Hi all,

Having not attended the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta since 2019 (thanks Covid), I decided to break the news to the wife that a 4am departure was required, if we were going to be able to miss any potential bad traffic and make it to the launch site in time to see the first morning mass launch of the Fiesta weekend. The wife wasn’t best pleased but Jet the Springer Spaniel was well up for his first Bristol Balloons!

I was fairly certain that the evening launches may not happen if the forecast heatwave was to continue, and as I write this (Saturday morning), the Thursday and Friday night scheduled mass launches, indeed did not happen. Too much thermic activity, possibly? For that reason, and for the fact that Friday morning launches have been kind to me in the past, off we went.

It was a nice and smooth journey from Abingdon to Bristol, going past my old Swindon stomping ground and watching the super moon go down as the sun rose. There seemed to be an issue with cars getting into the public car-parks (later confirmed by many complaints on social media) but I head to my usual place and park easily and with no problem, in the field by the Angel Inn. £10 to park, so above inflation price rises, even reach here – sure it was £5 in 2019.

After the now usual, will they or will they not fly drama, explained to the crowd via the PA system, green smoke was released and the Hot Air Balloons were off in the very unfavourable direction of Clevedon. This meant that they at least avoided Bristol Airport to the South, but of course means a fairly short flight as they will be needing to land before reaching the Bristol Channel.

It was lovely to see and catch up with Andy Drinkwater, Stuart Lindsay and Graham Clark. Thanks to Derek Hoddinott for the tie-up of G-SPRY and to K M McLaughlin for the probable tie-up of D-OHKT.

My photographs can be seen at;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/62861611@N08/albums/72177720301254567

International Balloon Fiesta morning launch:
D-OHKT, Balony Kubicek BB 22E Hot Air Balloon (886)
G-BZFD, Cameron N-90 Hot Air Balloon (2725)
G-BZYY, Cameron N-90 Hot Air Balloon (10130)
G-CBOW, Cameron Z-120 Hot Air Balloon (10302)
G-CCBB, Cameron N-90 Hot Air Balloon (10085)
G-CCVZ, Cameron O-120 Hot Air Balloon (10586)
G-CDGN, Cameron C-90 Hot Air Balloon (10641)
G-CEKS, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (11003)
G-CFEK, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (11176)
G-CGFY, Lindstrand LBL.105A Hot Air Balloon (1179)

G-CGVY, Cameron Z-77 Hot Air Balloon (11474)
G-CHXS, Cameron C-90 Hot Air Balloon (11754)
G-CIHC, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (11800)
G-CIHN, Cameron Z-120 Hot Air Balloon (11785)
G-CIHO, Cameron Z-77 Hot Air Balloon (11813)
G-CIND, Cameron C-70 Hot Air Balloon (11847)
G-CIXU, Cameron Z-77 Hot Air Balloon (11450)
G-CIZM, Cameron Z-210 Hot Air Balloon (11936)
G-CJIH, Lindstrand Technologies LTL Series 1-105 Hot Air Balloon (016)
G-CJLT, Cameron O-84 Hot Air Balloon (12044)

G-CJRO, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12055)
G-CJXI, Cameron A-300 Hot Air Balloon (12069)
G-CJXJ, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12027)
G-CKCC, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12088)
G-CKEG, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12103)
G-CKTV, Lindstrand Technologies LTL Series 1-105 Hot Air Balloon (062)
G-CKWW, Cameron Sport 50 Hot Air Balloon (12192)
G-CLCC, Cameron Sport 90 Hot Air Balloon (12234)
G-CLGK, Ultramagic M-105 Hot Air Balloon (105/236)
G-CLMM, Cameron Sport 70 Hot Air Balloon (12345)

G-CLNX, Balony Kubicek BB 18E Hot Air Balloon (1728)
G-CLPC, Cameron Sport 70 Hot Air Balloon (12407)
G-CLZI, Cameron Z-133 Hot Air Balloon (12455)
G-CMBY, Cameron Z-400 Hot Air Balloon (12472)
G-COAT, Cameron Z-90 Hot Air Balloon (12492)
G-ESMI, Cameron Z-90 Hot Air Balloon (12433)
G-FWRK, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12464)
G-GCCC, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12375)
G-HRDY, Cameron Z-105 SS Hot Air Balloon (11849)
G-HUBO, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12559)

G-IBCF, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (11677)
G-INZZ, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12417)
G-JEMS, Ultramagic S-90 Hot Air Balloon (90/143)
G-JIMA, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12321)
G-KAYI, Cameron Z-90 Hot Air Balloon (10710)
G-LIPS, Cameron 90 SS Hot Air Balloon Lips (4846)
G-MOWW, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12459)
G-OETS, Ultramagic M-105 Hot Air Balloon (105/243)
G-OEWE, Cameron Sport 80 Hot Air Balloon Sheep (12340)
G-OFAA, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (10886)

G-OPBW, Cameron Z-150 Hot Air Balloon (11891)
G-ORCV, Cameron Z-120 Hot Air Balloon (12201)
G-OTCT, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12070)
G-OWLY, Cameron C-70 Hot Air Balloon (12092)
G-PSLT, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12469)
G-PURP, Lindstrand LBL.90A Hot Air Balloon (1387)
G-RECL, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12239)
G-TOPB, Cameron Z-140 Hot Air Balloon (11718)
G-UPOI, Cameron TR-84 SI Hot Air Balloon (11296)
G-UWEB, Cameron Z-120 Hot Air Balloon (11927)
G-VBAO, Cameron A-400 Hot Air Balloon (11961)
G-VBAU, Cameron A-400 Hot Air Balloon (12153)
G-WADZ, Lindstrand LBL.90A Hot Air Balloon (1354)
G-WESS, Lindstrand Technologies LTL Series 1-90 Hot Air Balloon Wolf (051)
G-ZOIZ, Ultramagic M-105 Hot Air Balloon (105/185)

Inflated only:
G-CLHV, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12304)
G-CMOO, Cameron Z-31 Hot Air Balloon Cow (12521)
G-GAGE, Cameron Z-105 Hot Air Balloon (12038)
G-MILE, Cameron Z-90 Hot Air Balloon (10548)
G-SPRY, Diamond Hot Air Balloons S105 (DB-SN-009)

On airways:
N225BK, Bombardier Global 6000 (9876)
N900NB, Dassault Falcon 7X (74)
OE-LDP, Bombardier Global 7500 (70089)

Kind regards,

 

Grant Robinson

 

Photograph credits: Grant Robinson