Like any adventure, it begins with a dream. From a very early age, Casey was always fascinated with aviation. Airplanes were an early interest but the thought of flying a helicopter soon rose to the top. When in high school and being very into photography, the opportunity came up to go to a balloon rally in a neighboring state, this photographer’s dream subject… until he was asked if he wanted to help pack up a balloon. Then owning and flying his own balloon became the dream of a lifetime for Casey, although it took many years to get there.

Casey eventually took a job as a professional hot air balloon crew chief for the summers while he was working the winters at a ski resort. For five summers the balloon crew chief position took him back and forth across the United States to different Balloon Festivals, Nascar Races, NHRA Drag Races, and other events for General Motors, Cuervo, Winston, and Ben & Jerry’s in assisting the corporate balloon pilot in balloon operations.

It wasn’t until after a few years break from ballooning that the dream of owning a hot air balloon once again took hold. This time Casey had a wife and two kids and with their encouragement and support, he purchased his own balloon “Back To The Future” in 2014 and acquired his private pilot’s certification in 2015.

After 10 years of juggling his hobby of ballooning with the demands of the business that he owned, he received his commercial pilot’s certification in 2025 and retired from his business the end of the year. Now in 2026, Casey has turned his hobby into his retirement business and is doing what he really loves - flying a hot air balloon while sharing that experience with the great people that he gets to meet!

Hype’s Hot Air Adventures is located just outside of West Glacier, MT which borders Glacier National Park; however, flights take place in the Flathead Valley where the flying area is more conducive to ballooning. For those who may have seen Casey flying the Back to the Future Balloon in the Flathead Valley only occasionally in the past, you can expect to see Back to the Future in the skies more frequently.