Longleat Icons of the Skies - #FlyingSuitcase back in the UK.

With our feet firmly back on English soil (for a minute, anyway!) the Nova Inflatable Advertising team repacked the Send My Bag #FlyingSuitcase and headed to Longleat for the Icons of the Skies event, in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside.

A change to the recent stunning English weather made for a challenging Icons of the skies event this year, with Friday being the only day the weather allowed for us to get the suitcase shaped hot air balloon out of its bag. During the morning mass ascent while some of the other balloons took off the Nova Inflatable Advertising team tethered the #FlyingSuitcase for the crowds to see and this also gave the opportunity for several interviews from broadcasting teams. During the tether some of the crew gave promotional stickers and Jelly beans out to the children who had gotten up early to come and see the event. The decision was taken by pilot Doug to tether rather than fly in the interest of safety for the crew and the balloon, this was due to the wind direction taking the balloons that did fly towards Sailsbury plain, a danger area due to its use by the army for training, and with this direction providing only very limited landing opportunities before the danger zone. Evey flight is planned and the directions from any given take off sites are carefully worked out to make sure it is possible to carry out a safe flight and landing. We may not be able to steer a hot air balloon, but we can use the forecast wind directions at different hights to make sure a flight is going to be possible, and safe to carry out.  

During the daytime on Friday, the Nova Inflatable Advertising team took the Send My Bag #FlyingSuitcase in its branded trailer over to the area so we could get the basket out where the public attending the event could meet the pilot, get in the basket and have photo’s, ask the team questions and even have a chance at firing the powerful burners – more promotional stickers and Jelly beans were also given out!

On Friday evening the Send My Bag #FlyingSuitcase took part in it’s first night glow – a part of many balloon events where the hot air balloons are inflated after the sun has set and appear to ‘dance’ along to music, by the pilot and crew carefully following a choreographed routine of when and how to burn, to light up the balloon set to a specific playlist individually created for these events. Longleat Icons of the skies provided us with the perfect place to glow the flying suitcase. due to the enormous ground meaning there is plenty space for the night glowing balloons – and we needed it with the #FlyingSuitcase which is 3 times the length of regular balloons and is big enough to hold 25 double decker buses!!

Nova Inflatable Advertising also sponsored the Friday Night Meal and Glow at the event as part of our efforts to support and promote Ballooning here in the UK – this meant allowing all 20 teams to enjoy a hot meal in the balloonist’s area after the Nightglow.

For Saturday and Sunday of the event the weather unfortunately deteriorated without picking back up and this meant the Nova Inflatable Advertising team were unable to get the Send My Bag #FlyingSuitcase out again, however the team took every opportunity to get the basket out and set up with the burners for the pubic attending the event to get in and have photos- We were easily the most photographed balloon basket of the weekend, provided the importance of having a banner on the basket to match the advertising on the balloon. Longleat itself then took the decision at 4pm on Sunday to close the event early and cancel the rest of the planned air display activities, due to the weather conditions.

Follow the latest updates for our tour on the Nova Inflatable Advertising Facebook page and use the tag #FlyingSuitcase to see your photos on the specially built Hot Air Balloon page of the Send My Bag website, and be part of the tour attempting to set a Guinness World Record.

If you are interested in finding out how Hot Air Balloon advertising can work for your company in the UK or worldwide, at your own events or at already well established and attended hot air balloon festivals please get in touch with us to discuss your requirements.