Phil & Allie Dunnington
Gone With The Wind Professional Team

Phil, one of the World's most widely experienced commercial balloon pilots who in the course of extending ballooning projects has flown balloons in 102 countries to date (November 2010).

Evolving from a career in airline and aircraft manufacturing management, Phil, who has been flying balloons commercially since 1971, has helped establish tourist and promotional balloon operations in Europe, Africa, South and Central America and South-East Asia. He also set up his own balloon rides business in the English Lake District and Ireland, operating successfully for 12 years. In conjunction with British adventurer David Hempleman-Adams, Phil sets up select tailor-made expeditions to the Earth's remotest corners, ranging from Arctic Canada to Mongolia.

A Geography graduate specialising in air transport economics, Phil was the UK's chief examiner for balloon licences for over 15 years, deeply involved in formulating the technical and legislative framework of ballooning in the UK and overseas in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Authority and other administrative bodies. He is a director of Europe's largest annual public balloon spectacle, the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, and has run similar events in Ireland, South America and the Middle East.

Phil's recent projects include advising a major European travel industry group on the infrastructure and safety aspects of tourist ballooning in Egypt and investigations in Turkey. In addition he is now the principal UK representative for ballooning on Europe's EASA (European Air Safety Agency) helping to formulate the evolution of new ballooning regulations in 31 nations and Chairman of the British 'BBAC' Flying Committee. He is the principal delegate for ballooning liaison with the UK NATS air traffic authority.

In 2009 Phil and Allie joined round-the-world balloonist Brian Jones on a charity and promotional world tour with a replica of the 'Breitling Orbiter' balloon to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this magnificent achievement.

Allie Dunnington

Allie, born in 1967 in Germany, has travelled and worked in Asia since 1986. She has a Master's degree in Asian Studies and speaks various European and Oriental languages. Having lived and worked in countries such as Mongolia, China, Japan, Singapore and other far eastern countries Allie has an in-depth understanding of different lifestyles, cultures and mentalities. She has written travel articles for major magazines and newspapers.

As a professional tour manager she specializes in organizing tours which offer a mixture of sporting activities such as golf, hiking, horse-riding or ballooning combined with cultural visits. She also works as a tour escort for some of the German and UK high end tour operators. Additionally she has completed her PhD in social sciences on the subject of tourism and anthropology.

Recent itineraries have included horse trekking in Myanmar and India, a photographic journey to Ladakh, Sikkim and Bhutan and an expedition along the Silk road of Central Asia.

Allie also holds a UK CPL (professional commercial licence) for hot air balloons. She has flown in 49 countries (to date December 11) and hopes to fly in many more. She enjoys training new pilots and has been instructing young pilots in India, the UK and Germany.

New projects have included wild life filming by balloon for various world renown film companies in Czech Republic, Ireland and India with current projects in Mongolia, the Alps, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Venezuela. To enhance the ability to use lighter-then-air craft as camera platforms Allie has added an airship and a gas balloon rating to her balloon licence.

Our team can communicate in:

German	Chinese
English	Japanese
French	Indonesian
Italian	Persian
Spanish	Mongolian