Martin Casson - Chief Pilot
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 | Martin is from the Lake District, being born and brought up on a farm in the Lyth Valley, south of Bowness. Following a university education in London his pre ballooning career allowed him to return to the area some 30 years ago.
He did not follow his father into agriculture but his early years gave him an appreciation of farming which is invaluable to a balloonist, whose activity is so dependent on maintaining good relationships and an understanding of the farming world.
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| His interest in ballooning was sparked at Holker Hall near Cartmel in the southern Lake District in 1983 where he first saw the Holker Hall balloon (now long retired) being tethered in the Park. He could not resist helping and shortly afterwards his enthusiasm was rewarded with his first flight as a passenger after which he became truly bitten by the bug of lighter than air flight. |
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He bought Polar Wind, G-BKSD, his first balloon, in 1984 and took part in many balloon meets throughout this country and Europe including the Bristol Fiesta and Metz in France. His training flights were accompanied by active qualified pilots who readily shared their knowledge and skills. Recommendation quickly followed for the formal written examinations necessary to become a pilot and the two stage practical flying examinations - the second being a nerve wracking first solo flight.
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| After twelve months and 22 flying hours he secured his Private Pilots Licence (PPL) and was free to take to the skies to really start learning about balloon flying. Since then he has regularly flown balloons ranging from basketless one man craft to large passenger carrying balloons. Initially very content to maintain the status of a Private Pilot, he trained a number of new balloon pilots. He gained several hundred hours experience as a 'privateer' before deciding to qualify for a Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL) in 1995 with the long term hope that there would be sufficient work to allow his business suit to be finally laid to rest in the wardrobe. |
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The majority of Martin's ballooning has been in the north of England where his involvement with High Adventure has developed from part time pilot in 1995, with a regular 'day job', through Operations Manager to eventually becoming owner of the company in 2002.
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During this time many thousands of people have been safely flown and his enthusiasm, expertise and personality have brought regular out of season flying contracts in the Swiss Alps, France and Luxembourg.
In the Swiss Alps and France he flies for Buddy Bombard whose combined gourmet dining and balloon adventures are legend.
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No other balloon pilot has his level of practical knowledge of the flying conditions in the Lake District.
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