Meet one of our lovely south west hot air balloon pilots Simon Redman who flies Virgin Balloon Flights passengers from Dorset, Devon and Somerset launch sites. Simon has been flying balloons for eight years and during his career so far, the 46-year-old father of two has piloted all over Europe, including flights amongst the challenging Swiss and Austrian Alps.
Simon, a carpenter and kitchen fitter by trade who caught the ballooning bug after crewing for a hot air balloon pilot he knew, said “A balloon flight is like nothing else you’ll ever experience, it’s amazing!
“I was lucky enough to fly the Channel single-handedly in 2006 as part of a charity challenge too. Me and some other pilots launched from Kent and it took around 55 minutes to reach the French coast.
“We flew at around 2,000ft above the water all the way across and from the moment I reached that altitude over the white cliffs of Dover I could see France clearly in the distance. The view was incredible.”
Although his ballooning career to date has allowed him to see some fantastic places, Simon still insists, “The most spectacular sight to see from the air is Dorset’s famous Jurassic Coast.”
For your chance to see the Jurassic Coast from the basket of a Virgin hot air balloon call 01952 212750 or visit virginballoonflights.co.uk.
See you in the sky!