This page will serve as a place to come to learn which balloons we plan to bring to Inflation Day 2026 from the museum collection. We are lucky to have lots of enthusiastic helpers so you can expect a fine turn out on the day! The latest balloon expected at Inflation Day is G-CCAR, a […]
Balloons at Inflation Day 2026 Read More »
Plans are afoot to organise the Inflation Day on Saturday 25 April 2026 which will be the same venue as last year, but the last time we enjoy David Hopkins’ hospitality at Pidley. (2028 will be a new venue.) Please complete the Inflation Day Registration Form BUT… Before returning this form, please make a copy,
Inflation Day 2026 – registration form. Read More »
Inflation Day 2026 Time certainly flies quickly, and I find myself already putting the early plans together for the next BBM&L Inflation Day event in 2026! The chosen date, and approved by David, is 25th April 2026 so save it to your electronic diaries and make plans to attend! Here’s hoping the weather is kind
Inflation Day – 2026. Put it in your diary. Read More »
It was a splendid event with many balloonists old and young attending. Donnington Valley Hotel provided a great meal and it was a very good venue. Alan Noble was the post Prandial Speaker and he was fascinating, so many tales. Started by solving a murder, being locked in a room with the Beatles, to organising Transatlantic
BBM&L AGM and Annual Luncheon 2025 Read More »
The latest issue of Trailrope is published and on the front cover you see a balloon made in 1937 by Bruno Marek who was one of a number of enthusiasts who experimented with hot air balloons in 1930s Europe. One of them ascended to an altitude of 9,374 metres – a world record that stood
Trailrope Summer 2025 Read More »
The BBM&L had a successful Midlands Air Festival event. Sadly, the weather was windy, which restricted the flying slots to Friday evening, for the more experienced pilots, and Saturday morning when more than 100 balloons took off. What a gorgeous spectacle for the unusually large crowd for a morning launch, their early start paid off.
Midlands Air Festival 2025 Read More »
We have recently been donated a sand bag from Jasper Tomlinson via Giles Camplin both of whom worked with Anthony Smith on his gas balloon adventures with that legendary balloon ‘JAMBO’. This is no ordinary sand bag though because it was carried by the Belgian team of Phillipe Quersin and Martial van Schelle on their
Sand bag from 1930s Gordon Bennett balloon race Read More »
A new attempt to fly a balloon across the Atlantic Ocean is being prepared in Presque Isle, Maine. The same team made a gallant attempt last year and after a perfect start they learned, after some hours flying, a change in the weather forecast meant they would not have sufficient ballast to safely cross the
New Atlantic attempt Read More »
The annual BBM&L AGM lunch was a great success with a healthy number of people joining us at a new venue which proved popular. A big thank you to Jenni for organising it all. The speaker this year was David Bareford who is perhaps best known for his passion for competition ballooning but he opened
AGM, lunch, speaker, auction and raffle Read More »
The Courier d’Avignon, dated October 28, confirms these facts: “From Paris, October 18: Here are the details announced last week for Mr. Montgolfer’s experiment. The calm weather for the last 7 or 8 days has allowed them to be multiplied. Mr. Montgolfer himself has risen on several occasions with Mr. Pilatre de Rozier and a
Who was the first to fly? Read More »
