Watch: Ex-NFL Player Bill Costen Becomes World’s First African American Hot-Air Balloon Master
Just in time for Black History Month, the story of the world’s first African-American Hot-Air Balloon Master Pilot is being released Tuesday (Feb. 2).
The new documentary, Balloon Man, follows ex-NFL player Bill Costen and his journey to make history in a groundbreaking new workforce, Deadline reports. The film, written and directed by Costen’s daughter Chantal Potter, features intimate storytelling as Costen navigates the clouds. The father-daughter due executive produced the project together to share the exhilarating story.
“From the year I was born, I was flying with my father and I am honored to be able to tell his incredible story,” Potter told the outlet. “When I began the journey of producing this film, I not only wanted to open a gateway into the experience of the art, skill, and business of ballooning but also the endeavors of a man who gave the word flight an entirely new meaning.”
Potter hopes that by documenting her father’s story a new generation will be inspired to live authentically and reach their full potential.
Watch the trailer for Balloon Man below:
Costen was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, as a 14th round pick out of Morris Brown College 1970.
According to the Courant News, Costen, his cousin and friends pooled their funds to buy a balloon to fly recreationally after he left football. In 1975, Costen bought his own balloon for $4,800 and launched Sky Endeavors, which he ran for 42 years.
Costen was recognized in 2016 as an “Ed Yost Master Pilot,” named after the founder of the awarding group, the Balloon Federation of America.
