A top hot air balloon pilot who has flown all over the world and whisked many stars of stage and screen into the sky is now flying people from Perth.

Andre van Wyk, of Virgin Balloon Flights, has been a balloon pilot for more than 30 years and has soared over 39 different countries, everywhere from Italy to Mexico.

Now the 64-year-old will be flying from the Perth’s South Inch Park as VBF - the UK’s largest passenger carrying balloon company - have started using it as a launch site.

He’s flying a brand new balloon called an UltraMagic 250, because it takes 250,000cubic ft of air to fill it, which can carry 12 people in the basket.
Since becoming a pilot in 1975, the South African, who lives in Kinross, has made dreams come true for thousands of passengers.

Although to Andre everyone he flies is a VIP, there are some he can’t even believe he shared a basket with. They include actor Roger Moore alias James Bond and Julie Andrews of the Sound of Music fame, who he flew over the Swiss Alps, and famous golfer and fellow South African Gary Player. He also once took up German industrialist and well-known playboy Gunter Sachs who tipped his crew 40,000 Swiss Francs, around £20,000!

Andre said: “I flew Dolly Parton in Sun City in South Africa in the mid 1980s. She was great and, when we landed and unpacked everything for a champagne breakfast, she insisted on doing it all for us.”

Andre has flown over many of the world’s most spectacular scenery and includes Namibia’s ‘moon landscape’ and Blyde River Canyon in South Africa among his favourite places.

“I’ve been flying in Scotland for two years now and I love it. It’s a beautiful country and flying from Perth is great because there’s so much to see as you drift on the breeze, whether it’s the winding River Tay, or Scone Palace,” he said.
As well as piloting passenger balloons, Andre has done some other amazing things such as taking up film crews for BBC nature documentaries with David Attenborough, and flew for environmental charity Greenpeace.

Besides balloons, Andre flew jet fighters when he was in the South African Air Force and massive helicopters for the Active Citizen Force after that.

For more information or to book a flight with Andre, visit the website at www.virginballoonflights.co.uk or call 0870 444 2768.

ABOUT ANDRE’S BALLOON…

- Registered Name = G - VBFA
- Balloon ‘envelope type’= UltraMagic 250 Series N
- Holds 250,000 cubic ft of air
- Envelope Height (when inflated) of envelope = 25.5 m
- Total height (inc. basket etc) = 30.3 m
- Diameter at equator = 24.9
- Fuel usage = 250 litres an hour
- Maximum flight duration (with VBF) = 1hr 45mins, Average = 1 hour, Minimum   45mins
- Up to 150 flights/1800 passengers a season
- Total weight 2 tonnes+
- Can fly up to 30,000ft, and legally up to 10,000ft without oxygen
  (but VBF normally flies up to 2,000ft with passengers).