Trade.Information

Company Name: balnet

Company Type: Ballooning Network

Company Profile

Ballooning Network is your link to a choice of 10 fantastic ballooning destinations, organized by one of the UK’s most experienced passenger balloon teams. The network incorporates two of the regions longstanding ballooning operators, Bristol Balloons, founded in 1980 and Bath Balloons, synonymous with hot air balloon flights over and around Bath for more than 30 years. Local pilots operate from all our launch sites and our operations are supported by offices in Bristol, Bath, Gloucestershire and South Wales. Each year Ballooning Network transports more than 4,000 passengers up, up and away into the skies over Bath, Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and South Wales. Choose how you want to fly. With Ballooning Network – you’re in good company. The Ballooning Network is a Civil Aviation Authority certificated operator and we are Members of British Balloon and Airship Club.

About Company

Our predecessors Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes made man's first ever flight in a balloon made of paper rising up on a hot air bubble created by a burner fuelled by burning straw 1960 Ed Yost made the first modern hot air balloon flight using rip stop nylon and a propane burner 1978 Our Chief Pilot Philip Clark flies out from Ashton Court to France thus establishing an absolute distance record for hot air ballooning 1979 Appointed Public Relations Company for the World Hot Air Balloon Championships held in the UK at Castle Howard - sponsor Robertson Jams 1980 First of two consecutive Women's World altitude record set by Sue Hazlett in the JCB Balloon 1984 Dawsons Toys our first balloon dedicated to passenger flights 1990 First of two new balloons added to our passenger fleet sponsored by Sue Sheppard. 1995 First and only company to fly from Westonbirt Arboretum 1996 Guinness Book of Records World Record confirmed for the highest number of parachutists exiting from a hot air balloon simultaneously and in association with the Red Devils Free Fall Parachute Team. Throughout the 80's - 90's and until the present date we have acted for such well known companies as Champion Spark Plug Co., Hoover, Sterling Health, Planters Nuts, Proctor & Gamble, BRS, British Airways, Royal Mail, Perrier, Orangina, Wookey Hole Caves amongst many other household names in the formulation of regional, national and international ballooning programmes. 1998 Company features on LWT - Cilla's Blind Date from The Royal Crescent - Bath 1998 Andy Elson (former chief pilot) makes first Everest flight 1999 Brian Jones (former chief pilot) makes the first circumnavigation of the World in Breitling Orbiter III 2001 Bath Balloon flights, Bristol Balloons, Castell and Airtime merge to form Ballooning Network 2001 Bath Building Society purchase their fourth public transport joint-venture balloon for the company 2004 Two new balloons for the company a 350,000 cu ft. balloon for Bristol Balloons and a fifth Bath Building Society canopy to celebrate the Building Societies Centenaryr continues our commitment to re-investment in the business to the benefit of our customers. 2005 Our Bristol office moves to Coronation Road and our Portacabins in Winterstoke road are , Demolished to make way for new storage facilities. April 2006 April - Nic Amor joins the company as Operations Manager May 2006 After working for the company for 30 years Pilot David Thornley retires. Pilots Gavin Hailes and Crispin Williams join the company