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By Kirsty, September 28, 2010 4:04 pm

19 year old Catherine Barber and her three brothers from York
chipped in to treat their mum Ann, 62,  to a surprise birthday gift, a balloon ride with Virgin Balloon Flights launching from York Racecourse. Catherine was lucky enough to be a hop-in passenger and took to the skies for the birthday celebrations too!

“I managed to book the flight for her actual birthday and she didn’t have a clue about it! I picked her up from my brother’s house with my dad and told her we were going out for tea, when we approached York Racecourse I gave her the red envelope with the tickets inside” said Catherine.

Although the pair of vouchers the siblings had purchased were for Mum, Ann and Dad Chris,54, pilot Martin Collinson invited Catherine to jump on board as someone else had not shown up for their flight.

“I only bought the vouchers and booked the flights 3 weeks beforehand, it was so fortunate that there was a flight on my Mum’s birthday AND that I managed to get on it too! My Mum has already raved about it to everyone, so she definitely wants to try and go up again.

Overall it was an amazing experience to spend time in the sky looking across my beautiful home city with the people I love the most!”

Happy birthday to Ann from everyone here at Virgin Balloon Flights.

You too can surprise that special someone with a Virgin hot air balloon ride; more information on how to take to the skies with us is available here.

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By Kirsty, September 23, 2010 4:15 pm

Sustainable forestry student Tatiana Prudence Eboua – who Virgin Balloon Flights have supported with donations to the TFT’s Centre for Social Excellence in the Congo – is currently enjoying her Equatorial Forest Company (CEB) work placement in Bambidie, Gabon. There she is helping the company to manage a forest area of 600,000 hectares (that’s an area bigger than 700 football pitches!).

Tatiana’s main aim whilst on her placement is to implement plans to engage with the communities living within the concession, ensuring the company take on board all the needs of the local communities to thoroughly safeguard the future of the forest and its inhabitants.

The photograph above (left) shows Tatiana interviewing a group of local women from a forest site in East Cameroon finding out their thoughts and views on access, protection, resources and rights of the forest.

James Mudie from the TFT says there are two primary points for Tatiana to focus on during her internship: “Firstly, Tatiana will facilitate the establishment of an agricultural programme, in Ogooue-Lolo. The company, through its social forest management component, is trying to establish this community programme using their own finance loaned to the communities themselves to build a long-term sustainable business. Tatiana’s role combines fieldwork and institutional work for the Centre of Social Excellence (CSE) and she is helping the communities to decide what they want to do, whether small livestock farming, or planting cocoa or coffee.
“The other task under her responsibility is the establishment of partnerships for training local communities. She is helping them to get training and advice from local specialised organisations and other agencies that could assist in capacity building and training. Her skill in moderation and conflict management, (gained at the CSE), is enabling her to reconcile the sometimes divergent expectations of all stakeholders leading to much more successful partnerships.”

Tatiana is over half way through her placement now and has until November 2010 to meet her goal and implement the changes and relationships that are so important to the future of the forest.

We wish Tatiana the best of luck with her final few months in Gabon and look forward to congratulating her when she graduates.

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By Kirsty, September 17, 2010 12:00 pm

Web sensation ‘Geriatric1927’ also known as Peter, 83, from Derbyshire, has been video blogging on YouTube for the last 4 years, spreading his knowledge and wisdom to nearly nine million online viewers. In one of his latest posts, the ex-Naval Air Force radar mechanic shows followers the fantastic view through his window which is one of rising Virgin hot air balloons.

“I have been a video blogger there over 4 years now. I investigated the site sometime after I was widowed when I was looking for a way to make friends, being rather lonely living alone and without a great deal of social contact with others” said Peter.

The grandfather to two boys added “It was, at that time, a site used mainly if not exclusively by the young and therefore I thought that my video would be ridiculed or not seen by anyone. The reverse happened mainly due to the media (Reuters) picking it up after which it was announced on television, newspapers etc., where I was labelled as an ‘Internet Sensation’. At that time I was the only elderly person on the site. I feel a little proud of that today because of my example there is now a wide range of ages there. This now allows for what I like to call an international communication and I have so many young friends now which I hope will help to break down some of those false stereotype images that we may have had about each other.”

Named ‘The Internet Grandad’ by The Daily Mail and The New York Times, the motor cycle enthusiast keeps himself busy airing his views or sharing his life experiences on YouTube and his website www.askgeriatric.com. Aside from his web based wonderments, Peter is also part of ‘The Zimmers’ an OAP band formed by the BBC whilst making the television documentary ‘Power to the People’. Their latest album ‘Lust for Life’ is still available to buy so take a look online at www.thezimmersonline.com.

“The view from my window is of the wooded hills beyond and the site of the Virgin balloons emerging from the trees and floating majestically down the valley is a site that I enjoy very much and a balloon flight is something that I have always wanted to do.

I am and always have been a fan of Sir Richard Branson, as a businessman myself I have the greatest admiration for his risk taking business ventures. I am particularly admiring of his adventurous escapades and the crazy high altitude balloon flight.”

View The Internet Grandad’s video’s below– enjoy!

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By Kirsty, September 16, 2010 4:59 pm

Some would say it is far too early to be thinking about the dreaded ‘C’ word just yet, but with  advent calendars lining the shelves of our favourite local supermarkets, here at Virgin Balloon Flights we simply can’t help but feel a little bit of festive cheer!

Our hot air balloon rides are the perfect Christmas gift for that someone special and much better than socks or a tie (or so we think!). With launch sites in over 100 locations throughout England, Scotland and Wales, an airborne adventure is no further than a stone’s throw away from your home and an enchanting experience of a lifetime.

We have lots for you to choose from including regional vouchers to fly in specific areas allowing you to see a county of your choice like never before, or gift package flights including items such as Sir Richard Branson’s autobiography or an Italian made, engraved, crystal Champagne flute.

This adventurous Virgin Balloon Flights Christmas gift for him or for her includes a three to four hour experience with around an hour in the air in an iconic red Virgin Balloon. Your experience will commence with passenger greeting, registration and pilot safety briefing before you are invited to help with inflation of the balloon in preparation for lift off.

You will then glide in the sky for around an hour before landing and reflecting on your flight with a glass of Champagne. You will also receive a personalised certificate signed by your pilot and endorsed by Sir Richard himself. What’s more, your voucher has 12 months validity and arrives in a luxury voucher wallet with souvenir brochure. What more could they ask for.

Christmas lists at the ready; we’ll see you in the sky!

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By Kirsty, September 14, 2010 4:00 pm

On the last bank holiday of this year Virgin Balloon Flights pilot Spencer Craze was in on the aviation action at the Wings and Wheels festival at Dunsfold Park, Surrey. As a hopeful new launch site for next ballooning season, Dunsfold was the perfect place for such an event with our eager team offering attractive discounts to festival goers.

Father-of-two and our Surrey pilot Spencer, said “Wings and Wheels was a fantastic weekend event, I got chance to talk to numerous local land owners and gained some new landing spots for my balloon when flying from Guildford in Surrey and Fernhurst in Sussex.

“The atmosphere was so upbeat and exciting; our balloon basket got a lot of attention from the 35,000 strong crowds that gathered over the two days. It was good to see that proceeds were for charities too, including Help for Heroes” he added.

Virgin Balloon Flights were not the only ones getting attention at the event, one of Spencer’s balloon crew, Rebecca, met ‘Red Bull Air Race World Champion’ Paul Bonhomme who claimed his title navigating challenging obstacle courses against the clock in his ‘Zivko Edge 540’ plane.

Breitling Wing Walking Team were also on hand to wow the crowds before stopping to pose for a picture with our pilot Spencer and his crew. The two girls (either side of Spencer) performed ‘aerosuperbatics’ whilst suitably named pilot ‘Dangerous Dave’ flew the team’s Boeing Stearman biplane.

Spencer concluded by saying “We had such a great time and after speaking with Dunstall Park Aerospace VIP David McAllister at the event, we hope to be there next year with other hot air balloons in tow! I would like to say a big thank you to my crew and my friends that helped to make the day such a success for Virgin Balloon Flights.”

Next year’s Wings and Wheels event will be held at Dunstold Park on the 28th &29th August 2011.

More information about flying with Spencer and Virgin Balloon Flights is available here.

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By Kirsty, September 13, 2010 2:03 pm

Virgin Balloon Flights has teamed up with Bauer’s Scottish radio stations to help promote their Scottish VIP clubs and our balloon launch sites in Perthshire, Aberdeenshire’s Castle Fraser, Angus’ Glamis castle, Falkland Palace in Fife and Lanarkshire’s Biggar. We are providing an experience of a lifetime for a lucky listener; a Champagne balloon ride in the stunning Scottish countryside for two people!

Bauer digital content editor, Anna Sky Hulton said “The competition to win a balloon flight is running to promote our Scottish VIP clubs.  We are encouraging our listeners to join their local Bauer radio station’s VIP club so that they can gain access to exclusive content and competitions.  They can also sign up to the station newsletters accessing the latest news and offers. We are delighted Virgin
Balloon Flights are providing a prize; we have already had nearly 3000 unique
entries in just 2 weeks.”

The competition has been live on air and you can listen to clips with presenters Euan Notman  and Iain Waugh from Forth One on 93.7 here;

The Iain Waugh clip tells listeners how to get their mitts on a Virgin hot air balloon ride for two with their Scottish VIP club!

Euan Notman gives VIP club members the chance to win fantastic prizes including
our hot air balloon ride available to take from one of 100+ launch sites in England,
Scotland and Wales including our Scottish sites listed above.

There are 8 radio stations on board so why not join the VIP club in your area and be in with a chance to win a balloon ride amongst other fantastic prizes! Simply go online to visit one of these local stations’ VIP zones; Forth One, Clyde 1, MFR (Moray, Firth Radio), Northsound 1, Radio Borders, South West Sound, Tay FM and West FM.

Good luck and enjoy listening!

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By Kirsty, September 10, 2010 4:21 pm

Meet one of our lovely south west hot air balloon pilots
Simon Redman who flies  Virgin Balloon Flights passengers from Dorset, Devon and Somerset launch sites. Simon has been flying balloons for eight years and during his career so far, the 46-year-old father of two has piloted all over Europe, including flights amongst the challenging Swiss and Austrian Alps.

Simon, a carpenter and kitchen fitter by trade who caught the ballooning bug after crewing for a hot air balloon pilot he knew, said “A balloon flight is like nothing else you’ll ever experience, it’s amazing!

“I was lucky enough to fly the Channel single-handedly in 2006 as part of a charity challenge too. Me and some other pilots launched from Kent and it took around 55 minutes to reach the French coast.
“We flew at around 2,000ft above the water all the way across and from the moment I reached that altitude over the white cliffs of Dover I could see France clearly in the distance. The view was incredible.”
Although his ballooning career to date has allowed him to see some fantastic places, Simon still insists, “The most spectacular sight to see from the air is Dorset’s famous Jurassic Coast.”

For your chance to see the Jurassic Coast from the basket of a Virgin hot air balloon call 01952 212750 or visit virginballoonflights.co.uk

See you in the sky!

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By Kirsty, September 7, 2010 3:15 pm

The summer holidays are always a time filled with adventure for school children who go back to class armed with exciting show and tell tales to share with their friends and teachers. This week school boy Stephen Johnson, age 8, got the chance to tell his Yorkshire classmates of his airborne adventure with Virgin Balloon Flights to end his summer break.

Stephen, who lives with his parents and two brothers in York, had gone to watch the son of a family friend take a hot air balloon ride for his 18th birthday at our York Racecourse launch site. Luckily for Stephen, the hot air balloon basket had a couple of spare spaces left that were offered by pilot Martin Collinson to onlookers.

Stephen’s Dad Mark said “Stephen was very keen that we didn’t miss the opportunity. I asked if Stephen was old, or big enough, and was reassured that he was and with that Stephen was straight up into the basket.”

The flight which launched on the 1^st of September at 07:45am, drifted to Elvington landing at 08:55am and “Stephen particularly recollects seeing local buildings and sights he knows, such as the River Ouse, the Archbishop’s Palace at Bishopthorpe and Elvington Airfield. It struck him that from great heights things like trees almost looked like they were not real” added Mark.

Stephen sums up the flight as “Ten out of ten, the best thing ever.”

Thanks Stephen, we hope to see you in the sky again in the future.

More information about your chance to take to the skies in Yorkshire is available here.

* Passengers must be over 7 years of age and at least 4’6” in height to fly with Virgin Balloon Flights.

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By Kirsty, September 7, 2010 12:35 pm

So the pilot and passengers have floated up into the sky and the job of the crew has only just begun. Former Virgin Balloon Flights crew and guest blogger Jess Baughan tells us what happens next.

Once the balloon has taken off, the crew will load everything that doesn’t fly back onto the trailer (this includes the inflation fans and various other bits of equipment) and keep an eye on the balloon to get a fix on the general direction and speed that the balloon is going at.

Once a rough speed and direction have been calculated, friends and family of the passengers are told what area to head for if they want to be close when the balloon lands. They are also told two other important bits of information…

1. Please don’t follow the crew vehicles, if we make a wrong turn its already tricky to reverse an 18 foot trailer up a country lane to turn it around, an extra 10 or so cars behind the trailer make it even more of a challenge.

2. If they get to the exact spot where the balloon lands, please do not enter the field that we have landed in unless the crew invite you to enter.

What happens next depends on the wind. If it’s calm, the crew may talk with the friends and family of the passengers answering ballooning questions and sharing experiences before leaving to chase the balloon. If it’s breezy (and the balloon is heading off fairly quickly) then the crew will not hang around and will start to chase the balloon as soon as possible.

The chase – while the balloon is in the air the crew’s job is to stay as close as possible to the balloon on the ground, in most cases playing a game of leapfrog where the crew get ahead of the balloon, let it pass over them and then get ahead of the balloon again. This continues for around an hour before the pilot lands the balloon, always looking to avoid fields with livestock or uncut crop.

Once the balloon is on the ground again the fun of getting to the balloon starts for the crew, where possible the pilot will keep the balloon standing upright so that it can take off again if the need arises.

In most cases the crew will need to find the landowner in order to gain permission to enter the land and retrieve the balloon (strictly speaking permission is not normally required because of legal complexities surrounding commercial passenger aircraft, so this is done more out of courtesy and as it follows the Code of Conduct agreed between the BBAC and NFU). Landowners are generally very friendly and will come up to the balloon, often with a camera and a smile.

Once the crew are in the field with the balloon the envelope will be deflated and packing the balloon away begins, this is pretty much the reverse of setting it all up, the basket is loaded back onto the trailer, the envelope is rolled up and put in its bag and put back on the trailer and everything is strapped down.

Depending on the landing site, Champagne (and soft drinks) may be bought out at this point for the traditional toast before everyone is transported back to the original launch site to bid a final farewell.

Once the flight is over the crew will take the balloon back to their base and the whole thing starts again. All being well the time is now around 10am. The next flight will probably be around 7pm.

Just enough time for the crew to catch a bit more sleep, Zzzz …