I began on this journey back in 2018 after taking a Virgin Balloon flight and getting to know the pilot who offered to let me crew for him in exchange for learning everything I could. He introduced me to other pilots with whom I flew and I went through both Private and Commercial exams during that winter, in the off season. I passed all 5 exams – Air Law, Meteorology, Navigation, Human Performance and Balloon Systems.

In 2019 I purchased my own Balloon, lovingly called ‘Blackout,’ to fly when I wasn’t working as a Pilot Under Training (PUT). This enabled me to gain a good deal of flight time under my belt I then went to a local Balloon Instructor who helped to guide me in completing the exercises for my Flight test and acquire my Private license. The photo is from my first Solo flight after obtaining my license. Then, just over a year or so later, I qualified for my Commercial license and can now fly worldwide.

If you’re interested in learning more about my passion you might like to check out my Articles.

Best wishes and happy landings,

Alex