Bikes, Brunel and tightropes - Balloon Fiesta stunts

In 2005, stuntman Ian Ashpole leapt from a motorcycle suspended below a hot air balloon at 3,000 ft

Motorcycles, parachutes and a Brunel lookalike.

There is a lot more that has gone on at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta over the years than just hot air ballooning.

Several stunts have been performed by the fiesta's flyers - pushing the limits of what you can do in a balloon.

BBC News looks back on some of the fiesta's more memorable stunts.

A balancing act

In 2004, the fiesta was sponsored by Swedish furniture giant IKEA, who sponsored a tightrope walk between two balloons.

"We came up with this stupid idea to do it," said flight director Clive Bailey.

"Our biggest challenge was to keep the balloons at the same level, which was very difficult to do for 40 minutes.

The balloons had to ascend to a higher than usual altitude, to give tightrope walker Mike Howard chance to safely parachute off if he fell.

In one of the baskets was a Sky television crew, filming the event.

"We went up to 4,000 feet, and Mike did the walk blindfolded," remembered chairman of the flying committee, Pete Dalby.

"Once Mr Howard jumped off, we had to separate the two balloons as we couldn't land fastened together.

"When we separated, the balloons swung apart like a pendulum, and the reporter in my basket got down, put his hands over his head and issued several expletives," Mr Dalby said.

"He was shouting 'I'm going to die, I'm going to die'," remembered Mr Bailey.

Two wheels in the sky

The next year, the team decided to try something a bit more ambitious.

"I took off with a good friend of ours, Ian Ashpole, on a Chopper motorbike, which was suspended below the balloon," said Mr Bailey.

"We took off and went out towards Dundry, and Ian parachuted off the bike.

"When we landed, this bike was dragged across a field, and when we stopped, I un-clipped the bike, put the key in and it started up.

"I then drove it off and it worked fine.

"Ian nearly killed himself doing that. He didn't test his parachute brakes before he jumped, missed the Fiesta site and landed in the Long Ashton Park and Ride and flipped over onto his back," Mr Bailey added.

Seemingly unfazed by his brush with death, in 2006 Mr Ashpole strapped himself to the top of a balloon, dressed as Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

"We were given permission to fly underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and we flew through and nearly got taken out by the down-draft of a helicopter going into Ashton Court," said Mr Bailey.

"We will give everything a go, but as we get older our danger elements go down.

"Now when we get these requests we think perhaps someone younger should do that," he said.