In the vibrant world of hot air ballooning, precision, teamwork, and timing are everything. For three members of the Elevate Balloons Group from North Alabama, Glympse has become an essential tool in ensuring seamless coordination between pilots and ground crew. With its ease of use and real-time location sharing, Glympse allows the team to navigate the skies confidently, knowing that their crew can track their every move from the ground below.
The Elevate Balloon Group’s Story
Among the Elevate Balloons Group, there are three passionate pilots: Marshall Gower, Joseph Cole, and Dustin Cole. Ballooning has been a lifelong pursuit for Joseph and Dustin, brothers introduced to ballooning as children. Their journey began at the Alabama Jubilee, where their grandmother, Patsy Cole, a retired employee of 3M, would take them to assist with the company’s sponsored balloons. Over time, a simple interest evolved into a shared passion and a way of life.
For Brittany Cole, Joseph’s wife, ballooning became a central part of her life as well. Joseph proposed to her in 2013 while soaring 1,000 feet above Decatur, Alabama, marking the moment when ballooning became a permanent part of their story. Over the years, the group expanded, with Marshall Gower, a fixed-wing pilot, joining their ranks as he pursued his lighter-than-air (LTA) license.
On the other hand, in Germantown, Tennessee, Jackie and Rob Hall have been a big part of the whole balloon experience! In fact, the Halls are just one of the balloonists that 3M has sponsored throughout the years.
Together, this dedicated group (among many other Elevate Balloon members) has created memories in the sky and on the ground.
How Glympse Elevates Their Ballooning Experience
Tracking the balloon’s path ensures safety and efficiency for hot air balloon pilots and their crews. In the past, tracking options were limited. According to Brittany, “When Joseph was younger, there wasn’t really any way to track besides looking in the sky.” Some pilots even used tracking collars, repurposed from dog-tracking devices, to help the ground crew follow the balloon’s journey.
Enter Glympse. The app has profoundly changed how members of Elevate Balloons operate. “Glympse makes a huge difference!” Brittany explains. The group uses Glympse Public Tags to share real-time location updates through the HotAir app, allowing the ground crew to track the balloon’s flight path. This makes it much easier for the team to determine which roads to stay close to or ahead of the balloon, ensuring they’re always ready when it’s time to land.
The Power of Real-Time Tracking
Glympse’s real-time location-sharing features have streamlined the group’s operations, providing peace of mind and efficiency during flights. Brittany shares how Glympse has changed its approach: “We can create a Glympse Tag, and through their HotAir app, they share their location. Then we can easily track their path and know which roads to take to stay close or ahead of them.”
What once involved guessing based on sight or using outdated tracking methods has become an organized and coordinated process, with Glympse providing the critical link between the skies and the ground crew.
Glympse: The Best Solution for Hot Air Balloons
The story of the three pilots is one of passion, adventure, and innovation. With roots stretching back to childhood, Joseph and Dustin Cole’s love for ballooning has taken them on countless journeys through the skies. Today, with the help of Glympse, their flights are more efficient, safer, and easier to coordinate.
For anyone looking to explore the skies, whether in a hot air balloon or another adventure, Glympse offers the tools to stay connected and informed in real time. And for the Elevate Balloon Group, the sky is no longer the limit—it’s just the beginning.
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