Our main goal with this business and with ballooning in general is to make it more accessible. There are a number of ways to do this. One of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of entry.

We have achieved this by supporting new and upcoming pilots with the loan of kit, subsidised flying and helped various teams out over the years in various we ways. From a business point of view, we wanted to look at ways to lowering the entry costs to potential clients.

We fully believe in the value that a hot air balloon can bring to any form of marketing or advertising campaign. They are second to none in terms of the attention they draw and how interactive they are compared to other forms of marketing. However, they can be expensive! As can anything that is custom made from the ground up to fly and represent a brand.

We wanted to an offer an entry level service where companies could effectively trial aerial marketing at an affordable price. To do this we wanted to get a balloon capable of carrying interchangeable banners.

We then saw G-CIUB for sale on the Zebedee List. A very simple design with blue artwork across the white centre band and with low hours. Enquiries were made and we ascertained that the balloon had been stored dry for several years. Also it only had 12 hours and the artwork was stuck and glued on. We toyed with several ideas of how to deal with the artwork aspect.

Having the centre band replaced would have pushed the cost up near to that of a new balloon. Paying for a factory or repair station to remove it again would have added thousands onto the cost of the kit. We also considered just applying banners straight over the top. This would have added a lot of weight and potentially put off prospective clients. So instead, we decided to have a go at removing it ourselves. So began an adventure that was fun, at times frustrating but ultimately extremely rewarding.

There isn’t much information out there on how to effectively remove artwork from a balloon. Most of those we spoke to warned that the old artwork would show underneath due to glue residue or dirt. However, after speaking with a dozen or so people we formed a rough plan.

We got the team together and alongside Matt Rate from Vista Balloon Flights ran a test on some of the smaller letters. Unpicking the letters is very straight forward.

The challenge comes in removing the stuck letter after. Pulling it straight off would certainly leave masses of glue behind. So, the glue needs to be heated and then the letter removed. The best way to do this we discovered was from within the envelope with a hairdryer. Using medium heat and keeping the dryer a safe distance from the material we were able to heat the letter from the back. Then as we peeled the letters away most of the glue and in the majority cases all of it came off with the letter itself.

We tried various ways of doing this as well as various levels of heat and speeds of pulling the letter off.

After this we needed to nullify any remaining glue to prevent it from picking up dirt on landings or inflations. Applying any form of chemical to balloon fabric is a big no no as it can eat away the coating. We needed a natural remedy and after speaking to a pilot in America, corn starch was suggested. This worked brilliantly, it bonded to the glue and effectively nullified the stickiness without discolouring the fabric.

Now we had an effective way of working it was just down to time and effort in getting it all done. It was a fantastic project where we were able to involve most of our team over several sessions. We learnt a lot on the way too regarding the best way of doing things.

There were a couple of mishaps along the way! Liam Menzies earned the nickname “slasher” for reasons you can easily guess.

Once all the lettering was off the balloon went down to Camerons for Velcro attachment points to be fitted. The staff there have been fantastic throughout.

Then on Saturday the 9^th of May 2026 all the hard work paid off. We were able to fly G-CIUB for the first time. It flew like an absolute dream and look amazing. The time and patience with the letters really paid off and there was no “shadow” left behind. We also gave it a good once over after landing to ensure what little glue remained hadn’t reactivated and it hadn’t.

G-CIUB is now available to hire for marketing campaigns, long or short where it can be kitted out with custom banners to suit any needs. We have had a lot of interest already and in the near future the balloon will be sporting a new look.

A special thanks on this project to Matt at Vista, Cameron Balloons and of course our awesome team for all the help and time spent.

Check out Vista here – https://www.vistaballoonflights.co.uk/

Check out Camerons here – https://www.cameronballoons.co.uk/