A 16-year-old Indianola native is a licensed hot-air balloon pilot. Landon Olson grew up being interested in hot-air balloons. His first time in a basket was when he was just four years old.

The balloon landed in a field in the area of Grey Owl Way and Chrysanthy Boulevard just after 8 a.m. in Rancho Cordova on Sunday. KCRA 3 spoke to the pilot of the hot air balloon, Tim Nelson.

INDIANOLA, Iowa (KCCI) -- A 16-year-old Indianola native is a licensed hot-air balloon pilot. Landon Olson grew up being interested in hot-air balloons. His first time in a basket was when he was ...

That includes Landon Olson, a 16-year-old from Indianola, who has become a licensed pilot. He grew up with a love of hot-air balloons, and since 2023 he’s been training to become a hot-air balloon ...

and since 2023 he’s been training to become a hot-air balloon pilot. Training requires learning technical skills and dozens of hours of flight time. Olson says he’s been getting ready for this ...