First Participating Pilot Announcement for the 2026 ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta® is friend Tristan MacLean who will be flying Enchanted Horizons, for the event’s Official Title Sponsor, Exxon Mobil. He’s the founder of Always Time to Fly, a commercial balloon ride company that has grown steadily since Tristan won the 2018 Hawk Tank business plan competition at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Note that the first participating pilot announcements for last year’s event began at 10:52 am MT, on August 2, 2025. We will be following the format below for 2026 pilot announcements:
Pilot: Tristan MacLean
Announced: July 13, 2026 9:01 am MT
Hometown: Glendale, AZ USA
Balloon Talk Member since May 18, 2015
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