preventing fires. but during a 2004 flight at the albuquerque international balloon fiesta, ironically it s the friendly face of smokey bear at the center of a catastrophe. well, it was like any other day. it was the last day of the fiesta here. the weather was as predictable as it could be. they had predicted calm breezes, and that s the way it started. bill has two young passengers in his balloon, 14-year-old troy wells and 10-year-old aaron whitaker. on that particular morning, we had what you call microbursts or wind shears that just come out of nowhere. a sudden wind that just fouled
ripped the balloon to shreds. it s tearing. when it happened, of course, our first thought was, will the balloon fall from the tower? will the basket fall from the tower? will it stay intact? i hope that thing don t rip and let the basket fall. bill and his young passengers have only seconds to act. we could see that the tower had a ladder inside it, and there was room for us to climb out of the basket into the tower. the two boys, well, they both were very brave. from the spectator s camera, we see the distant shape of 14-year-old troy wells climbing onto the tower and then helping the younger aaron whitaker. one of the thoughts i had was i hope the tower stays together. the huge balloon becomes a sail as it tears open, creating tremendous pressure, actually flexing the tower itself. but bill and the boys keep going despite the danger.
for the past 15 years, he s piloted a hot air balloon modeled after smokey bear, the consummate symbol of fire prevention. it s a lot of fun. we all have a grand time doing it. it s a good excuse to be a kid again. and at the same time preventing fires. but during a 2004 flight at the albuquerque international balloon fiesta, ironically it s the friendly face of smokey bear at the center of a catastrophe. well, it was like any other day. it was the last day of the fiesta here. the weather was as predictable as it could be. they had predicted calm breezes, and that s the way it started. bill has two young passengers in his balloon, 14-year-old troy wells and 10-year-old aaron whitaker. on that particular morning, we had what you call microbursts or wind shears that just come out of nowhere. a sudden wind that just fouled everything up that morning.
tower. finally, near the bottom, they reach a point where rescuers can reach them from the ground. how do you climb down such a long ladder? it was a long haul. i m getting a little weak in the knees, but we did it, and these kids were an inspiration. they did fine. nothing like terra firma, i tell you, the safety of the crew, the safety of the arms. we were all crying and just glad to be alive. bill presents both boys with a smokey bear pin as a tribute to their courage. meanwhile, 10-year-old aaron whitaker is shaken but in good spirits. would you ever fly again? probably when i m older. a couple years away, yeah, probably. but this year, no. sir, what about you? you betcha. you ve been flying for a long time. you bet, yep. i can t wait two years. i m getting too old to wait. thanks to a nationwide