Become A Balloon Pilot

It takes most trainee pilots between three and twelve months to reach a standard where they can be trusted to fly themselves and their passengers in safety (that period can be reduced to as little as a month given self discipline, the constant availability of a balloon, crew and instructor plus some luck with the weather). In Britain this level of ability is denoted by the awarding by the Civil Aviation Authority of a purple covered document which has embossed in gold on its cover the words ‘Private Pilot's Licence, Balloons and Airships’. It doesn't mean you can fly an airship - you can add that rating at a later date if you wish - but it does mean you have completed successfully your official training course.

The course currently requires a minimum of 16 hours flying instruction, a check flight with a CAA appointed examiner and a solo flight. The minimum age to qualify is 17.

Most people find their first solo flight a worrying, yet exhilarating, experience and one which is never forgotten. A bottle of champagne is required for the traditional celebration after landing.

Four written examinations have also to be tackled (unless you have a fixed-wing PPL, in which case you need take only one paper). They cover air law, navigation/meteorology, balloon systems and human performance. These are mainly multiple choice / tick-a-box papers which won't be a problem to anyone determined to achieve a PPL.

And ballooning is a sport in which women can do just as well as men because a pilot needs skill and concentration, not brute strength (though it helps if there are a few muscles around during the unpacking and repacking stages).

If the holder of a Private Pilot's Licence wants to fly balloons for hire or reward he will later be able to gain a Commercial Pilot's Licence.