Third generation balloonist to fly at Fiesta

Hugo Hall grew up around hot air balloons, and now flies all over the world

A third generation hot air balloonist who has flown all over the world has said the Bristol Balloon Fiesta is a huge part of his life.

Hugo Hall, 32, from Taunton, runs Flyaway Ballooning, and grew up around the activity. His grandmother, Gwen Bellew, was one of the British female pilots in 1968 and his mother, father, sister and uncle all had licenses.

"My dad used to fly from Bath and I spent my childhood sitting on the tank, watching him fly, sometimes before school. We'd land in a field and I'd get a bit of champagne afterwards," Mr Hall said.

Mr Hall is among many pilots who will fly at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta which is being held between 8-10 August.

Mr Hall said there had been lots of balloons in the house during his childhood.

"I'd invite friends around and we were jumping around baskets, being a nuisance, swinging around the office chair pretending to run the business at the age of seven."

He took charge of his first flight aged 14 in France.

"My dad jumped out of the basket, and said 'just fly over the forest, we'll find you on the other side'."

Mr Hall's late grandmother, Gwen Bellew, was a pioneering female balloon pilot

Mr Hall now flies hot air balloons in India, and has travelled all over the world.

"It's not so commercialised in India as it is in the rest of the world. I think there's only four Indian pilots in total," he said.

"When you come to land, there will be hundreds, potentially thousands of people that just surround the basket, and they want selfies and to shake your hand, which is really nice.

"Though ballooning is more familiar to people here, it still draws huge crowds. That interest carries the world over," Mr Hall added.

Mr Hall's father Giles has been flying hot air balloons for more than 50 years

What started out as a hobby has now become a full-time job for Mr Hall.

"Sometimes when that happens you can lose interest, but it hasn't happened for me yet," he said.

"Everybody loves a balloon flight, and it's pretty rewarding when you're giving someone a once in a lifetime experience, and it's one of those things that is accessible to nearly everyone, yet still quite an adventure.

"I enjoy the chaos of not knowing whether you're coming or going, and it's all very weather dependent, but that's how we work," Mr Hall added.