Navigating the skies with Expertise
Owner and operator: Benjamin Miller
My name is Ben and I have been intrigued by hot air ballooning since I was 2 years old. It started when I witnessed my father take a hot air balloon flight in 1985. The take-off was videotaped and I became obsessed with the concept, memorizing every detail and then recreating the experience with hundreds of drawings of hot air balloons. By high school I was volunteering time crewing for various pilots as much as I could.
In college, I started working part-time for a local hot air balloon ride company as ground crew. After graduation, with help from my parents, I purchased my first hot air balloon named “Littlest Angel” that was owned originally by the gentleman that trained me to fly. I received my Private Pilot’s Certificate with an LTA Rating in 2007 and then received my Commercial Rating in 2013. Since that time, I have participated in all aspects of the sport and have accumulated around 500 PIC (Pilot-in-command) hours in balloons of all sizes.
As a competitor I have participated in multiple National level events across the country, such as the BFA Great Lakes Regional Championship in Findlay, Ohio (2018), the BFA US National Team’s Championship held in Shreveport, Louisiana (2022), the BFA US National Hot Air Balloon Championship held in Longview, Texas (2024) and numerous local competition events around the US. From 2014- 2025, I flew passenger flights for the same local ride company I crewed for in college and operated six (6) passenger balloons. It was this experience that allowed me to build on my flying and business skills and has motivated me to continue giving people the opportunity to fly in hot air balloons. There is nothing like taking passengers up for their first time.
Professionally, I work full-time as an Art teacher at a local school district while raising my twin daughters, the reason for the team's name, “Twice Blessed”.
Pilot Ben with his daughters.
Photo Credit: Laura Esposito
Our Balloons!
The team flies Lighter-than-air (LTA) craft. Just like all other aircraft, hot air balloons are federally registered and go through the same maintenance rigors and requirements as other aircraft forms. To fly these aircraft, individuals who operate balloons must hold FAA Pilot Certificates rated for LTA flight. The Twice Blessed Balloon Team maintains and operates two hot air balloons.
The flagship aircraft of the team with same name is Twice Blessed, a 2019 amateur-built balloon with an Experimental Certificate. It took Ben five years to plan, design and sew the envelope (the fabric part of the balloon) together, holding a volume of around 70,000 cu ft of hot air and is able to carry pilot +1 crew person. The design boasts a mostly purple color base which was chosen to represent the ribbon supporting awareness for preterm births and related causes. Ben’s daughters were preemies, being born at 29 Weeks and spent 55 days in the NICU. The building of this balloon commemorates their early challenges. Because of being a home-built aircraft with an Experimental rating, we mostly operate this balloon for pleasure flying and competitions and cannot utilize it for paying passengers.
However, we are able to fly passengers in our larger balloon, Happy Blessings, a 2025 Kubicek BB26M, 90,000 cu ft. balloon. Happy Blessings is considered a hybrid shape, as it was a brand-new model design in 2024 and maintains a taller and slimmer profile. This design allows the pilot the ability to ascend and descend more efficiently. The slimmer profile also allows for landings in tighter spots. The colors of this balloon were chosen because they all represent an individual with the Miller family. The main color of the aircraft, which is YELLOW, is used in memory of Ben’s younger sister, Tydin, who was an early member of the team and passed away in 2011. Yellow was her favorite color. Happy Blessings was designed in-part by Artist Nikolas Conlon, an ultimate balloon enthusiast from the state of New York.
Ben also flies occasionally for RE/MAX and has flown several contract advertisement banners.
