Congratulations to Nick Dunnington, our star crew on achieving his private pilot’s license for Balloons (PPL balloons). We are dleighted for him- although he probably won’t be crewing as much for us!
A balloon pilot’s license is similar to a pilot’s license for fixed wing aeroplanes.
The private pilot’s license for balloons PPL (B) comprises of two parts: the written part and the flying part, which all need to be completed within 2 years.
The written part consists of 5 written exams. There is air law, navigation, meteorology, ballooning systems and human performance. These exams can be taken in Bristol.
The flying part requires:
A minimum of 16 hours that need to be logged in a training log and Pilot’s log book.
At least 4 instructor flights ie with an instructor approved by the BBAC (The British Balloon and Airship Club).
Perform a balloon tether correctly, signed off by a BBAC instructor.
Then hey presto you are a balloon pilot. The next stage if wanted is to become a commercial hot air balloon pilot as Clive Bailey and all of our pilot’s are.
