SOCORRO, New Mexico (STPNS) -- When Michael Glen lost the use of both of his legs after a serious automobile accident in 1996, he decided that if he couldn?t walk, he may as well fly.

And fly he does.

At 31, Glen became the first paraplegic hot air balloon pilot in the world.

?I was a college volleyball player and studying to become a teacher at the time of the accident,? he said. ?It was a single car rollover near Bottomless Lake.?

Six months of surgeries and rehab followed.

?I decided to make a change after a couple of weeks,? he said. ?I was sitting and thinking about everything and figured I could keep on sitting and moping over it or do something with my life.?



Glen is now a motivational speaker, passing his message of encouragement on to young people.

?I want to them to know they can overcome any obstacle to get to their goal in life,? he said. ?Both of my parents are teachers, and like them, I want to do something for kids.  Kids with disabilities aren?t any different than anybody else.?

He tries to schedule speaking engagements along with his balloon trips.

?I?ve hit quite a few rallies. This year I?ve been on the run since August,? Glen said. ?Denver, Colorado Springs, Palm Springs, all over the Southwest.?

He has worked in the travel industry as the manager of a travel office and traveled to the U. K., New Zealand, and almost every corner of the United States; he is not done yet.  

He said flying came to him naturally, even before the accident.

His father has been involved in ballooning since 1973, before Michael  was born.  It seemed natural that Michael would follow in his footsteps.  

?My very first experience? I was two weeks old. My dad was a balloonist,? he said. ?I flew on and off before I tried to get my license. After the accident I just set that as a goal.?

It took him almost 10 years to get his balloon pilot license.

?I was denied by the FAA when I first applied, so I had to prove to them that I could fly a hot air balloon or anything no matter what anybody said,? Glen said.

One of the main hurdles was developing a basket that could meet the FAA requirements.

The basket Glen pilots from is referred to as a ?duo chariot? and looks like a ski lift chair.

With this he can pilot a balloon with safety and precision.

Shawn, his wife of five years, accompanies him on many flights

Although his father Bill, and brother Chris have been to the rally here before, this will be Glen?s first flight in Socorro.

?I wanted to last year but my balloon was stolen along with the trailer,? he said. ?Thanks to a lot of supporters I was able to replace everything.?

Why then, after surviving a near fatal crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down does Michael Glen expose himself to the supposed perils of flying in a hot air balloon?

?Ballooning is one of the safest forms of aviation out there,? Glen said. ?I feel more dangerous going across the street than in a balloon. Anyway, if you don?t take risks then you don?t live to the fullest.?