Montréal montgolfière

On September 1, 2019 in the early morning hours at the River Bend Balloon Festival in Bath, New Brunswick, we had the most amazing adventure with pilot Martin Unsworth and his balloon, Heaven in the Sky. It was indeed a thrill of a lifetime. Although we were a bit anxious and nervous, Martin quickly allayed our fears. The flight was flawless and surreal beyond our expectations, from brushing treetops to hovering a few feet above the riverbank. Climbing to 3000 feet we could see along the St John River from beyond the Beechwood Dam in one direction and past the Hugh John Flemming Bridge in the other. We landed in an older gentleman’s backyard in Lansdowne without even a bump. Part of the whole experience was being invited to participate in the preflight preparations and the packing up at the end. Martin answered all our questions with professionalism and a good bit of humour thrown in as well. Kudos also to his crew, Nancy and a gentleman whose name escapes us. The choice of a moscato to toast the end of a magnificent morning was a nice touch indeed.

We organized a team (8 people) offsite with Martin's company. We had an amazing experience, and are already talking about trying to do it again in the winter! The service was top notch, employees were funny and knowledgeable, and the ride itself was an adventure.

No one better! Professional but completely entertaining. Martin knows his craft and you’ll have the time of your life!!

If you’re looking for an absolutely unique experience less than an hour away from Montreal, I have good news for you my friend, you’ve found it. Wanna know why? Read along:

We got the VIP tickets as a Christmas present, from a family member that tends to buy you the type of present they’d like to receive, not the type of present you’d buy for yourself. In fact I was anxious about flying and I am generally subjected to vertigos when in high places, so I would probably not have bought the tickets myself. But I went cause my partner was very into it and for the challenge. While we were waiting for Martin and his team to pick us up, I was getting a little nervous. Martin and his team arrived in the company vehicle and we were welcomed by a very professional, and calm team. I was nauseous the whole drive to the take off site, but was immediately pleasantly surprised and impressed by Martin’s passion and excitement. He is extremely knowledgeable and a very empathetic individual. He realized I was stressed out and I let him know that the more I knew about the whole thing the better I would feel. We spent some time on land getting ready and I felt better, realizing that I was in the hands of the most capable and experienced pilot I could have imagined. I finally got the courage to step in the balloon all thanks to Martin and his team.

Take off was one hell of an experience. I was stressed but the conditions were perfect and we had an amazing time from the very beginning. During the flight I felt a little nervous here and there, but Martin did all to demonstrate that this is in fact the smoothest way to fly ever invented by mankind. He was very knowledgeable about the region and made us re-discover the landscape in a truly unique way. Let me add here that Martin is a honest businessman who cares for his clients as much as he cares for his business partner and volunteer helpers. He has a hot ballon in place of his heart and loves the sport. Did I mention that we were flying in a ballon bearing the Quebec flag, a balloon 20 years old in which Martin’s dad won the world championship of balloon 3 times?? No one can’t beat this experience, I can tell you that. We even met Martin’s dad at take off and could see that passion for the sport is in fact a family enterprise!!

So the flight was a blast of course. We had champagne refreshment in flight (which helped with the stress and made our experience extra premium). Ever wondered what’s it’s like to order timbits from 3000 feet? It’s pretty cool! (Martin’s team follow below in the truck and occasionally stops at Timmies, we got our timbits at landing).

A Montgolfiere flight is both very technical and very graceful, a very unique combination that will give you the sensation of gliding skillfully in the air. We also did some low altitude flying above the fields and spotted some deers and birds and then over the trees that we even was able to touch for the extra thrill! That was really awesome. The landing was super smooth. My only regret was that I was so consumed by the view that I forgot the ask to try to manipule the burner (Martin will let you know if it’s possible to do during the flight!).

If you’ve read that far, what are you waiting for?? Call Martin and schedule a flight. Live a little, like I did, even if flying stresses you, you’ll enjoy it immensely and will want to come back. And if you’re lucky enough to not be a stressball like me, then I don’t even know why you’re hesitating, it’s a freakin’ Montgolfiere flight, go for it!!

For all those that want to experience the flight of a lifetime you have found the place. Martin is an exquisite pilot. As an aviator in training I appreciate his candor, ability and knowledge of all the factors involved. A truly inspirational individual, your flight will be something special with martin no question about it.