General Information About Cameron Balloons

Don Cameron was leader of the small team that in 1966 built the first modern hot-air balloon in Europe. Five years later in 1971, he founded Cameron Balloons Ltd. Today his Bristol, UK, based company is the world's largest manufacturer of hot-air balloons. Bristol has become the undisputed ballooning capital of the world and how and why Don Cameron chose it for Cameron Balloons is explained here.

Cameron Balloons builds, on average, one balloon a day in the UK (why not look at the production section of the virtual factory to see how it's done?) while its associate company in Michigan, USA, caters for the market in the United States. The company employs more than 120 people and has an international sales network that covers 50 countries. (Why not have a look at the marketing section of the virtual factory?) In 1989 the company won the Queen's Award for Export.

As well as conventional round balloons (click here to see the breakdown of a balloon's cost), Cameron's is particularly famous for its special shapes. These now total over 300, which is 80% of all the special shape balloons flying in the world - and include the Disney Fantasia castle, a space shuttle, a telephone, a dog, a parrot and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck! All are fully certified as aircraft yet are built fully of fabric: there are no solid internal devices to help them keep their shape.

Five of the company's helium / hot-air Roziere craft competed in the world's first oceanic balloon race when four European and one US team were pitted against each other in the 1992 Chrysler Transatlantic Challenge. More recently Cameron Roziere balloons have crossed Australia, made the first solo lighter-than-air flight across the Pacific ocean, and set a new absolute world distance record of 10,000 miles - launching in the USA and landing in India.

For some further information about Don Cameron and how he started the company go on to the next page.