CCTV consultant Derek Maltby had always wanted to fly a hot-air balloon; and these days he is one of a few people qualified to pilot one.
He spoke recently to Mark Rowe.
Ballooning can be an expensive pastime, both the outlay for the balloon (add the artwork on the cloth, you are talking five figures) and the propane gas to power it … and not forgetting the insurance. Derek’s first flight dates from his days as an Avon and Somerset Police officer, when at a Bath balloon festival he flew as a passenger to Devizes. For the next year, he offered to retrieve for the pilot, part of the back-up for the ride being that a car has to follow the balloon, to pack it away after it’s landed, hopefully somewhere accessible. Derek’s flown celebrities such as the actresses Jane Seymour, the late Leslie Crowther, and rugby union man Andy Robinson. And for Derek it’s proved to be a case of have balloon, will travel; he says that there are fewer qualified balloon pilots around than helicopter pilots, the latter learning in the armed forces. Derek has ballooned over the Rio Grande in North America; and in France, Belgium, Austria. Switzerland and Ireland. He’s also piloted a hopper, what you could call a hot air balloon without the basket. As the photo shows, he liked to take to the skies dressed a la James Bond, in a white shirt and black tie; he’s since sold the hopper. p
About Derek Maltby: Now a consultant, at Keynsham-based Global MSC Security, he was security manager at a Bristol city centre shopping centre before becoming a training and then personnel manager. In February 2006 he ran a seminar at Swindon, CCTV: Revenue Reduction, Income Generation; another is planned for February 2007.
Chris Jenkins of BWS Security describes the wow factor of owning a balloon. But there are sound business reasons too, he says.
We have done it from an advertising, marketing, customer relations stand-point. We have had the association with Derek for about ten years. We decided to go into it because we thought it would be a novel idea, to promote the business. The balloon flying around the sky can illuminate your name, and it’s well received. And of course we can take clients up in the balloon, instead of saying, let’s have a golf day, or take someone out for lunch; there’s a novelty factor. What made it cost-effective, you can imagine running it is expensive, and to employ vehicles and people is an expense. So we have an arrangement with Derek whereby we bought the balloon, we pay for the gas to put it into the air, and because it’s a hobby for Derek they provide their labour free. With regard to the benefits, clients and staff go up in it; we have been on television, with the balloon festival in Bristol; we have used it with other marketing,a nd it works tremendously well. And we do use it an awful lot for charity as well, donating it; a raffled flight raises hundreds of pounds. We have found it a marketing tool that doesn’t stop. We actually get people ringing in, saying, are you the company that has the balloon? The recognition is tremendous. It’s a very good form of advertising.
