Full of hot air

Avid blog readers will recall that I joined a global business networking organization called Entrepreneur’s Organisation (EO) last year. The organization prides itself on providing once-in-a-lifetime experiences for its members. I enjoyed one such moment yesterday.

Twice a year my EO forum group holds a retreat to share business knowledge, learn from guest speakers, and bond with one another. This week we flew to Melbourne for a two-day visit that included team-building activities and some memorable meals (Chin Chin, Culter & Co, and Supernatural), plus two very different, but equally compelling, business speakers. One presenter spoke about building a multi-million-dollar AI software company while the other shared his journey building a successful multi-million dollar healthcare company.

Yesterday morning we rose before dawn to take a hot air balloon flight over Melbourne City. This is my second time in a hot air balloon. My first flight was in 1997 when I shouted my parents a flight for Dad’s birthday. The flight took us over farmland in Camden, in Sydney's southwest.  That's us mid-flight in the image above.

When a Melbourne flight was first mooted, I was surprised that hot air balloons flew over such a major urban centre. We later learned that several unique factors make it possible. First, none of Melbourne’s major airports are close to the city, and thus hot air balloons don’t interrupt aviation flight paths. Second, an unusually large number of parklands and green spaces are conveniently scattered across the city. This means plenty of options for landing a balloon safely in an emergency, or if the wind's direction unexpectedly changes.

Our group flew with Global Ballooning. According to their website they’ve been flying people over Melbourne for more than three decades. We met our pilot at the Pullman Hotel in central Melbourne shortly after 5:00am. Outside were two minivans towing long trailers, each loaded with a hot air balloon, a wicker cabin, and propane gas bottles. 

After an initial briefing, we drove through the night to Bundoora Park Farm located in the city’s northeast. We then spent the next 45 minutes preparing our balloon for flight. This included pulling the balloon fabric into a long streamer, inflating it with a blower fan, and then finally heating the air ready for ascent. Before lifting off, the balloon crew went through the normal safety procedures including rather dramatic a bent knee landing posture.

We finally lifted off at about 6:14am, just as the morning twilight lit up the sky. We couldn’t have picked a better day to fly. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, dawn temperatures were mild, and winds were gentle. Our flight lasted an hour, give or take literally one minute. We flew almost directly south passing surprisingly close to Melbourne’s CBD before landing in Caulfield Racecourse around 7:14am.

The flight was magic. The silence as you drift along in the wind is wonderfully serene. The sunrise was stunning. The city simply dazzled in the dawn light. We were also one of four balloons flying which made the experience all the more awe-inspiring as each balloon rose and descended along the way.

The balloon company's sponsorship program was an interesting business strategy. Each sponsor pays $150,000 to get the balloon's fabric envelope made. The company flies their sponsored envelope for five years, guaranteeing a minimum of one hundred flights a year. It then continues to fly the fabric at no additional cost until it's retired or replaced. David Jones sponsors the balloon we flew. If you ask me, getting someone else to fund your primary asset is an inspired business idea.   

Our landing was a little dramatic. We quickly learned why we’d been taught to brace against the padded sides of the basket cabin. Surface winds around the racecourse were a little brisk. This meant that as we landed, we bounced a few times and then dragged along the ground for 20-30 metres before coming to rest unceremoniously on our side.

After helping the crew pack down the balloon, we returned to the Pullman Hotel for a hearty buffet breakfast and a much-needed morning coffee. All in all, it was a truly memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Even better, the pilot shared GoPro images taken during our flight at no extra cost.