Calibre Marketing & the Calibre Balloon
Calibre Marketing is named after the Calibre hot air balloon, which Martyn and his father, David, flew for many years and which became the family’s sport, hobby, passion and pastime. Martyn’s son, Matthew, is continuing the tradition having also qualified for his pilot’s licence and running a business, with Martyn, Ascension Cider, which also has a balloon as its logo.
The Calibre balloon was purchased soon after David qualified as a pilot and immediately Martyn used it to start his pilot training, which includes a minimum of 12 hours (now 16) of flying, including two instructor flights, followed by an examination and a solo flight.
The Calibre balloon was used for over 20 years and accumulated nearly 400 hours of flying (which is the normal amount before an envelope becomes too porous to fly) and was then retired. Flights were undertaken and balloon meets were attended throughout the UK, with a particular liking for flying in East Anglia, and across Europe, particularly the large meet near Metz in France every other year, at which there are typically 400+ balloons flying plus in the Austrian Alps.
The Calibre balloon was retired at the end of its life, although it lives on in the latest iteration of our logo, and Martyn took up his other passion, which is sailing and yacht racing, crewing for boats in races in the English Channel, around the Isle of Wight, across to France, in Ireland etc.
As mentioned, latterly, Martyn’s eldest son, Matthew, has now qualified as a pilot and is flying balloons in many locations. He even won the Great British Long Jump competition for the longest balloon flight in the UK before he checked out for his licence.
Further information about hot air ballooning can be found on the British Balloon & Airship Club website. For further information about and to fly high with Calibre Marketing, please just contact us.
