Affiliated to the British Balloon & Airship Club  
metz 2009
Welcome to the
North West Balloon and Airship Club...
[above] - Several club members travelled to Chambley in France again this year and helped break the World Record for the highest number of hot air balloons taking off in a continuous line - 329 balloons!

 

Met Office image ©: click for full page:


nwbac year planner

NWBAC A4 Year Planner 2010. Print out and stick on the fridge! To submit a date for inclusion:

 
nwbac calendar

NEW TOO!

Steve O'Boyle has very kindly created this A4 calendar - month to view - using a selection of both humerous and spectacular images he's taken.

And he doesn't mind members downloading and printing copies for personal use.

Link to the calendar download is on the Members' page.

 
Chairman
Derek Grimshaw
Secretary
Jennifer Owen
Treasurer
Sarah Owen
Safety & Information Officer
Chris Wootton
Land Owner Relations Officer
Graeme Church
PR Officer Tom Bulloch
Social Secretary
Dave Court
Compass Points Editor
Jo Sansby
Meet Director
Dave Marshall

The committee may be contacted via the Club Secretary:

or by emailing the

Jennifer Owen
1 Oak Avenue,
Standish,
Wigan,
WN6 0EA


Pleasure Flights
If you would like to try a flight or book a special celebration treat for someone, ckick here.

Some Links...

Counties Challenge - a competition for the longest hot air balloon flight within a county boundary
The Great British Long Jump - a competition for the longest hot air balloon flight in the UK each year.
Balloon Sponsorship - ever thought about your company having a Hot Air Balloon?  Costs less than you think. click the link to find out more

If you have any interest at all in flying hot air balloons - whether it be helping to crew, learning to become a pilot or simply enjoying just being around these spectacular aircraft, then feel free to join us.

Contact one of the members below or turn up at one of the many ballooning events we have scheduled (best to check first - knowing the British weather!)

Or you can now join on-line here.

Chairman's Chatter
Updated 20th July 2010

Another successful impromptu weekend, after being asked if we could bring back Balloons to Worden Park, Leyland, for a Council Run, "Leyland Festival", we managed to jump through all the hoops that a local authority puts in your way to fly from a public park and the result was a successful weekend for the Council and all of us who attended. It was not of course like the Leyland Festival of old, (being closed down through a lack of cooperation from that same council 10 years ago), but it gave the club members who attended a very social and enjoyable weekend at minimum cost. We entertained Granada Reports on the Friday night giving the event a great publicity boost, with one balloon doing a quick hop to Chorley before getting back to our place for Hop Pot and a few sherbets. Saturday morning proved a no go but we showed our faces on the Park and went to Tesco's for breakfast, the evening did not look much better, the wind had dropped but there was rain all around, we arrived on the park not expecting to do a lot but suddenly found a break in the weather, three of us flew out, myself and Robin Waite getting into the same field at Whittingham, north of Preston, Chris Wootton staying low and keeping south of the River Ribble, Emma, Alex and Phil stayed on the park keeping a reasonable crowd amusing by tethering for a hour or so, the evening ending with a later than advertised Bar B Que after we had driven back from our unexpected retrieves.

The original agreement with the Council meant we were not allowed to fly from the Park on Sunday morning as it was being used for a national charity fun run, when the organisers realised we would be long gone before the fun run organisers arrived, they relented and our plans for Sunday changed until the 06:30 briefing when the weather really had closed in, so we all went back to bed until my daughter Sally arrived with full English breakfast at 10:30, it was a little unfortunate that only the club members who were camping on site benefited from the spread but never the less a good time was had by all, a great effort from all attending had the Marquee down and all packed away in record time, a good job as the wind was threatening to demolish it for us, thanks to all who participated at such short notice, the Council has honoured its commitments to us and it may be that we will be invited back next year.

Our next meet is August Bank Holiday at Coniston, we have a goodly number of entrants already, we just need better weather than last year!, next club meetings are the first and third Tuesday in August at The Travellers Rest, as early as you can if it's flyable, anytime after that if its not.

Derek G - chair@nwbac.com
Welcome to our new members:

Mark Granger
Jan Vonka
Simon and Mark Tomlinson
Jeff Lawton
Ray Wright
Laurence Steele
Oliver Brown
Paul and Bruce Naylor
Peter, Sian and Tom Richardson
Joe Dale

 

 
Web site by John Hartley @ John Hartley Associates, Nelson 07973 439773

social@nwbac.com

Updated 14 April 2010

Tuesday Evenings
During BST We meet on the first and third Tuesday of the month 8-00pm at the Travellers Rest, Shaw Green, A581 (close to The Mill) (Map Ref SD 530187)

Social events will take a back seat during the flying season.
If you have any suggestions for social events Autumn/Winter 2010 or a suggested venue for our next series of Sunday Morning meetings please contact the Social Secretary.

New - Join on-line...
 
Dave Marshall-MEET DIRECTOR

NWBAC Meets 2010

Updated 01/08/2010

August Bank - Coniston
Drier this year I promise
27th to 30th Aug 2010.

Link to entry form
I'm currently working on a possible meet for September.
So keep checking this site I'll get the info out as soon as I know anything.


Wherever possible please arrive at at meets with FULL tanks

Any ideas for 2010 welcome.

Previous Balloon Meets - summary of what went on, with photos where available... click here.