The Team
GRAEME SCAIFE - Director
Graeme is Balloon Aloft Australia's owner and chief pilot. He has many years of ballooning experience, and many thousands of hours of flying experience accrued since the mid 80's. Graeme has flown balloons on all continents except Antarctica and also owns ballooning operations in the UK.
MATTHEW SCAIFE - General Manager, senior pilot
Matthew has been flying hot air balloons since 1999. He is Balloon Aloft Sydney's senior pilot and manages the operation with his partner Nicola.
Hot air ballooning is in the blood for Matthew. His father Graeme has been flying for over 25 years and runs the largest commercial flying school in the UK.
Matthew started flying at 18 and gained his commercial license for hot air balloons in 2001 aged 21, making him the youngest holder of a commercial pilot's license in Australia for the next five years.
"I've been around balloons from a young age, it was inevitable that I would follow in my fathers footsteps. Ballooning is a total passion for me. I say to everyone that they must experience a hot air balloon flight at least once in their lives!"
"I've been fortunate enough to fly passengers in many beautiful ballooning locations around Australia and Europe. Canberra, The Gold Coast, Byron Bay, The Hunter Valley, Northern France, England and of course my favourite Sydney to name a few."
Currently Matthew holds a class 4 rating which enables him to fly the largest passenger carrying balloons in Australia.
NICOLA CRONIN - Marketing, pilot
Nicola began ballooning after taking a balloon flight in Canberra 2006. She loved the flight so much she got a job that morning as retrieve crew, and has been hooked ever since!
Ballooning has taken her from Canberra, up the east coast of Australia to Byron Bay, the Gold Coast and now Sydney.
Nicola is passionate about ballooning and has her commercial pilots (Balloon) license.
Nicola is usually found in the office, but likes to sneak out as often as she can on flight mornings to either fly herself or join the crew. "I love my job, most people go ballooning on special occasions and I love that I can talk to people when they are booking and then share in their excitement on the morning of their flight!"
MARTIN MARONEY - Pilot
Martin Moroney is one of the leading non-entities in world ballooning.
Martin has flown balloons all over the world. He was one of the first pilots to fly modern hot air balloons and had a lot to do with the development of piloting techniques and with the development of ballooning as a competitive sport.
He has served as Director of all of the major balloon events in the Southern Hemisphere. He also flies special shaped balloons such as the Kookaburra balloon, owned by the town of Canowindra.
You could say that he loves flying. He's the Safety and Technical Officer of the New South Wales balloon club, and over the years Martin has flown sailplanes, helicopters, balloons, fixed wing aircraft, and paragliders.
He says that at Balloon Aloft, his mission in life is to give his passengers a truly uplifting experience - and feedback from his passengers is always that they have a lot of fun flying with Martin.
DEAN PEGG - Senior Crew
Dean has a rural background and has lived in the beautiful Camden region for more than twenty years.
"Deano" retrieved his first Balloon Aloft balloon, "Sometime back in the eighties." Since that time he has travelled Australia-wide embracing crewing Hot Air Balloons in its various forms.
From commercial passenger flight operations, major events and special shapes, to national and international competition, video and film, and aerial advertising and promotion, Deano's done it!
He brings to our team a range of skills and experience that ensures our guests are in the best hands.
The whole team was
professional from start to
finish. The views were
spectacular!
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