Have you flown with our Pilot, Brian? Proud to share that he’s been a part of the GLOBAL family for 25 years – almost as long as we’ve been operating! Well known for his Dad jokes!
Here’s his story in a nutshell…
After many years of working with the Government, he began an eco-tourism business taking visitors into the mountains on spotlight walks & four-wheel drive tours. In 1994, the owner of GLOBAL, Kiff, contacted Brian to see if he could offer his passengers an alternative outdoor experience when flights were cancelled due to inclement weather, which led him to join GLOBAL as Ground Crew. Crewing for almost a year before going on a flight, due to a fear of heights – one perfect morning he decided to give it a try and to his amazement the height didn’t worry him!
Brian recalls: “Drifting along with the wind was an experience I simply had to have again, so Kiff put me through my training and after several years I had passed all of the necessary exams, medicals & training to gain my entry level commercial balloon Pilot’s licence. I’m now 58 years old and have logged more than 4300 hours, equating to well over 4000 flights. I have flown all over Australia, across Kenya’s Maasai Mara game reserve and over the temples of Bagan in Myanmar. I still consider the Yarra Valley to be the most consistently spectacular. Having said that, flying over a sea of thousands of wildebeest and zebra on their annual migration is an awesome experience too.”
”I fly more than 3000 people a year, many of whom are scared of heights, and they usually relax a few minutes after take off. I love the reaction of my passengers as we ascend through the fog into a clear blue sky.”
Flights include witnessing the sunrise, pointing out landmarks and wildlife, explaining how the balloon works with regard to steering with the wind and rotating the balloon so that everybody gets to travel first class.
After landing we pack the balloon away with the passengers’ assistance before enjoying a post-flight sparkling buffet breakfast at @balgownieestate
“Someone once asked me If I have ever had a real job? My reply was that my current job has more up’s and down’s than most.” 🤣
Global Ballooning Australia acknowledges that all of our launch & landing sites are situated on the ancestral lands of the Taungurung & Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations, and pay respects to the traditional custodians and their elders past, present & emerging.
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