AMMON — In the penultimate day before its annual Ammon Days celebration, city officials hosted a keynote with a notable hot air balloon pilot who travels across the country sharing his experiences living with paraplegia.
Michael Glen, also known as “The Rolling Pilot,” is the world’s first paraplegic licensed hot air balloon pilot who will be flying the skies of Ammon during the city’s celebration Friday through Sunday.
Glen spoke to locals, city officials and media about his life and how an accident changed his life.
He grew up in Roswell, New Mexico, where his father had been flying hot air balloons since the 1970s, and just two weeks after he was born, took his first flight.
He said he was very active when he was younger, helping with the Special Olympics, playing soccer and volleyball and later attending New Mexico State, where he obtained a scholarship to play volleyball.
In 1996, when he was 21 years old, during a Spring Break, Glen said he was out mudding with family and friends when a truck they were using got stuck. Unable to get the truck unstuck, they decided to come the next morning to give another attempt, but were unsuccessful. Deciding they needed help, Glen and his brother went in separate vehicles to find help.
Driving down the road, Glen said the truck veered off the road, one of its tires blew, causing it to flip, and he was ejected from the vehicle while it was traveling at 65 mph.
Glen sustained a collapsed lung, broke his T-11 and T-12 in his spine, and multiple rib fractures.
“Luckily, going back to the sports and all that, I knew how to fall,” Glen said. “From that point, I lost the ability of my legs from down.”
Glen’s brother was the first to find him after the crash, and Glen said that after two weeks in the hospital, he had to learn how to live his life in a wheelchair.
“In that rehab time, I decided I wanted to focus on trying to walk again, but I quickly realized that I wasn’t necessarily in charge of (it),” Glen said.
Looking at other things he could do, Glen said he wanted to become a hot air balloon pilot.
It wasn’t until 2006, after years of studying and adapting to life with a wheelchair, that Glen became a hot air balloon pilot to fly in a wheelchair.
After accumulating more experience and having his trailer, where he stored his balloon, robbed twice, he was approached by another balloonist, Bob Romaneschi, to create Joelly.
The Little Bees are a set of three bee hot air balloons, with Joey and Lilly as the parents and Joelly as the “baby”. Joelly is half the size of Joey and Lilly, but Glen said it’s still a massive balloon.
Joelly will be present at the Ammon Days along with other hot air balloons.
Since Joelly came into existence, Glen said he’s been traveling to festivals across the country, realizing he could do more. He decided to speak with children at schools as an advocate for seat belt safety, but he believes anything is possible.
“Just because something bad to you doesn’t have to stop your dreams and ambitions,” Glen said. “I lost the use of my leg, but it hasn’t stopped me.”
Randal Miller, the city of Ammon’s community events and recreation director, told EastIdahoNews.com that Glen is one of the 22 hot air balloon pilots who will fly over Ammon Friday morning during Ammon Days.
Miller said Ammon Days is a free community event offering something for everyone to enjoy over the weekend with family.
Friday night, Miller said the hot air balloons will light up the night for the glow night event, which will start at 8:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. at McCowin Park.
On Saturday, the community is invited back to McCowin Park to celebrate Ammon Days with around 150 vendors with prizes and giveaways. Miller said there will be a car show and kids’ games.
Miller wants to remind the community that there is free transportation to McCowin Park that will take community members from Hillcrest High School to the park. Teton Stage Lines will provide shuttles between the two locations every 10 to 15 minutes.
“Parking at the park is going to be extremely limited. Do yourself a favor and just park at the high school,” Miller said.
For more information about Ammon Day, visit ammondays.cityofammon.us.
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