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����vlog EIGHT NEWS AT 530. WELCOME BACK. THE NATIONAL BALLOON CLASSIC IN INDIANOLA IS STILL ABOUT FOUR MONTHS AWAY, BUT NEW AT 530. ����vlog’S NICOLE TAM MET A NEWLY LICENSED PILOT EXCITED TO COMPETE, AND HE IS ONLY 16 YEARS OLD. ON A CHILLY SPRING MORNING IN INDIANOLA, THIS IS GOING TO BE WARM. 16 YEAR OLD LANDON OLSON BROUGHT SOME HEAT AS HE GOT THE BURNER READY FOR A HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHT. THE NEWLY LICENSED PILOT HAS BEEN GETTING READY FOR MOMENTS LIKE THIS SINCE THE FIRST TIME, HE SAID. IN A BASKET. AT JUST FOUR YEARS OLD. INDIANOLA IS LIKE COMMON FOR BALLOONS AND LIKE THEY WOULD JUST FLY OVER THE HOUSE AND I WOULD JUST BE IN, IN, LIKE, AWESTRUCK, JUST STARING UP AT HIM. AND IT JUST REALLY COOL. SINCE 2023, OLSON STARTED TRAINING TO BECOME A HOT AIR BALLOON PILOT. TEN HOURS IN THE AIR STUDYING A BIT. WE HAVE A BIG LIKE THIS THICK OF A BOOK THAT WE STUDY. SO IT’S IT WAS IT WAS HARD, BUT IT WAS IT WAS FUN TRAINING. OF COURSE, INVOLVED LEARNING TECHNICAL SKILLS, RIGGING INFLATION, CONTOUR FLYING, LANDING. EVERY EXPERIENCE IN THE AIR IS RECORDED. IN HIS FIRST PILOT LOG. I’M HERE NOW WITH 32 HOURS, THE FIRST OF MANY LOG BOOKS AS OLSON HOPES TO PURSUE AVIATION AS A CAREER COMMERCIALLY. AS IN LIKE FLYING AIRPLANES. I DO WANT TO GO TO I DO WANT TO BE IN LIKE, GO TO AVIATION SCHOOL. SO THAT’S I’M EXCITED TO DO THAT. THROUGHOUT HIS JOURNEY, IT TOOK A VILLAGE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS SMOOTH SAILING. IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE PERSON TO GET A BALLOON OFF THE GROUND. IT’S IT’S LIKE MY FAMILY’S HERE. MY FRIENDS ARE HERE. IT’S IT’S REALLY COOL. AND THEY’LL BE THERE WITH EVERY FLIGHT WORKING TOGETHER, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY TO HELP LANDON SOAR INTO THE SKY AND REACH FOR HIS DREAMS IN INDIANOLA. NICOLE TAM