The 2026 ballooning season is off to a flying start, pun intended!
Least year we enjoyed our first flights in April. So, for the 2026 season we were keen to beat the previous year. For months, the UK was hammered by almost nonstop rain and then in March it began to ease off. After what seemed like forever of watching dismal forecasts thing slowly began to improve. Until a slot looked possible on the 14th of March!
One of our primary goals this year is to get our trainee Liam Menzies through the final stages of his license. However, it’s also important that the person teaching him has also blown off the winter cobwebs too. So, for the first flight Liam and Jamie flew together with Jamie planning to do the whole flight. At the time many of the fields in Northamptonshire were still very wet. Our launch site at Billing Aquadrome was thankfully dry.
After half an hour in the air what seemed like a really good field in Yardley Hastings came up and Jamie landed the balloon there. However, it became clear that the adjoining field was flooded and access was poor. The most sensible thing to do was to fly on! Rather than waste and opportunity, Jamie let Liam take over to have a training flight.
Liam re set everything up in the basket, ran through the preflight checks again and then took off. The flight was used for Liam to get comfortable with the balloon again. He practised level flying, a high approach, low approach, intermediate landing, and general fuel management.
After another half an hour another suitable field came up. This time with clear access to a farm compound and the main road. Liam made his first landing of 2026 on a lovely farm called Warrington Lodge (not named after the legendary balloon instructor!). Jamie and Liam were greeted by a lovely family who owned the farm and who were more than happy with the balloon being recovered. After a quick pack up, the first adventure of 2026 was in the bag. Two (genuine) flights in one as well, everything worked out for the best and both Jamie and Liam achieved what they set out to do.
Less than a week later and another slot opened up on Friday the 20th of March. In fact, the whole weekend looked pretty decent but that was the only one we were able to fly due to other commitments. This time Matt from Vista balloons had asked Jamie to fly for him in their Cameron Z-120 G-CHFM.
After a change of launch sites last minute due to a missing key the team made up lost time and the balloon was soon in the air. Jamie, Liam, and a lovely family enjoyed a stunning hours flight over Northampton and out to Harpole. A lovely dry grass field was soon located and a gentle landing followed. The passengers loved the experience and were fantastic throughout the whole flight. Liam used the flight to navigate on a paper map, so it was helpful for him in that respect too. We were once again blessed with a lovely landowner which brought the whole day to a lovely end.
Flying passengers, even in small groups is challenging. That’s why we like flying for Vista. The groups are manageable and it’s a more personal and interactive experience where you have more opportunity to make the experience special for those involved.
The next slot came on April the 1st, after triple checking the weather to make sure it wasn’t a cruel joke we began planning. The conditions were on the faster side but certainly safe.
This would prove an ideal progress check for Liam’s training and would give us a good idea of focus points for the last phase of his journey. Prior to the flight Jamie briefed Liam and set the expectations that he would lead every aspect of the flight with minimal input. To say Liam rose to the challenge is an understatement. Liam was thorough in all areas of his preflight preparation, and his briefings were spot on too. Matt from Vista Balloon Flights brought his newly rebranded UM 145 G-CLUY along and launched first. The envelope looks awesome with Vista and Ultramagic artwork.
After Matt was airborne. Liam began inflating G-OAWS which rolled around a bit due to the gusts.
Liam wasn’t phased by this and made sure all his checks were done and that everyone was safe. Jamie also went over emergency situations and practiced pilot light failures on the ground. Liam then inflated the balloon and prepared for take-off whilst managing the effects of the gusts on the balloon and ensuring he wasn’t experiencing false lift. False lift is caused when wind flowing over the top of the balloon creates temporary lower pressure and thus generating extra lift. The problem is this disappears rather quickly and if you misjudge it, you will find yourself headed rapidly back down to Earth . Thankfully, Liam didn’t misjudge it, and the balloon was soon safely airborne.
Liam then went through several exercises and scenarios during the flight. He completed some good approaches, and it was clear the wind speed was not dropping out as per the forecast. After forty minutes a grass field came up just outside of the village of Hinwick. The field wasn’t especially big but after a bit of encouragement Liam made a fantastic approach into it and landed at just over 10 knots. After everything was made safe the team found another lovely landowner, and we were soon packed away and out. This was Liam’s best flight by far and he is well on his way to getting his license this year.
This time last year we hadn’t even flown yet so to be four flights in already is brilliant. We have so many fantastic plans this year, plus some exciting news about projects we hope to share in the coming weeks and months.
We have just finished removing the artwork from our latest balloon G-CIUB and a blog is coming soon on that. CIUB is headed to Camerons shortly for banner velcros to be sewn on. It will then will be available for hire for short or long term marketing campaigns.
If you fancy flying with us, we have a brilliant competition on our Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/mollymaeballooning . This runs to the 13th of April which is an incredibly special date for us.
If you would like to book a flight with Vista, then check them out here https://www.vistaballoonflights.co.uk/
Finally check out a few more photos below from our recent adventures.
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