How Sandia employees contribute to the success of Balloon Fiesta

A tradition since 1972, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta draws 800,000 people to the metro’s signature event. To pull off the nine-day spectacle, it takes at least 500 hot-air balloon pilots and thousands of volunteers. Sandians can be spotted throughout Balloon Fiesta Park and up in the skies, lending their expertise and time, contributing to the event’s success and adding to spectators’ joy.

41 years of Balloon Fiesta flights

Years ago, Sandia machinist Eric Hodges made one thing clear to his prospective employer: He needed the first full week of October off for Balloon Fiesta.

“I’ve just always made sure that I could do it. Many years ago, I remember during a job interview telling my hopeful employer at the time that I will not be available to work the first full week in October every year,” Eric said.

Eric grew up in Albuquerque and got his first taste of ballooning with his mom when he was 11. Just five years later, he was piloting in his first Balloon Fiesta and he is now flying in his 41st consecutive event.

“Basically, to be quite honest about it, we started ballooning and we never stopped,” Eric said. “My first Fiesta was 1985 when I was 16 years old, and that’s the youngest you can fly. I got my private pilot’s license in June, on my 16th birthday, and I was flying in Balloon Fiesta in October 1985.”

He said he was the youngest pilot to fly in Balloon Fiesta that year. Sandia year-round graduate intern Savannah Bradley earned that same distinction decades later, in 2016.

Learning to elevate her career from a very young age

“I did everything as young as I could,” Savannah said. “You can solo in a standard balloon when you’re 14, so I soloed on my 14th birthday. I got my pilot certificate on my 16th birthday. I could fly before I could drive, and I was a pilot in Fiesta that year.”

Savannah, who has been an intern with Sandia since 2019, is months away from defending her doctoral dissertation in human systems engineering. Her work at the Labs focuses largely on robotics and human factors engineering, and she hopes to continue her career at Sandia.

Savannah first felt drawn to engineering through ballooning.

“My dad is a very well-known balloonist. He has 64 world records. In 2015, he was doing a trans-Pacific flight called Two Eagles, and I was 15. I went over to Japan with him, and I helped the team set up the balloon. Then, I was taught how to do the avionics, how to solder. I said, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool. This is really fun to do the avionics,’ and the team was like, ‘Have you considered engineering?’ And I’ve been on that path ever since,” Savannah said.

As her engineering education progressed, Savannah found her new knowledge gave her an edge, especially as a competitive pilot.

“A lot of my doctoral research focuses on human-machine teaming, but there’s also human-human teaming — learning how people interact with each other and how we can be more effective in particular environments. I think my research and my work at Sandia has helped feed into that. I would say that competition ballooning is probably the biggest (type of hot-air ballooning) that relates to the analytical side of engineering,” Savannah said.

This Balloon Fiesta, Savannah will serve on chase crews for several Rainbow Ryders balloons. Once she earns her doctorate, she’s looking forward to getting back into flying and continuing a tradition that stretches across both sides of her family.

“I am a fourth-generation pilot,” Savannah said. “Fourth generation on my dad’s side, third generation on my mom’s side. My parents met because my dad taught my mom’s dad how to fly balloons, so it’s very much a family thing.”

Love is in the (hot) air

Ballooning also brought Sandians April Barrick and Tony Grabara together at launch site P-2 at Balloon Fiesta Park.

“We met in 2013 at P-2,” said Tony, a production planning control specialist. “On our eighth year, I put the ring on her finger. On our ninth year, we bought our own hot-air balloon, and on our 10th anniversary together, we got married on the spot that we met, on the day that we met.” 

Today, Tony and April, a systems engineer, work in buildings across from each other at the Labs. April has been crewing for 33 years and has been a crew member for the beloved three “Little Bees” balloons since 2008. Tony has been crewing since 2010 and joined the “Little Bees” team in 2014.

Both are now pursuing their pilot certificates. Along the way, they are drawing on skills they use daily at Sandia.

“I would have to say problem solving, quick thinking, what to do in a moment when you don’t have a lot of time to decide,” Tony said. “So, it’s the same thing with work. You know, especially in my job, the plan is constantly changing. You are never going to stick to the plan that you started on. It’s the development of the process as you go and the changes that you have to make on the fly.”

April adds that the preparation and planning she does as an engineer at the Labs are similar to preparing for a flight when it comes to checking parts, weight and weather before a safe launch.

Around town

Another spectator favorite is the drone show, which takes place ahead of mass ascensions and balloon glows. A professional drone company orchestrates the show, and more than two dozen Sandians volunteer to help set up and charge all 500 drones.

“I’m scheduled for six times this year. Last year I did five,” Sandia electronic technologist Valerie Archuleta said. “If you volunteer with the Balloon Fiesta for five or more, then you do get the jacket and the T-shirts and the whole bit.”

Getting to Balloon Fiesta can be an event of its own. Bob Pacheco, an engineering program and project lead for the material handling program in Environment, Safety and Health, volunteers through his church to help thousands of people use the Park & Ride service.

“We start up at 3 a.m.,” Bob said. “If you’ve taken the Park & Ride in the morning, you know that there’s so many people. It’s a huge line and we scan all the tickets. What’s nice about it is how friendly and excited most of the people are and knowing that they may have traveled from around the state, around the country and even around the world to participate in such a unique event.”

Sandia’s social media team heard from dozens of other employees who serve as volunteer crew members, help on vendor row or pilot their own balloons. Many credit Sandia’s flexible 4/10 and 9/80 schedules for helping them make the most of ballooning, both at Balloon Fiesta and at events across the country.