Up, up AND AWAY

One reader shares tales of adventures in her hot-air balloon

- WORDS: KATE CHAPMAN

Air travel was a means to an end for linguist and tour guide Allie Dunnington until she took her first hot-air balloon flight after a chance meeting with a pilot. Now, more than two decades on, she's an accomplished pilot, instructor and examiner, and the current female record holder for the most countries flown by balloon – 123 and counting.

‘I don’t particularly enjoy flying on a plane, where there’s turbulence - but being in a balloon is so serene, I just fell in love with it,’ says Allie, 58, from Bristol. ‘It's so different; you’re flying gently on the wind, out in the open air, it's so picturesque and there’s no turbulence. It’s absolutely magical.’

Since gaining her balloon pilot's licence in 2005, followed by her commercial licence in 2009, Allie has flown all over the world. She says it's impossible to choose a favourite destination, although Myanmar, where she took her first flight, holds a very special place in her heart.

‘Each country has its own beautiful landscapes. I've made over 2,000 flights, flying over 1,700 hours as pilot in command, but Myanmar is probably my favourite - flying over the jungle, temples and lakes,’ says Allie, who is also a qualified nurse. ‘I’ve flown over the Gobi Desert, Libya, Greenland and over the Alps. There are so many amazing places, it’s hard to pick favourites.’

Allie's enthusiasm for ballooning began after meeting renowned balloonist Phil Dunnington during a trip to Myanmar in 2002. She'd lost her voice so was unable to give the tour that she was leading and met Phil by the pool. Although she couldn't talk much, they communicated, and he took her on her first trip.