Be careful, seriously. My brother in law flew top secret balloons in Iraq. The first trip he loved it. He was fairly safe and made good money. The second trip he damn near died every day. Mortars, snipers you name it. He bailed out of there as soon as he could. They won't let you carry a gun as a contractor.
Not trying to scare you. Just a warning to pay attention and be careful.
On another note, as for the balloons. Don't ever think someone isn't watching you!! No matter where on earth you are!! When he was training on the border, the couple that stopped in the desert to scratch an itch they both had in the wide open outdoors never knew they were being watched.