It Happened at Michigan — Aero Club Took to the Skies in Hot Air Balloons

April 14, 2025

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Read time:

<5 mins
250414 IHAM Hot Air Balloon Photo
Presented by The Record

In 1914, the University of Michigan launched the nation’s first collegiate aeronautics program, with students exploring flight both in the classroom and in the skies through gliders, planes, and hot air balloons. A student-run Aero Club helped restore a donated balloon for a daring 1926 test flight, sparking years of ballooning adventures. One student’s attempt to reach a football game by balloon took a wildly unexpected turn—and the story only gets better from there. Read on to find out what happened.

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