In this candid YouTube interview with Sitara Maruf, Bruce Comstock reflects on the breathtaking years when ballooning in America was still raw, dangerous, and unforgettable.
Please click here to watch the interview on YouTube
In the 1970s, hot-air ballooning in the U.S. was wild and new. The equipment was experimental, the flights were daring, and it took grit to fly. Bruce was at the heart of it—pioneering techniques, testing limits, and proving that science and innovation could tame the skies.
Over the course of his extraordinary career, he climbed to 30,840 feet in a hot-air balloon, soared to 24,447 feet with Steve Fossett in a Roziere, and flew 1,519 miles nonstop with Ed Heltshe from Aspen, Colorado to Altoona, Pennsylvania.
He was one of the early balloon manufacturers in the United States, created safety systems like the autopilot and altitude alarm, and helped launch Fossett’s record-breaking flights across oceans and around the world. His achievements earned him induction into both U.S. and international Ballooning Halls of Fame, along with the prestigious Montgolfier Diploma.
###
