Chris has been involved in hot air ballooning since his childhood when he started helping some balloon pilots at the Chagrin Falls Blossom Time Balloon Festival every Memorial Day weekend. Chris then started helping a local pilot with his balloon ride business. The pilot of that business would eventually train Chris for his pilots licence many years later. In 2003 Chris passed his private pilot exam and, in 2005, he purchased his first balloon Sky Berry. Currently, Chris works at University Hospitals in Cleveland as a cardiovascular nurse.