Unique hot air balloon’s Valentine’s anniversary
IT’S BEEN 40 YEARS SINCE THE ‘COTTAGE’ FIRST TOOK FLIGHT
THOSE who remember seeing Forest in the Premier League, Allders in the Broadmarsh Centre, and the heyday of Players’ Horizon factory, are also likely to recall this odd Nottingham feature.
Valentine’s Day 2021 will mark the 40th anniversary of the maiden flight of Nottingham’s cottage-shaped hot air balloon - a hallmark of the 1980s and early 1990s that was often seen flying above the city centre and Wollaton Hall.
February 14, 1981, saw the iconic balloon - an idea of John Webster who was the managing director of Not- tingham Building Society at the time
- take to the skies from Wollaton Hall in a project brought together by the then Nottingham and Sheffield Hot Air Balloon Club, also founded by Mr Webster in 1978.
It was a regular sight at shows and events around Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands, at a time when special-shaped balloons were considered rare and expensive.
In late 1980 the building society ordered a special house-shaped balloon from Cameron Balloons at Bristol at a cost of £14,777. It was thought to be one of the first boxshaped balloons ever built and given the registration ‘G-COTT.’
Robin Macey, a member of what is now called the Nottingham & Derby Hot Air Balloon Club since the 1980s, said: “I have flown in many different balloons since 1984 but flights in the cottage were always special. I recall one occasion when I flew with Ian Hooker launching from the grounds of the City Hospital.
“After a very slow flight he landed the cottage on the playing fields of Christ the King School at Arnold within a few minutes and before we had got out of the basket we were surrounded by almost 100 people and mobbed like film stars.”
The maiden flight was piloted by club chairman Alan Matthews with Ian Hooker as passenger and lifted off just after 11am and landed at
Before we had got out of the basket we were surrounded by almost 100 people.
Robin Macey
Oxton 90 minutes later.
A second flight for the benefit of the media took place from Wollaton Park at 3.10pm when Alan Matthews and John Bexon launched and flew to Woodborough in 55 minutes.
The cottage was an immediate favourite at any show or balloon meet it attended, including at the annual Royal Show and smaller events in Grantham and Cromford, and overseas events in New Mexico, USA and Australia.
By the mid-1990s the cottage balloon was starting to get quite porous from the many flights made. It may have been overloaded while flying in the heat at Albuquerque.
In May 1995 during its annual certificate of airworthiness check, it was officially downgraded to only fly one person.
This meant that the pilot could only fly solo and was not allowed to take a passenger and quotes for repairs were deemed too expensive.
In November 2002 members of Nottingham Balloon Club voted at their AGM to sell the cottage balloon as it had not made any flights for almost five years.
It is now owned by Dragon Balloons, based at Hope Valley in Derbyshire.
A spokesperson for the Nottingham Building Society added: “We’re proud to have such a rich heritage of making waves in the city and can hardly believe it’s 40 years since the balloon took its maiden flight.
“The iconic Nottingham Building Society balloon went on to be seen far and wide, putting Nottingham on the map for many people who saw it flying high throughout the 80s and 90s.
“We have enjoyed reminiscing with the Hot Air Balloon Club and we are sure many people will be recollecting fond memories and sightings of the balloon this Valentine’s Day.”