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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 …

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By Kirsty, September 6, 2010 5:07 pm

While it is easy to focus on the pilots and the passengers in hot air balloons it is worth remembering the other important people who play a vital role in getting the balloon into the air. Guest blogger and former Virgin Balloon Flights ground crew Jess Baughan explains in part one of ‘A Crews View’.

The balloon crew’s job starts as soon as the previous flight has finished with simple things like refuelling the balloon (with most balloons carrying 400 litres of LPG this can take a while), refuelling the inflation fans with petrol, replenishing champagne supplies (or soft drinks) and making sure that the balloon and everything associated with it (trailer & tow vehicle etc) are ready for the next flight.

What happens next is the same for crew and passengers alike, we phone the flight line to find out whether the flight is going ahead and liaise with the pilot to decide what time to set the alarm clock for. In general the crew will start around three hours before the flight so for a 6am flight this means a 3am start.

The first job is to get to the launch site which in itself can represent anything up to two hours of travelling, once on the launch site the crew join up with the pilot, most of the time the pilot will arrive separately to the crew due to very strict restrictions on working hours for the pilots.

Between the pilot and crew a decision will be made on where to set the balloon up and which direction it should face, A lot of the time this decision is based on the way a small helium balloon flies when released from the launch site (weather & wind forecasts are good but not as good as releasing a small balloon and watching what the wind does to it.)

While all this is going on the crew are also meeting and greeting passengers and checking passenger names & vouchers against the flight manifest.

Once the decision has been made about where the balloon is to launch from, the basket is taken off the trailer and laid on its side while the envelope (that’s the balloon part) is laid out in a straight line. It is then attached to the basket itself, while the basket is attached via a quick release system to the tow vehicle.

The envelope is then pulled out to its full width ready for inflation and the inflation fans are used to start filling the envelope with cold air. While the envelope is filling this is one of the busiest times for the pilot and crew as they carry out final checks on the balloon along with preparations for flight.

The envelope is now almost fully inflated with cold air and at this point the inflation fans are stopped and removed. The burners are then lit and fired into the mouth of the envelope to heat up the cold air that is inside. Gradually the temperature inside climbs and the envelope starts to lift. Once there is enough heat inside, the envelope stands straight up and brings the basket the right way up.

Now the basket is standing up the passengers are allowed to climb aboard and are re briefed by the pilot regarding safety (this briefing can also take place before the balloon is inflated depending on conditions on the day). Once the briefing is over the pilot starts using the burners again to create enough lift to carry the basket and all of the passengers. Once there is enough lift the quick release is activated (to separate the basket from the tow vehicle and the magical part of the adventure begins for the passengers as the balloon slowly climbs away from the launch site. The job of the crew is only just beginning…

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By Kirsty, September 2, 2010 5:00 pm

Andrew and Ayako Watson from Tokyo realised a dream
when they marked their fourth wedding anniversary at 3000ft up in a Virgin balloon during a flying visit to England.

The couple, both 29, have lived together in Tokyo for five years and were visiting Andrew’s family in Richmond, North Yorkshire, when they took the chance to go ballooning.

Andrew, 29, said: “Ayako has always wanted to fly in a hot air balloon. When we decided to go back to the UK this summer, this was the one thing she really wanted to do. The gods must have been smiling on us because the weather was perfect for ballooning.

“It was amazing. We hadn’t expected to travel so far and see so much. The fact that you are sometimes high up, then sometimes low down, gives you a really different perspective.

“Being able to see the world from a completely different point of view was our favourite part. It was so unexpectedly quiet … we were lucky enough to see a herd of deer running through an open field, which was probably the highlight. The air was very clear so you could see even as far as the North Sea over towards Hull.”

It was the first time in a hot air balloon for the pair who said they hope to do it again in the future after the great experience on their Virgin Balloon Flights in Yorkshire thanks to their pilot and crew.

“Martin our pilot and the crew clearly love what they do. They made us feel welcome, and we were made to feel part of the team by helping to inflate the balloon, and look for the recovery vehicles and pack away the equipment once we landed,” added Andrew.

Congratulations on your 4^th wedding anniversary Andrew and Akayo, we hope to see you in the sky again on your next visit to the UK.

Further information about flying with Virgin Balloon Flights is available here.

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By Kirsty, August 25, 2010 4:07 pm

Based on her mother’s true story, Kay Mellor’s heartfelt play will be on stage at the Hull Truck Theatre from 10^th September to the 2^nd October 2010 and Virgin Balloon Flights are one of its proud supporters.

The play which was recently aired by the BBC and starred Sue Johnstone and Billie Piper ends with the lead character Betty riding off into the sunset in a hot air balloon.

A Passionate Woman tells the story of Betty, a middle aged mother and wife. Set on the day of her son’s wedding; she climbs into the loft to escape from all the arrangements and drops the flap shut! Betty has a secret that she has kept hidden for years; when she was younger she had a passionate love affair with a polish fairground worker. Now the spirit of her dead lover, Craze, comes to her on the roof and Betty relives her time all over again with him. Her son and husband meanwhile realise Betty’s whereabouts and try to woo her down to the all important wedding, but she’s not going anywhere except up!

Writer Kay Mellor entitled the play A Passionate Woman because she realised that’s exactly what her mother was. Kay has re-worked the play especially for Hull Truck and is delighted to be finally playing her mum (Betty) for the first time. The star studded cast for the performance also includes ‘Emmerdale’s’ Anthony Lewis, ‘Hollyoaks’’ Stuart Manning and Andrew Dunn from ‘Dinnerladies’.

Here at Virgin Balloon Flights we are giving all ‘A Passionate Woman’ spectators the chance to fly off into the sunset just like Betty. Simply take a flyer from the theatre after the performance which instructs you how to claim the flight voucher discount.

A Passionate Woman – Hull Truck Theatre, 10 September – 2 October 2010 Box Office 01482 323638

Up, up and away! 

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By Kirsty, August 24, 2010 11:52 am

This August bank holiday more than 20,000 people are expected to flock to the ‘Wings & Wheels’ festival at Dunsfold Park in Surrey. The two day event will showcase some of the finest civil and military aircraft displays in the UK, as well as motoring displays and some pretty speedy race cars. Virgin Balloon Flights will be there getting in on the action too!

Pilot Spencer Craze who flies for Virgin Balloon Flights in the south east said “Balloon rides in Surrey are fantastic as it has a tremendous amount of beautiful woodland to fly over, yet it’s really close to London, so you can sometimes have great views of the city. Being involved in Wings & Wheels will be great, I imagine the balloon will get a lot of attention.”

The father-of-two will be at the Surrey attraction offering discounted flights to festival goers and launching his big red Virgin balloon from the showground early morning and early evening on both Sunday 29^th and Monday 30^th.

As well as taking to the skies with Virgin, the exciting aviation and motoring show are proud to announce that the famous Red Arrows will be joining the ‘air teams’ in the four hour display on both days too. As if that wasn’t enough there will be family activities including a fairground, over 50 stalls, arts and crafts, food and drink and many demonstrations and trials.

What’s more, all proceeds from Wings & Wheels will go to Dunsfold Park’s nominated charities which include; Brooklands Museum Trust, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance, Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust and Help for Heroes.

Tickets are still available and cost £16 for adults, £5 for under 15s and £36 for a family. Hospitality packages start at £120 per person. For more information or to book a ticket visit www.wingsandwheels.net or call 01483 542226. 

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By Kirsty, August 23, 2010 2:24 pm

Wednesday morning saw another birthday celebration at 3,000 feet with both a passenger and crew member celebrating their birthdays with Virgin Balloon Flights.

Kyle Cheney, from Broughton Lincolnshire celebrated his 24^th birthday in style with an early morning balloon flight with his partner Zoe. The lucky couple booked the flight specifically for Kyle’s birthday date and got to fly first time with great weather and of course amazing views.

“The balloon ride was actually a gift I bought for my partner’s birthday back in April this year, and we decided it would be a great idea to book it for my birthday so we could celebrate together – best of both,” said Kyle.

It’s hard to choose one favourite part of the flight. It was all great, I did like seeing the balloons reflection when flying over rivers, and the initial awe of taking off and first looking out was pretty breath-taking. I’m glad the weather was as good as it was.”

“Because I really enjoyed it, I would definitely like to do it again. It was very peaceful and tranquil. The pilot and crew were all very helpful and fun; it made the experience even better being able to have a laugh with them.”

On the very same morning crew member Neil was also celebrating his own birthday – a double celebration for that basket! After they had landed and enjoyed their Champagne toast the two birthday boys posed for a photograph.

Flying with Virgin Balloon Flights is the perfect birthday gift, click here for more information.

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By Kirsty, August 20, 2010 9:01 am

One of our wonderful pilots Mark Shemilt , 46, wowed the listeners of BBC Radio Berkshire yesterday afternoon with tales of world records, big red balloons and cloud hopping above Berkshire and the surrounding counties.

Susanne Courtney known on the show as ‘Suze’, interviewed Virgin Balloon Flights pilot Mark for around 40 minutes allowing him to choose the records they played between talk time. True to the nickname Suze gave Mark as ‘Balloon Obsessive’, his choices of songs were of course ballooning related.

The first of Mark’s picks was non-other than ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ by The Rolling Stones blaring out it’s ‘Gas, Gas, Gas’ reference mid chorus, next on his playlist was Crowded House track ‘Weather With You’ signifying the plea pilots have for good ballooning weather each day.

Recognised by listeners in the Berkshire area, father-of-three Mark was pleased to hear a lady called Sylvia had phoned in mid interview to say she had had an amazing flight with Mark in her home county.

To listen to Mark’s interview simply follow link to BBC iPlayer or visit www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer and select Phil Gayle’s show on Thursday 19th August .

Although he was nervous before his interview, we’re pleased Mark did a great job educating listeners about ballooning and hot air balloon rides with Virgin in the area.

Impressing the show host too, Mark has been invited to go back to BBC Radio Berkshire and share his experiences of his up and coming world record break set to happen in February 2011 with fellow Virgin Balloon Flights pilot Kenneth Karlstrom.

You too can fly with Mark in Berkshire , Hampshire , Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire , more information is available here.

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By Kirsty, August 18, 2010 2:23 pm

A pilot from Yorkshire has managed to get up close and personal
with a Virgin hot air balloon whilst up  in the sky with his paramotor. His photographs show how these two wonderful forms of aviation can seamlessly cross each other’s paths whilst riding on the wind. 

Norman McNeil, 56, has been flying for 17 years after gaining his CAA pilots license and training through the BHPA (British Hangliding & Paragliding Association). His initial interest in flying this way came about because the father-of-two needed a hobby.

“I took up gliding, then flying motor gliders, I gained my CAA
Private Pilot’s License, then tried paragliding and have now
been paramotoring for the last six years. The paramotor simply pushes you along and the wind lifts you up.”

“I fly a Bailey (UK manufactured) Paramotor and a Paramania Revolution Wing as well as flying Motor Gliders from Rufforth in York.”

Norman has a great interest in flying and a love for photography, especially aerial photography, so it’s not surprising
our iconic red hot air balloons catch  his attention. “I like aerial photography because it gives me a different view point on things. Balloons are great to fly with and photograph, but as we are relatively noisy we don’t hang around them for very long.”

After flying in a Virgin hot air balloon with pilot Martin Collinson at one of our York launch sites, Norman said “once again a different perspective from the sky … I saw a deer bouncing through high crops and a foraging barn owl meandering along the banks of a stream looking for his family’s next meal. Not something you see every day! ”

Thank you to Norman for taking such fantastic photographs of us in flight, see you in the sky!

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By Kirsty, August 12, 2010 10:35 am

A newlywed couple whose love is certainly sky-high celebrated
the first few days of wedded bliss with  a Virgin Balloon Flights hot air balloon ride. Lianne and Chris from Shaw, Lancashire tied the knot on Saturday the 7^th of August at ‘The Riverside’ in Rochdale where they received their ‘Celebration Package’ balloon ride vouchers as a wedding gift.

“The balloon flight was a wedding present from my Uncle John … we were overwhelmed at such a generous gift and we were so excited that we would be going in a hot air balloon!” said Lianne.

The couple who will jet off on Friday to Kuredu Island in the Maldives and then on to Dubai for their honeymoon, had both never flown in a
hot air balloon before  and were extremely eager to start their airborne adventure as husband and wife.

“Chris’ favourite part was helping the pilot and crew inflate and deflate the balloon, he helped with the crown line and ropes and the cold air inflation. My favourite was the lifting off from the ground!” she added.

Their ballooning experience was an early morning flight from York Racecourse with pilot Martin Collinson and they enjoyed around an hour in the air and a Champagne toast after landing. “We saw lots of great views; we particularly liked seeing York Minster and some beautiful houses… but also thought it was great to see the horses and other animals on the ground.”

Aboard the same flight as the happy couple was Rachel Foster from Holgate York, who celebrated her 18^th Birthday at 3000 feet in the air, seen here with her certificate signed by pilot Martin & endorsed by Sir Richard Branson! Happy birthday to Rachel from all of us here at Virgin Balloon Flights.

For your chance to celebrate in the sky aboard an iconic red Virgin balloon visit virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 01952 212750

More information about flying in Yorkshire is available here!