On Sunday September 11, Hot Air Balloon Pilot William H. Costen, of Bloomfield, will be presented the prestigious lifetime achievement “Ed Yost Master Pilot Award” from the Balloon Federation of America. The award recognizes lighter than air (LTA) pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 40 or more consecutive years as active pilots.
The award ceremony will be held at The First Cathedral Church, 1151 Blue Hills Avenue in Bloomfield, CT during the 10:45 a.m. service. Costen’s daughter, Chantal Potter, a highly celebrated Black Entertainment (BET) producer and filmmaker, will show a movie trailer on a documentary film that she is producing titled “Sky Endeavors: The Story of a Black Balloon Pilot.” All are welcome to attend.
Bill Costen, born William Hollis Costen is an African American hot air balloon pilot, business owner, photojournalist, professional photographer, black memorabilia collector, curator, archivist and exhibitor. (See Rosemary Tracy Woods’ article on Bill in the May 1, 2016 issue of POV, “The Art of Collecting Art: The Costen Cultural Exhibit.)
Bill’s ballooning career began in 1975 when he created and designed “The State of Connecticut Bicentennial Balloon,” which was dedicated by Governor Ella Grasso. He became a Raven (Aerostar) Dealer and started Sky Endeavors with Jim Isler, a hot air balloon company dealing in sales, instruction, rides and promotions. Throughout the years, Bill has trained several people to become balloon pilots and has used his balloon for advertising purposes for many major corporations. He has given tether rides to thousands of people attending annual fairs and outdoor functions. He has done grand openings for car dealerships, restaurants, stores, malls and businesses all over Connecticut. Schools have used his balloon to motivate, reward and entertain students. Many organizations have rewarded employees and supporters with gift certificates to fly at their leisure. Bill has given balloon rides to thousands of people and has done numerous promotions for various companies and organizations. He has flown in balloon festivals and races all over the country and has been featured in many newspapers and magazines. Being the first African American commercial hot air balloon pilot in the country, he was featured in Ebony Magazine in 1977 and Black Enterprise in both 1981 and 1989.
