Portrait of a smiling pilot with a dark braid in a khaki flight jacket by a wicker basket at dawn.

Chief pilot

Captain Elena Ruiz

Elena has flown over Sedona since 2004 and decides every morning whether the sky says yes.

Flies: Shared sunrise flights, Proposal flights, Training new pilots
Hours flown: 6,800 hours
Experience: 22 years
Languages: English, Spanish

Elena earned her commercial balloon license at twenty-three and has flown over Sedona since the company’s first morning. As chief pilot she checks the weather at 4 am and makes the call to fly.

She trains every new pilot and still flies most proposals herself.

Fly with Captain

Flights

Shared
Shared sunrise flight
The classic: an hour at sunrise with a small group
Seats: Up to 16 guests
- Time: About 3½ hours, an hour in the air
- Price: $289 per person
Private
Private basket
A basket and a pilot just for the two of you
Seats: Two guests
- Time: About 3½ hours, an hour in the air
- Price: $1,190 per basket
Celebrations
Proposal flight
Ask the question at sunrise, three thousand feet up
Seats: Two guests
- Time: About 3½ hours, an hour in the air
- Price: $1,490 per basket

Sunward’s flight desk

Flights, prices, weather and pickup

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Captain Elena Ruiz

Flights

Shared sunrise flight

Private basket

Proposal flight