As a flying season, none of us will ever forget comes to a close, and the pilots and crew hang up their caps for another year, we proudly look back on a year that showed the world how resilient and adaptable the Virgin Balloon Flights team is!
We acted in accordance with ever-changing rules and regulations, we ensured our baskets were completely covid secure, and we made sure our passengers' safety was paramount-- not just in the air but on the ground, too.
And even with all this craziness, we still managed to have a very successful (albeit shortened) flying season. We still flew just shy of 15,000 passengers-- plus, we have been rated as Good or Excellent in over 90% of customer interactions! Not bad at all, even if we do say so ourselves!
So, this blog post is a very well-deserved round-up of our year and also an opportunity to say well done to every single one of the Virgin Balloon Flights team.
Dragging Into Land!
Some of our most popular posts across our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts included shots of passengers in a ‘drag landing.’
A drag landing is when the balloon tips to one side after it has landed. It is perfectly safe, and passengers who have done numerous hot air balloon rides often hope for a drag landing, as they find it so funny! Our crew even says they often hear the laughter billowing from the basket on approach!
Love Is In The Air!
We don’t often witness engagements in the sky, so when we do, it makes them even more special! For these lovebirds, Jackie and Steve, the proposal nearly didn’t happen, but it all worked out in the end... and they even got to fly amongst several other balloons on the day of the Telford Balloon Fiesta! Find out more about their story here.
Fiesta Fun
Fiestas are exciting events for all involved in the hot air balloon industry, as, with big stunt events, balloons of all shapes and sizes flying at the same time, and even light and firework displays, there is plenty to see for young and old alike.
Due to covid restrictions, we didn’t participate in the usual number of fiestas, but the ones we did take part in were a big success, and a lot of fun was had by all! We collated footage from a fiesta local to our head office in Telford, which is one of the biggest in the area here!
Unique Shots
We get sent so many beautiful photos of our balloons that are used on our social channels, but these particular photos really caught our eye!
These fellow aviators came to say hello several times across the country aboard their paramotors. After checking with the pilots that they were safe to do so, the men at the helm of these machines circled our balloons a number of times and took some stunning shots in the process!
With some of the world’s best pilots working at Virgin Balloon Flights, we will always get some amazing imagery of the balloons, and this particular flight was no exception.
One of our pilots, Dom Bareford, showed exceptional skills as he dipped in and out of a lake in Oswestry, Shropshire.
Chris Aindow showed the rest of the world how it's done with this incredible footage of him coming into land over Dunsfold Park.
And, last but not least, the ultimate photo bomb came from a selfie that included Neil, Howard, and Joe crewing, and Sutty, the pilot interrupting the perfect shot!
Thank you to everyone that has supported us over this crazy year. We can’t wait to welcome you back to the skies next season!
