MATTHEW SCAIFE
(NSW)
Current Champion
 • Flying 14 years.
 • 2014 Australian Champion
 • 2014 5th Saga International Balloon Fiesta
 • 2012 10th FAI World Championships
 • Flew in Australia, japan, USA, UK, France
 • Director, Balloon Aloft

NICOLA SCAIFE
(NSW)
 • I’ve been flying for 8 years
 • Current Women’s World Hot Air Balloon Champion
 • 4th Australian National Balloon Championships 2014
 • 5th UK National Balloon Championships 2014
 • Have flown in:
  Australia: VIC, NSW, ACT, QLD,
  Overseas: UK, Poland, Japan, USA
 • Commercial balloon pilot

DAMIEN HAYS
(WA)
 • Damien has been flying since 1990. Damien grew up in the Avon Valley, home to ballooning in Western Australia, having been involved with the sport since an early age.
 • He has flown in the Hunter Valley & Camden in NSW, the Yarra Valley and Hanging Rock in Vic, Cairns in Qld, & Meander Valley in TAS as well as owner & Chief Pilot of Windward Adventures in Northam.
 • He also holds Instructors’ ratings for both Commercial and Private training and has logged around 2000 hours flying balloons.

DONNA TASKER
(WA)
 • Donna holds a fixed wing licence & both Australian & British Commercial Balloon Pilot licences.
 • Apart from flying passengers for Windward Adventures in Northam, she has flown in ballooning events in the UK & Malaysia and also flown passenger flights in Myanmar.
 • She attended the 2013 Saga International Balloon Fiesta as an Official.

ANDREW ROBERTSON
(NSW)
 • Years Flying: 35 years ballooning, 20 as pilot
 • Ballooning Achievements: Competed at World Championships 2006 & 2012
 • Father of future World Champion
 • Countries & States flown in: Australia, USA, Japan, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT, TAS
 • Other hobbies: Kayaking
 • Employment (real job): Enterprise software sales

ANDREW CLEMENTS
(WA)
 • Balloon was first flown in March 2015 in Canberra
 • The Clements family have been flying hot air balloons 40 years in Northam.
 • Pilot for 20 years.
 • Flown in all states of Australia except N.T. Flown in N.Z.
 • Occupation- Machine Operator, Boddington WA
 • Competed in 2009 Nationals –Benalla VIC

MAAIKE BIERMA
(NSW)
 • I have been flying hot-air balloons since 2002. I've flown in many different places around Australia, like the Hunter Valley, Canowindra, Forbes, Wilpena Pound, Canberra, Leeton, Benalla, Mildura, Lake Cullulleraine and Sydney, as well as overseas in places like India, New Zealand and Japan.
 • I have also crewed in a great variety of countries all over the world. It helps that I speak 6 languages! Apart from ballooning, I love travel, yoga, and you can usually find me with my nose in a book. I love sharing with people the joy and magic of flight in a balloon, and the great social craziness that is ballooning.
 • My claim to fame is that during competitions I have the one and only All Girl Crew :) (mind you that might change if you assign us a male volunteer driver :(!)

GEOFFREY HOWE
(ACT)
 • Flying 17 Years
 • In 1999 a group of friends took the Doorland Balloon to central Australia and flew over Mt. Connor which is about 100 km from Ayres Rock then on a property on the Oodnadatta Track.
 • Queensland is the only state or Territory that I have not flown.

NIGEL BLACK
(Hong Kong)
 • Senior Training Captain with Cathay Pacific
 • I have been hot air balloon flying for 21 years with 380 years of flying (commercial flying for 40 years, currently 24 years with  • Cathay Pacific Airways)
 • Won the Masters Cup at Saga, Japan in 2009 and 2012. Won the Gunderoo competition in 2002.
 • Highlights - Free flight over Hong Kong. Flying around the Swiss mountains in winter at Chateau D'Oex.
 • Flown in WA and ACT
 • Hobbies - hiking, bicycling, sailing
 • When not flying a balloon - looking after and chasing after my two lovely girls Asha 10 and Keira 10 years old.

PAUL GIBBS
(NSW)
 • Flying 28Years
 • FAI Bronze Medalist 2004 World Hot Air Balloon Championships
 • Five times Australian National Champion
 • Flown a couple of time across Sydney Harbour and once across the Snowy Mountains - magic!
 • Flown over every state & territory capital including Hobart, Perth & Darwin. Also flown in Europe, Japan the Americas.
 • Professional Balloonist

MICHAEL CLEMENTS
(WA)
 • As a pilot 20 years, I have been involved in ballooning since 1977
 • Ballooning achievements or highlights:
   Getting my private ballooning certificate
   Flying in a D96 Hot Airship over Northam.
 • Have flown in ACT and WA
 • Hobbies other than ballooning:
   Scuba diving, farming and spending time with the young family.
 • Safety Manager

KAY TURNBULL
(NSW)

 • Flying for 47 years ballooning has never lost its fascination.
 • Black Magic is a friendly “Golly” that children love.

PETER CLEMENTS
(WA)
 • I have been flying fpr 14 years
 • Ballooning achievements or highlights:
   Have flown in Renmark and Canberra
 • Have flown in WA, ACT and WA
 • Hobbies other than ballooning:
   Cricket, football and volunteering at my kids sporting activities.
 • Electrician.

DANNY GALBRAITH
(ACT)
 • Have beenflying for 35 years
 • Have flown in Australia, Austria, Japan, NZ
 • Introducing Scouts to ballooning

LES SPRINGETT
(NSW)
 • Registered architect from Mosman (NSW)
 • Have attended both previous Northam National Chapionships
 • "Volare" means "To Fly" in Italian

PETER WRIGHT
(VIC)
 • I am a commercial balloon pilot from Melbourne. Competition ballooning is my flying hobby outside of work. I have flown at most Nationals since 2001.
 • I bought the balloon in 2010 specifically for comp. It is very well travelled having accompanied me to 2 World Championships in Hungary and USA. Prior to that it has also seen action in Japan.

PAUL KAVANAGH
(NSW)
 • I have been involved in ballooning since 1973, it's a family thing.
 • After many years of trying to avoid it, I finally succumbed to the lure of the sport, gaining my licence in 2008.
 • Ballooning highlights a have been, flying out at Lake Eyre and from the snow on Mt.Buller
 • This will be my third competition but my first time in a racer.
 • Having attended the Northam Nationals in '81 and '84, it is exciting to come back.

ROLF DENNLER
(VIC)
 • I was introcuced to ballooning in 1975 when Roly Pearsons, a pilot from New Zealand, invited me to join him on the first crossing of Mt Cook which took us up to 15,500 feet.
 • I got a tatste for a beautiful sport and got my PPL in 1994.
 • My wife and I have been active since then, having been to balloon festivals in NZ, Canberra, Mansfield, Griffith and others.
 • I have participated in the Nationals 3 times and am looking forward very much to coming to Northam which will be a new experience.

DAMIAN GILCHRIST
(ACT)
 • Squadron Leader Damian Gilchrist has flown the Air Force Balloon since 2010, travelling Australia promoting the RAAF and the opportunities it offers young Australians.
 • Damian has over 3000 flight hours, mostly on fast jets. He is a qualified military flying instructor and holds a Balloon Class One instructor rating.
 • Flying career highlight is a near contest between Mach 1.2 over Fort Apache, looping in a nine ship A4 formation, or an eclectic collection of F/A-18s on 8mm gun film.
 • His wife Donna hates flying, but his three kids are grown ups.
 • Ask him about bees, how not to grow garlic and repaying years of outrageous greenhouse emissions

YOSH SHIGYO
(JAPAN)
 • Yosh Shigyo is the Chief Pilot of Picture This Ballooning, based in Melbourne.
 • Nudie is one of the many special shapes that PTB operates, and is making a special appearance in this year's Fiesta. Maybe it will be the start of a whole fleet of weird and wonderful shapes in the next Nationals!

KURAHASHI TOMOKO
(JAPAN)
 • Kurahashi has accumulated 263 hours of flight time in balloons.
 • She represented Japan in the womens world championship in Poland in 2014, and has participated in the Honda Japanese Ballooning Grand Prix series for ten years.

CHOW CHI KEI
(CHINA)
 • ‘Calvin’ has been a balloon pilot since 2003, and gained his commercial (passenger flying) licence in 2005.
 • He placed 3rd in the Chinese National Championships in 2009, and placed 2nd in 2014.
 • Calvin has attended the famous Saga International Balloon Fiesta in Japan on three occasions, and has twice attended the Canberra Balloon Festival.

YONGJUN LI
(CHINA)

CURTIS GREENWOOD.
(VIC)
 • I started learning to fly balloons in November 2011
 • Championships in Battle Creek Michigan (as crew for Peter Wright)
 • Flying in the 2014 Canowindra Fiesta
the Back to Mildura Ballooning Fiesta
 • Have flown in Victoria and NSW

THOMAS DATTLER
(NSW)
 • Has been flying since age of 22.
 • He is the Australian Hot Air Ballooning Champion 2011 & 2012.
 • Chief Pilot of Byron Bay Ballooning

KEVIN COOPER
(NSW)
 

MATTHEW WADY
(UK)

MAYUMI KANEZAKI
(JAPAN)

SERGEY NOSOV
(RUSSIA)