Meet the team

David Hempleman-Adams - Pilot

David (www.coldclimates.co.uk) is world famous as the first person to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam, a challenge which has seen him conquer the North and South Magnetic and Geographic Poles and scale the highest mountain in each of the seven continents, including Everest.

He is the only person to fly a balloon to the North Pole. He also completed two Transatlantic balloon flights solo in an open wicker basket. He currently holds 46 FAI World Aviation Records. (www.fai.org)

Simon Carey - Pilot

Simon Carey was born in York in 1965, and as an Airforce kid, grew up moving every few years, although finally settling in Dorset for the remainder of his childhood. As the son of an RAF fighter pilot, Simon naturally became an aviation addict.

He begun his career as an agricultural pilot in East Africa then moved on to flying corporate Jets in the USA and UK, he now works as a Captain for a Long haul British airline.

Simon now lives near Bath with his wife and two young sons and fills his spare time with as many aviation and travel related pass times that he can get away with.

Clive Bailey - Flight Director

Clive is a highly experienced and skilled balloonist. He comes from an aviation family with his father being Sales and Engineering Director for Concorde. He was a commercial diver as well as a glider pilot for many years before developing a passion for ballooning. He uses his flying skills to fly passenger balloons, do filming work for TV and films and stunt flying for publicity.

As soon as the balloons take off, Clive will once again proudly become David’s flight director for this event.

Jon Mason - Flight Controller

Jon Mason has hot-air, gas and fixed-wing pilot licences, and has flown with David Hempleman in a number of long distance balloon races.  In late 2008, after Jon & David won the 2008 Gordon Bennett gas balloon race, he and his family moved to Australia, where he now lives and works as a senior Clinical Psychologist.

We are delighted that Jon will be assisting Clive once again in this year's 2011 Gordon Bennett.

Luc Trullemans - Meteorologist

Luc Trullemans is one of the most successful meteorologists in ballooning. He was Chief Meteorologist for Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones' successful team of the first Round The World flight in 1999. Trullemans has more than 35 years experience as a professional weathercaster, and has provided meteorological route advice for many international balloon flights, working with other world renowned pilots, such as Steve Fossett, Richard Abruzzo, the Leys Brothers, Benoit Siméons and Andy Elson .

He served as Chief Meteorologist for the winning teams in the 1992 Chrysler Race (first successful transatlantic race), seven Gordon Bennett Cups, and the first successful flight over the North Pole by pilot David Hempleman-Adams.

Trullemans has supervised weather briefings at ballooning meetings in Europe, Canada and the U.S. Trullemans is a Weathercaster for The Royal Meteorological Institute in Belgium, and presents a weather show for TV and radio stations in Luxembourg and Belgium.