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By Kirsty, October 29, 2010 5:39 pm

 
There’s something about Halloween that heightens the senses and, perhaps, connects us more readily to the unexplained world of the unknown. Halloween of course is the darkest of celebrations in the calendar and Virgin Balloon Flights were not about to make it merry!

Staff got into the spirit of all hallows
eve today with ghosts and ghouls lining the office walls and creepy crawlies entangled in webs at the windows. We’ve whipped out our very best fancy dress and spooked each other all day.

From witches and their warts to skeletons and vampires we’ve really gone to town with the Halloween attire and had to giggle at our life-size pumpkin squeezing through doors and attempting to continue with her daily duties.

Feast your eyes on this gorgeously grungy lot at Virgin Balloon Flights HQ. 

Happy Halloween! 

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By Kirsty, October 28, 2010 5:18 pm

  
Virgin Balloon Flights have donned their best pink attire to show their support for ‘Wear It Pink Day’ supporting fundraising for this wonderful charity to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.

Wear It Pink says fundraising is so important because
“Breast cancer research  has made considerable progress over the past two decades and vital work is still underway. Past research has resulted in improvements in quality of life and survival. However, one woman in nine in the UK will be diagnosed during her lifetime. Each research project funded by the charity brings us a step closer to beating breast cancer.”

We didn’t need more encouragement than that to make sure even the boys were rocking the hot pink look! Although the official Wear It Pink Day isn’t until tomorrow (29^th October 2010) we thought we’d pip the post to start fundraising now. 

We’ve each pledged £2 or more to parade in pink at Virgin Balloon Flights HQ and hope our fundraising efforts will make a difference to someone somewhere. From handmade pink wigs to tutus and flowers, Virgin Balloon Flights ‘Wear It Pink Day’ exceptional ensembles have made us smile all day.

You too can make a simple donation by clicking on the ‘Wear It Pink’ banners above and below.

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By Kirsty, October 26, 2010 11:04 am

Keith Metcalf, 64, from Ossett West Yorkshire took to the skies with Virgin Balloon Flights last week to celebrate his 40^th wedding anniversary. The balloon ride, which was bought for Keith as an anniversary gift from his wife, took off from York Racecourse and headed westwards over the town of Tadcaster.

“The balloon flight was brilliant, it was so relaxing floating along and you don’t seem to be moving. We passed over fields and small villages and I could see both Ferrybridge and Eggborough power stations in the distance. As we passed over Tadcaster we could clearly see the breweries too,” said Keith.

On the ground, Keith’s six year old grandson and his son-in-law Neil Spofforth, 31 from Wakefield, looked on as ‘Grandad flew high in the sky’! Neil, who has been interested in photography for many years had recently bought his first digital SLR camera and was catching Keith’s ballooning experience image by image.

“This was my first time photographing hot air balloons, it was amazing watching the Virgin balloons go up, seeing one close up for the first time was awe inspiring,” said Neil.

I particularly enjoyed trying to photograph the flames as the air in the balloon was heated up for take-off and then as the balloon sailed away. I was fortunate the flight launched around 5pm because as they floated away into the distance, the sun came down giving me the opportunity to get the balloons in silhouette,” he added.

The balloon came to land in a field just outside Newton Kyme where Keith enjoyed a Champagne toast and received a flight certificate endorsed by Sir Richard Branson and signed by his pilot Dave Sutcliffe.

The photographs of Keith’s adventure are available to view on Neil’s website www.SpofforthPhotography.co.uk . More information regarding hot air balloon rides with Virgin Balloon Flights is available here.

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By Alex, October 19, 2010 9:35 am

The 17-year-old daughter of Virgin Balloon Flights’ chief flyer has become the UK’s youngest female qualified hot air balloon pilot.

Newly qualified balloon pilot Milli with dad Kenneth

Milli Karlstrom, of Northwood, Middlesex, picked up her licence on her 17th birthday from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) offices at Gatwick Airport, having just completed the final stages of her training. She was taught to fly by her father, Kenneth Karlstrom, who is Director and Chief Pilot of Virgin Balloon Flights.

Milli, who experienced her first balloon flight aged just two, learned to fly in a small Virgin hot air balloon in Italy. She is only the second woman ever to collect her Private Pilot’s Licence on her 17th birthday, and, for the time being, is also the youngest qualified hot air balloon pilot in the country.

 “It almost doesn’t feel real. I can’t really get my head around the idea if I’m honest,” she said.

“Being a pilot is so different to being a passenger of a hot air balloon; whilst you can still enjoy the amazing views, I love the excitement of not knowing where the wind might take me and making decisions on the best way to react. My solo flight was my favourite so far. It was liberating to be completely in control!”

The high flying A-level student now plans to continue ballooning as a hobby in the future.

Ian Chadwick, Balloon Inspector at the CAA, said: “Milli has worked very hard to obtain her licence and it is a testament to her commitment that she has qualified at such a young age. It is great to see young people taking up hot air ballooning and we wish her all the best for the future.”

To qualify as a balloon pilot, an applicant has to complete a minimum of six flights including a final test flight with an examiner, as well as passing a written examination in aviation law, navigation, meteorology, balloon systems and human performance.

Congratulations to Milli from everyone here at Virgin Balloon Flights!

You can find out more about Virgin Balloon Flights here

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By Alex, October 18, 2010 2:14 pm

Cricket fan Stephan Rowe brilliantly captured the moment when Virgin Balloon Flights‘ Cornwall pilot Mandy Dickinson glided her balloon over his home town cricket team minutes before they sealed league victory.

Stephan, who has lived in St. Neot, Cornwall, all of his life and is the fifth generation of the Rowe family to attend the village school, has dedicated most of his life to the St. Neot Taverners cricket team.

The former treasurer, secretary and second team captain of the club was sidelined for this particular match due to a knee injury suffered earlier this year, but was on hand to witness this unusual sight.

“We were watching the conclusion of the match, St. Neot Taverners 1st XI vs. St. Austell 3rd XI when a shout game from the players to look out for the balloon as the Virgin hot air balloon came over the pavilion.  It was very low and seemed to be losing height and coming into land so I started taking photos,” said 37-year-old.

“The game was in its conclusion and the St. Neot team were pushing hard to win their league (Cornwall Division 3 East) and fortunately went on to win the game and also finish as league winners,” he added.

One of Stephan’s fantastic photographs was later published in the Western Morning News with a caption saying;

‘It is an image so picturesquely framed that it almost seems to have come from the hand of a painter rather than a photographer.  In the fading light of a lovely Bank Holiday weekend two cricket teams do battle on the flawless green of a Cornish pitch.  Overhead a hot air balloon moves serenely through the sky, leaving the cricketers virtually undisturbed.  The photograph captures St Neot Taverners 1st XI playing St. Austel 3rd XI at St Neot.’

Passengers onboad were treated to a wonderful balloon flight in perfect conditions and a grandstand view of the match. The balloon landed shortly after and everyone enjoyed a traditional champagne toast.

Congratulations to St. Neot Taverners for their league win and thanks to to Stephan for sharing this great photo!

More information about hot air balloon flights in Cornwall and throughout the South West is available here. To book a flight simply visit virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 01952 212750.

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By Eve, October 15, 2010 6:08 pm

As we draw close to the end of our flying season for 2010 our hot air balloon flyers can often be treated to a wonderful autumnal balloon ride, as Philip Rose of Batley, Yorkshire, found out on Monday this week.

The weather wasn’t on the side of our morning flyers but by the afternoon flying conditions had improved to allow for a truly amazing flight above the historic city of York. In fact, 2 of our balloons were up simultaneously allowing the York Racecourse flyers to see the flyers scheduled from Ripley Castle from their airborne basket.

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Philip Rose and his fellow passengers were treated to wonderful views of the clouds, with the sun bursting into light and cloud tops resembling ice fields.

Philip’s two daughters purchased the ballooning experience for their Dad the previous Christmas as it was something he had never done before. After 4 previous attempts to get airborne with us Philip was successful this time around and agreed that it really was an experience well worth waiting for.

When asked what his favourite part of the flight was Philip said:

“When you’re up there and no one is talking and the burners are off it is so serene and peaceful.”

It certainly looks it from his amazing pictures which we discovered after he posted a link to his album on our Facebook page.

To get an amazing Christmas gift with a difference starting from just £99 take a look at our range of vouchers or give our customer service team a call on 01952 212750.

See you in the sky!

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By Kirsty, October 14, 2010 3:36 pm

Pull out your fluffy socks, crank up the heating and get your
Christmas list written … only 10 weeks to  go until the turkey’s stuffed and Grandpa’s asleep in front of the fire. Forget queuing for hours on the high street for that special gift, why not get them an experience of a life time; a ride in an iconic red Virgin hot air balloon?

So why should a Champagne balloon ride be the Christmas gift you choose?

· This experience of a lifetime is super special way to wow a
loved one on Christmas day and is a  unique gift idea that can be tailored to your preferred location and flight time, a great gift for him or her.

· Hot air ballooning allows you to see beautiful Britain from a totally different view point and gives you a chance to explore your home town from the skies.

· With over 100 launch sites to choose from across England, Scotland
and Wales your airborne  adventure is never too far from home.

· You can choose from a selection of vouchers, with the option of adding Gift Packages which include: a Virgin shoulder bag, cap, pen, key ring, pre-flight DVD, binoculars and either Sir Richard Branson’s autobiography
‘Losing My Virginity’, a pair of BLOC sunglasses or a crystal engraved
Champagne flute.

· All vouchers have 12 months’ validity so you can fly when it best
suits you.

· Every voucher comes with a souvenir brochure and is presented in a luxury gift wallet (so there’s no need to wrap it) and after the flight there’s a traditional Champagne toast and personalised certificate signed by the pilot and endorsed by Sir Richard Branson.

· There’s even a Snapfish voucher for 40 free digital prints so the gift
recipient can relive their hot air ballooning experience for years to come, they’ll also receive a £40 Virgin Wines voucher to help  celebrate the festive season in style with a tipple or two.

· Our vouchers are sent in unbranded packaging (if you tell us it’s a surprise) so we don’t let the cat out of the bag.

· We offer express delivery, standard delivery or emailable flight vouchers so if you’ve left it until the last minute we can get your gift vouchers to you extra quick.

What are you waiting for? Simply visit virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 01952 212750 for more details or to book a flight.

See you in the sky!

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By Kirsty, October 8, 2010 4:35 pm

Roger Magazine keeps all Virgin employees across the 40 strong group up to date with the brands latest goings on all around the world. The next issue will feature a ‘meet the team, behind the scenes’ write up of the gang here at Virgin Balloon Flights!

A team of office staff, pilots, crew and technical staff made their way to the VBF balloon depo to be greeted by our operation technician (also called Roger) who supplied us with copious amounts of tea and biscuits while we waited for the Roger Magazine team.

As soon as the guys from Roger Magazine arrived we were whisked outside for a photo-shoot and interviews to explain what each of our roles involve and what our favourite part of our job is.

We can’t wait to see the finished article and hope that all the other Virgin employees enjoy a glimpse of life behind the scenes here at Virgin Balloon Flights.

Thank you from VBF HQ to all those involved, we hope you enjoyed your day as much as we did.

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By Eve, October 6, 2010 5:12 pm

Each year Virgin Balloon Flights loves to celebrate Customer Service Week. It’s a time for our customer service team to reflect on their achievements over the year and takes place over the first week of October.

Customer service is always a high priority here at Virgin Balloon Flights HQ in Shropshire where our team of representatives centrally co-ordinate all customer related issues across each of our 100+ launch sites throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

Head of Customer Service Lynsay Symcox says that:

Customer Service Week gives the team a chance to get involved with different activities which promotes teamwork and encourages us to focus on how we can offer our customers the best experience possible. By sharing experiences and ideas we can learn and improve upon our level of service in an inspiring way.

So far this week the office has been decorated with customer service posters, there are colourful balloons and the occasional waft of freshly baked cakes has been very welcome. Various competitions have taken place and games played that assist communication and listening skills for example. And there’s more to come…

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More info can be found at the Institute of Customer Service website.

To speak to one of our customer service stars about arranging a hot air balloon flight or to ask any questions about an existing booking you can reach us here.