Spotter's Guide - Bristol & Bath Balloons
Here is the new 2026 instalment of our popular Bristol and Bath hot air balloon spotter's guide!
Download the PDF document below, print out in colour and see how many different balloons you can spot!
2 versions are available - the first with more colour and the second with a white background. 91 active balloons.
- 🥇 Gold (Pro): 65+
- 🥈 Silver (Enthusiast): 45-64
- 🥉 Bronze (Beginner): 25-44
⬇️ DOWNLOAD PDF BELOW ⬇️
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- The spotter's guide is ordered by resgistration
- Some balloons will fly 75% of the time flights are confirmed, other balloons may only be out once a season
- Virgin Balloon Flights' balloons in order - G-VBAU, G-VBBB, G-VBBF
- Thatchers' balloons in order - G-CMKM, G-CMTW
High-Flying Highlights
MJ Special Shapes
We’ve got 6-7 amazing special shape balloons appearing at local inflation evenings this season, including some new ones many haven't seen yet.
Keep an eye out for announcements on when to see them in action.
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New Z-105 1936 Bière
Built by Cameron Balloons and operated by First Flight, this balloon was launched at the Château-d’Oex Festival in Switzerland in January and made its first local flight from Ashton Court on 20th March.
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New "Retro" Sport-105
Brand new this season, Retro is the third balloon to join Sky High Ballooning’s fleet and was the winner of a design competition. It offers special VIP flights and joins Poplar Insulation.
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Allie's fleet
Flown by Allie Dunnington, with over 2,000 flights in 124 countries. G-CLPD, Stairway to Heaven (G-CEFS), and her wedding present cloudhopper (G-HEXE) will fly locally this season. G-CIPD is in Kenya and the others are having a rest.
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Prettiest balloon in the region?
Up for debate - by our reckoning it's between Tik Tak (G-CLTT), G-BTHF and new G-RONY. We won't comment on the worst looking balloon!!
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Time to light up the sky!
Our Philips light bulb special shape (G-BVWI) is set to return to the skies for the first time since September 1997. We are planning 1 or 2 short free flights in the first half of the season.
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G-CLPD back in the skies
Following on from the above, it is planned that Cameron Sport-50 G-CLPD will return to the Bristol and Bath skies in 2026. 2 years since its last flight!
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New G-RONY
A new, bright Cameron Sport-60, G-RONY is piloted by Jean-Paul Luttrell and named after his son. It joins his other balloon, G-CBVD.
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Rare finds
If you spot any of these, consider yourself lucky! Some balloons only appear once a year, making them very special. Extremely rare ones to watch for include G-WADZ, G-LELE, G-CFUX, and G-CHXS - and there are plenty more!
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Bristol & West is back!
The ex Bailey Balloons envelope G-CBNW returns this season as a training balloon for an upcoming pilot.
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G-RAFE - "Giraffe"
Built by Thunder Balloons in 1979, G-RAFE (known as Giraffe) is a THUNDER AX7-77 BOLT and the oldest airworthy balloon in the region. It made its first appearance in 20 years on New Year’s Eve.
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