Pilot Biography for

A Mario Di Stefano

Presently Mario is the owner/operator of BELLA VIA BALLOON CO, which provides general balloon services such as Advertising, Promotions, Training, Sales, Rides and other relative L.T.A. needs. He had been in the Insurance and Financial Business since 1965 and has pseudo retired in 2009.

Mario has operated many corporate balloon contacts in previous years. He considers his operation as the most commercially experienced Balloon Company in central New England. With 3000 hours plus of balloon time he has flown over 14, 000 people and tethered for inestimable crowds.

Ballooning since 1978, Mario began by chasing as crew chief for his best friend who at the time was piloting commercially for someone else. After many hours of tethering, chasing, and flying He bought his own balloon in 1982 and started BELLA VIA BALLOON CO part time. In 1985 He went into the balloon business, full time, after twenty years of being an Insurance and Financial Advisor. (Possibly had a mid-life crisis or followed his bliss)?

Mario has attended many balloon events from Atlanta GA, to Battle Creek MI. to St. Jean, Canada, and New England. He is a member of the B.F.A. C.L.A.S. and G.E.B.A. as a competitor and fiesta flyer.

Being a native of Sicily, Italy, he is opening up operations there and is currently organizing group tours in the winter for his ballooning friends.

He has been co-promoter and balloonmeister of the 1982 Worcester County Balloon Festival, the 1984 Worcester First Night Rally and the 1985 Heritage Balloon festival in Worcester Ma. He has also been balloonmeister and/or organizationally involved and participated in many other balloon events throughout the Northeast United States.

Since he was seventeen Mario has had an insatiable interest in Psychology, Anthropology, History and Sociology. In his spare time, Mario does Zen meditation, woodworking, reading, gardening, and martial arts.