Tim Parker first went on a balloon flight in the early 1990's and enjoyed it so much he thought he'd make a career of it. He gained his private pilot's licence in 1992 before becoming a commercial hot air balloon pilot in 1995.
Since then father-of-two Tim has flown in countries all over the world including Austria, Italy, America, Thailand, Philippines and of course the UK. His most memorable flight from all his ballooning years was seeing a mystery non-domestic 'big cat' on an early morning flight in Somerset!
He joined Virgin Balloon Flights in 2013 and is our pilot for Essex.
"Being a balloon pilot is the best job in the world. There is nothing better than a perfect flight with great landscapes, good weather, happy passengers and people waving up at the balloon from the ground below," says Tim.
When Tim's not piloting a Virgin balloon, he enjoys travelling. From tip to toe of the earth, Tim has visited Africa, North America, South America, Asia and Antarctica. He's keen to visit Australia and plans to do so at some stage when he's not piloting in the sky.
Join him on-board one of our big red hot air balloons above Essex.