In this blog team member Katie Gower has kindly written about her adventures from the 2026 homebuilders meet. This has become an annual event held at Sackville Airfield in Riseley, Bedfordshire. The event was held from the 11th to the 13th of September.

Sackville is the home of homebuilding for many balloonists in the UK. Every year in September, balloonists meet up to learn more about homebuilt balloons, share ideas and, of course, socialise with old and new friends.

The weekend isn’t just about balloons either, as Sackville also hosts a fly-in for other aircraft. So, although there weren’t many balloons flying throughout the weekend, there was still plenty of flying going on.

Friday

Friday evening was a perfect slot for flying. Many balloons got set up and headed off towards the Colmworth and Keysoe direction, enjoying lovely flights out into the surrounding countryside.

Sadly, I didn’t fly during this slot as I hadn’t managed to get my balloon, G-CLNS, sorted in time after having it at the Chatsworth Country Fair. I did, however, head along to help other teams get their balloons launched. I enjoyed watching everyone else take advantage of the weather.

Saturday

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t play ball on Saturday and nobody managed to fly. This certainly didn’t discourage us though, as we all enjoyed a wonderful BBQ put on by Tim Wilkinson for everyone to enjoy.

We had potatoes, salad and plenty of BBQ food, followed by a great selection of cakes. Surrounded by friends, we spent the day laughing, chatting and reminiscing about our various summers flying.

Although we couldn’t get airborne, it was still a fantastic day and a great opportunity to spend time with fellow balloonists.

Sunday

Sunday morning was a very wet one, so sadly there was no flying. However, the forecast for the evening was looking much more promising.

When Sunday evening came around, a few balloons luckily managed to get airborne. Jamie flew a very special flight in his G-TIMX, while I finally got the opportunity to fly my homebuilt balloon, G-CLNS.

I flew with Liam Goldring and we managed a 55-minute flight before landing at Covington, with a 7-knot landing. Even more importantly, I managed to achieve my goal of reaching 35 hours P1, which had been my target for this season.

Overall, it was a lovely weekend spent with friends, surrounded by balloons and plenty of aviation. Even when the weather doesn’t always cooperate, weekends like Sackville are a great reminder of what makes ballooning so special.