
Clive Bailey
Clive was born into an aviation family; his father was a flight test engineer with British Aerospace and later Sales Engineering Director for Concorde.
Building model aircrafts from the age of 6, Clive obtained his gliders licence at 18. After full-time education he decided to go down instead of up and trained as a commercial diver. At nineteen worked in the Middle East for several years on oil rigs and then spent a further 3 years in the North Sea, specialising in life support systems.
At 26 he joined the motor trade as a General Manager for a Ford Dealership, obtaining his hot air balloon licence at 29 and operating the Ford Dealership Balloon.
Clive set up Bailey Balloons in 1994 with his wife Jo, also a Commercial balloon pilot, one of four women in the U.K. to fly the larger balloons, and both are qualified instructors. Clive proposed to Jo at 8,000 feet over Bath and they left their wedding by balloon.
Clive has flown balloons all over Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Africa. He is the first European to fly balloons in Iran where he also trained their first balloon pilots. Clive holds the altitude record from the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta when he flew his balloon up to 22,5000 in 1994. Jo accompanied Clive as his co-pilot.
Clive also loves planning and executing ballooning stunts, including Flying stuntman and balloon pilot Ian Ashpole on top of the Discovery Channel balloon, flying two balloons attached together by a tight rope and having fellow pilot Mike Howard walk between the balloons blindfolded at 3,500 feet.
- First flight in a balloon in 1987
- Commercial Licence obtained in 1992 and instructor rating in 1997
- Weather advisor for Western Region Balloon Club
- Huge experience of filming and working with T.V. crews
- Appointed chairman of the Bristol Balloon Fiesta for 2000
- Director for the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
- Clive has been the logistics and flight director for David Hempleman-Adams's many record-breaking balloon flights and Gas Balloon flights, from the flight the North Pole in 2000 and recently winning the America's Cup Gas Balloon Race in the US
- Twice awarded cups presented by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
- Qualified sky diver
- Life support systems expert
- Experience of long distance balloon flights and flying at altitude