They come in every color of the rainbow and are shaped like animals, objects like a 7Up can and a hamburger, and characters from Darth Vader to the Energizer Bunny. They offer a tranquil, quiet float, save for the occasional “whoosh” to fire them up. Hot air balloons evoke a magical, dreamy quality.

For pilot Stephen Blucher, 82, this magic is balanced with equal parts skill and risk. If you’ve spotted the buoyant orbs regularly dotting the sky, chances are you’ve seen him aloft. With around 2,500 ballooning hours (not including another 10,000 hours as a small airplane pilot), Blucher is a fixture in local skies since moving to Colorado Springs in 1980, where he heads up Rocky Mountain Hot Air Lines.

Blucher helped start the annual Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off.

Blucher was instrumental in starting the popular Labor Day Lift Off. In 1976, he and fellow balloonists formed the Ballooning Society of Pikes Peak. The following year, they held their first rally with 13 balloons at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, benefiting local charities.

Blucher passed the baton to Dewey Reinhard, who turned the event into the Colorado Springs Balloon Classic. Scott Appelman gradually grew the end-of-summer tradition to today's Colorado Springs Labor Day Lift Off: 75-80 balloons filling the sky above Memorial Park each Labor Day weekend, drawing around 250,000 admirers. It’s the third-largest balloon event in the country and one of only two worldwide that are free to attend.

HIGH-FLYING ADVENTURES

Colorado’s climate offers many sunny days for ballooning. The thin mountain air allows for impressive heights, with balloons usually ascending 1,000-3,000 feet. 

Blucher’s highest flight reached 18,000 feet during a test flight for high-altitude skydiving. Anyone flying above 14,000 feet is required to have oxygen available.

Even at lower levels, ballooning has its challenges. What flights have been the most dangerous? 

“Every one of them!” said Blucher. 

He recounted one harrowing experience where an inexperienced pilot and his wife tried to guide their balloon around high-tension power lines. The balloon made contact with the wires, blowing out the instruments. Fortunately, they landed safely, although the wife’s tennis shoes went up in smoke.   

Blucher said the primary challenge for hot air ballooning is weather. Flights are typically scheduled early, from sunrise to about two hours after, to avoid thermals—low-level air currents that can make a ride unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Pilots must carefully monitor weather conditions before ascending, as wind often flows down from the Rocky Mountains, adding extra complexity. Blucher knows this all too well from a nerve-wracking windy incident.

“I was sweating bullets,” he recalled, “but fortunately the passengers were totally unaware of it!” 

Blucher and crew performing final checks prior to liftoff. Photo by James Harris Photography.

Another time, his balloon was swept up in a dust devil. Although these whirlwinds are usually harmless, the wind shot the balloon up to 10,000 feet before setting it down safely. 

The longest distance Blucher ever flew a balloon was an unplanned trip from Colorado Springs to Denver. After taking off in ideal conditions one morning, an outflow wind from a dying thunderstorm in Trinidad caught his balloon and pushed it all the way to Denver. He landed safely, even though the wind speed reached 45 mph.

Sometimes the hazards aren’t from nature but from people.

“One time I was flying over a property, and a guy sitting out on his back porch started shooting at me,” Blucher said. 

He called 911 and continued flying, luckily making it out safely. Bullets can’t cause much damage to a hot air balloon, which is open at the bottom to pump in gas-heated air.

“Of course, if they shoot at the basket, they could do some real damage to the pilot!” he noted.

Hot air balloons can take off and land almost anywhere, which is helpful when pilots need to make impromptu landings. Blucher has landed in fields, on roads and occasionally in someone’s backyard.

“Sometimes it’s better to ask forgiveness later than try to get permission first!” he admitted. 

A GRRREAT GIG

Blucher’s career led him to Battle Creek, Michigan, aka “Cereal City,” where he piloted a Tony the Tiger hot air balloon for The Kellogg Company. From 1993 to 1996, he toured the country, drifting through the skies under the giant orange tiger’s grinning image while promoting “grrreat” Frosted Flakes.

The Tony the Tiger hot air balloon that Blucher piloted for the Kellogg Company from 1993 to 1996.

It’s also how he met his wife. 

“It was a Saturday morning, and I was scheduled to take a Safeway executive and his wife up for a ride. The wife brought her sister along to watch their kids. Let’s just say I definitely noticed the sister! She was in pink, teal and purple—and that smile!” 

Although Blucher couldn’t meet her at the time, fate intervened.

“The following Monday, I was at the Antlers Hotel, and by chance, I happened to run into that Safeway exec and his wife in the elevator. I asked for her sister’s phone number, and the rest is history”—29 years of married history with Jeanie.

Blucher lived in Florida before settling in Colorado. He attended a boys’ camp in the mountains when he was a child and always knew he’d return someday. For a time, he went back and forth between the two states before making Colorado his permanent home 

A CAREER IN THE CLOUDS

Blucher earned his private pilot’s certificate 50 years ago, flying small planes and helicopters, and later obtained his commercial balloonist’s certificate. 

Blucher prepares the basket and propane tanks before a flight.

He once had a job repossessing airplanes when owners failed to make payments, sometimes necessitating cloak-and-dagger operations. In Augusta, Georgia, he had to fly off in a small plane that was parked next to Arnold Palmer’s jet at the Master’s golf tournament. Another time, he landed a repossessed plane through knee-deep snow on the runway. 

Blucher volunteers extensively, partnering with Angels of America’s Fallen to auction off hot air balloon rides to children of first responders and military members who have died in service. He has taught 300 driver safety courses with AARP and has flown for the local Civil Air Patrol Search and Rescue Unit for 30 years. 

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Blucher still takes to the skies, giving passengers unforgettable experiences in his trusty aerostat, October Moon. Despite botched proposals and nearly tumbling out of the basket, he’s celebrated countless joyful moments. 

“People who would be afraid to climb a four-foot ladder get up in a balloon and just love it!” he said. 

For rides, contact Rocky Mountain Hot Air Lines at 719-338-1367. For more information, visit the Ballooning Society of Pikes Peak at BSOPP.com. 

Don't miss the 2024 Labor Day Lift Off Aug. 31-Sept. 2

FREE Admission

Memorial Park, 1605 E. Pikes Peak Ave.

Grounds open at 5 a.m.

Balloon lifts at 7 a.m.

• Drone shows
• Skydivers
• 5K race
• Concerts 
• Remote control balloons
• Concessions and a beer garden
• Balloon glows at 7 p.m. 
• Aerial acrobats
• Hot air balloon rides 

Visit ColoradoSpringsLaborDayLiftOff.com for a complete schedule.