Ed's first balloon flight was in 1998 when he was 14 years old and he saved up his paper round money to buy a ride at Bristol Balloon Fiesta.
Only a year later, he began crewing at his local Southampton Balloon Festival for a local pilot he had written a letter to.
"The weather wasn't the best so all the special shapes were tethering. So I went up to the pilot, Richard, and asked if I could help out. The rest, as they say, is history," he said.
Ed got his private pilot's licence in 2007 and became a commercial balloon pilot in 2011.
He has been lucky enough to fly all over the world, seeing places many will never get to see and meeting people he would never have had chance to meet were it not for him being a balloon pilot.
"It's a great ice-breaker," he said.
In his view, Ed believes its the 360 degree views of the landscape below that make a hot air balloon ride so special.
"You get a completely different perspective of an area you know, which can be a bit disorientating at first until you get your bearings."
There are still places in the world Ed wants to fly but he's keeping those a secret until he gets to do it.
His favourite places so far to have flown is over The Alps and the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Ed flies our big red passenger balloon in the West Sussex area and South East.
In his spare time, he's what many would consider 'very active' and enjoys hiking, scuba diving, paddle boarding and travelling. He can also stilt walk and, surprisingly for a balloon pilot, isn't too keen on early mornings!