Roy Caton is much like one of the balloon's he flies. He keeps going and going and going and...
Roy Caton is much like one of the balloon's he flies. He keeps going and going and going and...
This summer marks the beginning of Caton's 16th year on the road as a full time commercial pilot for Mel Hanson's company, The Balloon Inc. While some pilots have been flying longer, few can say they've held down the same job for more years than Caton. He is the icon of ballooning's Road Warrior pilots; men and women who spend each season traveling from town to town flying for one commercial client or another. It's a long way from his previous lifestyle of riding horses and putting up hay...
"I was a farm boy," says Caton, "growing up on my parents farm some 35 miles southwest of St. Louis, I used to ride horses, put up hay and herd cattle; that was my life."
One afternoon in 1977 Greg Hanson stopped at the Caton farm to make a phone call while chasing his brother Mel's hot air balloon. Hanson (Greg) knew that Roy was flying hang gliders so he mentioned that balloons might also be of interest to him. One phone call later and Caton joined Greg in crewing for brother Mel. Less than a year later Caton and a cousin had purchased their first balloon, then in rapid succession came a private pilot's license, commercial license, some sport flying to build hours and eventually a full-time job as corporate pilot for Mel Hanson's new ballooning business.
Fortunately for Caton, his development in the sport and his association with Hanson put him in the right place at the right time. Making money in ballooning was an early goal for Caton.
"When I found out that there was a chance to make money at something I was paying good money to do, then I figured this was a good thing."
In the Fall of 1981 Caton quit his real job and took to the road for the first time doing some limited flying for Bell Systems Yellow Pages and Seven-Up. He did so with the understanding there would be no work during the winter, but he survived. The following season, Spring of 1982, he was again on the road and has been there ever since.
"After just a few months I looked at this job and said, Ô I can do this for five years. It's away from home a lot but I'm having a good time and seeing the country."
Fifteen years later Caton now says, "Things have tempered a bit. It's not knew and exciting anymore. But I still get to travel the country, to attend events I've never been to before, while keeping in touch with friends that I have all over the country now - friends that I would never have met were it not for ballooning. And there are still new places to go, so I still enjoy it."
For Caton the newest challenge to come along is that of flying special shapes. Working for Hanson, Caton has spent time piloting the United Van Lines moving van, the Energizer Bunny and the WTBS Anniversary Cake. The transition, he says, has been an easy one.
"Once the balloon is inflated, flying a special shape is not all that difficult. You have a volume of air that you have to heat in order to provide lift and you have vents to get you down. The biggest difference in flying shapes is their mass and their reaction times - they are a little slower to climb and a little harder to stop in a descent."
Keeping the customer (read sponsor) happy is also a constant challenge. Caton credits Hanson with easing the difficulty of that task.
"Mel has told us (his employees) repeatedly that he will never question any decision we make not to fly, and in my 15 years he never has. On the other hand, he says he may, and he has, questioned my decision to fly. Fortunately I guess I've always had a satisfactory answer!
"Really I've never had a problem with our clients. After all, I'm bringing some fun to town and these people are generally excited to meet me and they're looking forward to a good time. All I have to do is show up with a good attitude and that's half the battle right there. In marginal conditions I just try to explain that we can't have as much fun as we had hoped and explain it in such a manner so that they know I'm making this decision not to fly to protect them."
Each season Roy Caton drives more than 50,000 road miles. He spends a total of 248 days per year on the road away from home and his wife Debbie. Just what does he see at the end of the road?
"This past year I started working toward my fixed-wing license and I tackled some remodeling of the basement. I look for challenges outside of ballooning.
"But I'm in ballooning for the long haul. I still enjoy flying corporately, but if I were to quit today I'd soon go drag out the sport balloon and go for a flight across the countryside away from all the crowds. In fact, there are so many people I have promised a ride to that I could keep busy quite just doing that.
"Of course, if I find that winning lottery ticket, I could retire, remain active and still be happy. Sure, I'd retire in a minute, but it wouldn't mean an end to my ballooning."
Career notes:
1977 - first crewing experience
1978 - bought first balloon
1979 - earned private certificate
1981 - earned commercial certificate
1982 - first full-time season on the road
