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.

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.

With their direction and speed determined by the wind, hot air balloons require highly skilled pilots to select a suitable landing spot after a sky-high trip. Skills like those of Virgin Balloon Flights’ pilot Martin Collinson, who couldn’t have landed his balloon in a more appropriate place on Sunday morning…

His AM flight from York Racecourse drifted on a northerly wind showcasing spectacular views of the county. Passengers enjoyed a bird’s eye view of Bishopthorpe Palace which sits beside the River Ouse and is the official residence of the Archbishop of York.

After an hour-long airborne adventure pilot Martin was on the lookout for a large flat area to land which had easy access for the ground crew and a road close by to transport the passengers. As always, he was careful to avoid fields with livestock, crop and any other obstacles, allowing for a safe and straightforward landing.

Martin spotted a long strip of flat grass with a lane for access and a road just a stone’s throw away for the passengers. So, without further ado, he brought the balloon down on the mentioned spot in the town of Riccall.

Much to Martin’s surprise, when the crew pulled in to retrieve the balloon and passengers they informed him that the nearby lane was actually called ‘Landing Lane’! Talk about the perfect spot.

More information about flying with Martin and hot air balloon flights over Yorkshire is available here.

The saying ‘red sky at night shepherd’s delight’ was this week  for pilot Martin Collinson more like ‘red  sky at night, balloon passengers delight,’ as Virgin hot air balloon passengers ended their flight with a spectacular red sunset scene.

Martin, 44 from York, launched with a basket full of excited passengers from the city’s racecourse on Wednesday evening at 19.55hrs for an hour long balloon flight which travelled east.

“It had been raining before the flight, after the usual hour in the air we spotted one of the first cut wheat fields of the season and prepared to land there. There was a large dark cloud in  sight as we descended, but when we touched down the basket turned around 90 degrees and we were faced with a simply spectacular sunset!” said pilot Martin.

“The passengers enjoyed helping to pack away the balloon and then we had a Champagne toast in front of the red ‘Virgin-esque’ skyline, which was framed by a rainbow!” he added.

What a wonderful way end an experience of a lifetime!

More information on flying from York Racecourse is available here.