A Cameron Z105 balloon. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Don Cameron {born 1939 in Glasgow) is a Scottish ballonist, and later founder of Cameron Balloons the world's largest hot air balloon manufacturer For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages For the full story click on the picture

Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Generally a company is a form of Business organization. The precise definition varies Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Bristol ( ˈbrɪstəl is a city, Unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Don Cameron {born 1939 in Glasgow) is a Scottish ballonist, and later founder of Cameron Balloons the world's largest hot air balloon manufacturer The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying Flight technology Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In 1983 Cameron Balloons moved into its current premises in the former Robinsons paper bag/printing factory (built in 1887 in the Bedminster area of the city). Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In 1989 the company received the Queen's Award for Export. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade innovation or sustainable development

Output has grown to around 500 balloons per year. The company claims to be the largest manufacturer of hot air balloons in the world. As of September 2007, Cameron Balloons accounted for 1,069 of the 1,551 hot air balloons registered with the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. ^[1] Cameron Balloons is also famous for its special shapes, the first being Robertson's Golly, constructed in 1975. Most special shapes are made for commercial advertising, but some have been bought privately. Notable amongst these private buyers is the late Malcolm Forbes of Forbes magazine, who commissioned a number of special shapes, including Harley-Davidson motorbike, Sphinx, bust of Beethoven, French Chateau, Pagoda and Minaret. Malcolm Stevenson Forbes ( August 19, 1919 – February 24, 1990) was Publisher of Forbes magazine, founded by Forbes is an American Publishing and media company Its flagship publication Forbes magazine is published bi-weekly Harley-Davidson Motor Company ( formerly HDI is an American manufacturer of Motorcycles based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. A Sphinx is a Zoomorphic mythological figure which is depicted as a recumbent lion with a human head Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. For other senses of this word see Château (disambiguation. A château (plural châteaux) is a Manor house or residence A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered Tower with multiple Eaves common in China, Japan, Korea For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة

The Bedminster factory occupies three floors. Most factory space (first and second floors) is devoted to laying out the hundreds of yards of fabric which is sewn together by machinists. If the detail on the balloon is intricate, to save cost and weight, the designs may be sprayed or painted on instead.

The company also makes airships, helium balloons and static inflatables. Terminology In some countries airships are also known as dirigibles from the French (fr ''diriger'' to direct plus -ible) meaning "directable" The company has been involved in record breaking balloon flight attempts including trans-Atlantic, altitude and distance records.

Expansion via acquisitions

During the 1990s, Cameron strengthened its position, via a string of acquisitions. First, Cameron acquired its main British competitor Thunder & Colt Balloons. Then, it bought the smaller Sky Balloons, which had been formed by former Thunder & Colt employees after the company's sale. Finally, Cameron acquired two-thirds ownership of Lindstrand Balloons, which had been formed by Per Lindstrand after he left Thunder & Colt in the early 1990s. Lindstrand Balloons is a manufacturer of Hot air balloons and other Aerostats The company was started by Swedish -born pilot Per Lindstrand (born September 8, 1948) is a Swedish Aeronautical engineer, pilot Cameron bought the majority stake in Lindstrand Balloons from Rory McCarthy, a British industrialist associated with Richard Branson, who had invested in the company to support Branson's series of record-setting balloon flights. Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950 is an English Business magnate, best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies

Cameron has integrated the Thunder & Colt product range, notably the AS-series hot air airships, into its own catalogue, while Sky's products have been discontinued. A thermal airship is an Airship that generates its lift via the difference in density due to a temperature differential between the gas inside its envelope and Lindstrand Balloons continues to operate as an independent company with separate management and its own designs and products. Lindstrand Balloons is a manufacturer of Hot air balloons and other Aerostats The company was started by Swedish -born pilot

References

External links

• Cameron Balloons Ltd. (UK company)
• Cameron Balloons US (independently owned US affilliate/licensee)

See also

• hot air balloon
• Rozière balloon