AN SMA PLT APPEARED TO FLY TOO CLOSE TO SEVERAL HOT AIR BALLOONS THAT WERE ENGAGED IN A SPECIAL INTEREST ACTIVITY HOT AIR BALLOON MEET.

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I WAS ON A LCL PLEASURE FLT IN A CESSNA 152 WITH A PAX. WE TOOK OFF FROM CPS AND PROCEEDED TO CIRCUMNAV COUNTERCLOCKWISE AROUND THE ST LOUIS CLASS B AIRSPACE. WE CAME UPON THE VICINITY OF CITY OF ST CHARLES WHERE MY PAX'S HOUSE WAS LOCATED. MY PAX EXPRESSED HIS WISH TO FLY OVER HIS HOUSE. THERE WAS A BALLOON LAUNCH EVENT BEING HELD AT ST CHARLES AT THE TIME AND I COULD SEE SCORES OF BALLOONS IN FLT OVER THE DISTANCE. I EXPRESSED TO MY PAX MY CONCERN THAT FLYING OVER HIS HOUSE MIGHT BRING US RATHER TOO CLOSE TO THE BALLOONS. BUT MY PAX PLEADED THAT WE FLY OVER HIS HOUSE; AND THAT WE CAN STAY WELL AWAY FROM THE BALLOONS WHILE DOING SO. I FINALLY AGREED AND PROCEEDED TOWARD MY PAX'S HOUSE; WHILE KEEPING CLOSE EYE ON THE BALLOONS; THE ST LOUIS CLASS B AIRSPACE; AND THE SUS CLASS D AIRSPACE. IT BECAME A SORT OF BALANCING ACT BTWN TRYING TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BALLOONS AND TRYING TO STAY AWAY FROM THE SUS CLASS D AIRSPACE. WE MANAGED TO STAY ABOUT 3000 FT AWAY FROM THE BALLOONS AND CLR OF SUS CLASS D AIRSPACE. WE THEN RESUMED OUR CIRCULAR COUNTERCLOCKWISE FLT AROUND THE ST LOUIS CLASS B AIRSPACE BACK TO CPS AND LANDED. AFTER WE LANDED; WE WERE NOTIFIED THAT AN FAA INSPECTOR WAS AT THE ST CHARLES BALLOON LAUNCH SITE AND THOUGHT THAT WE WERE FLYING TOO CLOSELY TO THE BALLOONS; ALTHOUGH WE WERE NEVER CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE BALLOONS TO CAUSE ANY PROBS. I SHOULD NEVER HAVE LET MY PAX TALK ME INTO DOING SOMETHING I WASN'T COMFORTABLE WITH.