Ballooning 
Full House at the BBAC AGM – View from the back row
Full House at the BBAC AGM – View from the backrow Now I’ve never been a fan of meetings especially in rooms with no windows and air conditioning but after a pretty turbulent year we felt it prudent to attend the British Balloon and Airship Club’s Annual General Meeting. The morning started wet enough as… Read More ›
Icicle really Nicicle – Icicle Meet 2013
For a balloon meet to have been run on a purely amateur basis by a private balloon group, without a break, for 41 years is an amazing achievement but amazing is what The Icicle always is. Whether its frosty-chilly-cold or blown-sideways-rained-out balloonists and enthusiasts come for miles to enjoy a very relaxed social gathering and… Read More ›
Re-kindling the Flames – a ripping yarn
Now before you go thinking that this should have come out before the article on the Joe Philp Fun Day, it should, but couldn’t as the whole thing was top secret. Visitors to the workshop were sworn to secrecy if they twigged what was being mended. Now the event is over we can finally release… Read More ›
Training Guide under EASA (Gas balloons, Hot-air balloons and Hot-air airships).
Revised 31.12.12 see note at end of text for the moment! With the rapid approach of EASA licensing set to upset the status quo Kurt Frieden from Switzerland has taken a very long hard look of the requirements and how they may be applied according to the current legislation. Conveniently he has broken the legislation… Read More ›
2012 Tochigi Hot Air Balloon Championship – nice one Lindsay
The Tochigi Championship is not to be confused with the Saga event. I am informed that Saga is on a different island with a different set of organisers and is a different event all together. That told me then. The Tochigi Hot Air Balloon Championship is a CIA Category1 event making it a far more… Read More ›
Great British Long Jump 2012 – RB reports
It was in 1984 that Robin Batchelor was sat eating breakfast with fellow commercial pilots after yet another woefully short flight out of a showground and down into the car park that he challenged them to see who could fly the furthest in one flight after the end of the season when the thermals died… Read More ›
One Man and Wellie Meet – Welshpool
This years ever popular One Man Meet was held over the weekend of the 5-7 October and organiser, the ever thoughtful Mr Dunnington, once again provided weather to suit, albeit a bit wet underfoot. It had been hoped that some flying could have been done from nearby Powis Castle but the lawn had become a… Read More ›
Grass Roots – The Formula for Success
Since the Grassroots Meet ended there has been an enormous flurry of goodwishes to Ultramagic and the Sackville Crew on Facebook, Twitter and the BBAc Forum. Steve ‘cloudhopper’ Roake kindly sent us his take on the event. Steve writes; There are some things in life that just have success written all over them. From the… Read More ›
Its a stonker – Sackville 2012 Excels
“It’s the relaxed way its so unorganised but just seems to work which makes this so brilliant”, explained a first time visitor to the Ultramagic Grass Roots Meet on Saturday afternoon clutching a rather over-filled pork and stuffing (with a splash of apple and salad) roll fresh from the pig roast. Having arrived Friday, flown,… Read More ›
A Different Way Forward
A DIFFERENT WAY FORWARD – The Ultimate balloon Syndicate – Tim ‘Sackville’ Wilkinson The costs of ballooning going up by the day and the complications of keeping the things in the air are just two reasons the numbers taking up the sport are dwindling. Sackville Tim has put his thinking cap on and come up… Read More ›