Australian Balloon Team

Nicola Scaife - Pilot

Age: 32
Location: Newcastle, NSW Australia
Occupation: Balloon Pilot
Number of years ballooning: 11
Number of years competing: 5
Favourite place to fly: Anywhere new

Past results:
1st 2014 & 2016 Women’s World Championships
2nd 2015 & 2017 Australian Championships

Most memorable moment in a competition:
Sweeping in to a target at speed, side by side with my husband Matthew (who was flying a different balloon). We only had one chance at the target and just approached it perfectly, one on each side. So good!

Any superstitious habits when competing:
Not really, but I stop drinking coffee & alcohol during competition time.

Best thing about ballooning:
I love that every balloon flight is an opportunity for great and unexpected moments. This could be flying low over somewhere untouched by humans and just appreciating the beauty of the moment; landing in someone’s backyard and making new friends; watching your passengers reactions as they experience ballooning for the first time; beating your husband in a balloon competition etc.

Favourite thing to do when not flying:
Sleep. I love sleep so much. Although if I’m not sleeping I love bushwalking, swimming and hanging out with my 5-year old, Hugo.

Something people may not know about you:
Before I turned 18 I was twice selected in the Australian marathon kayaking team.

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Matthew Scaife - Pilot

Age: 37
Location: Newcastle, NSW Australia
Occupation: Balloon Pilot
Number of years ballooning: 16
Number of years competing: 6
Favourite place to fly: Japan

Past results:
2014, 2015 & 2017 Australian Champion
10th Place 2012 World Championship
30th Place 2016 World Championship

Most memorable moment in a competition:
Descending from 6,000 ft into the last task at the Australian Champs 2015 and nailing an 80cm throw.

Any superstitious habits when competing:
6 is my unlucky number ( No.6 for Saga!! ) Red line must always be clipped onto basket first before any other colour.

Best thing about ballooning:
I find there is nothing like competition balloon, pitting your skills against yourself and nature. Learning to make decisions on what you feel is right and committing to it.

Favourite thing to do when not flying:
I love playing cricket with my favourite team Ebernoe. Exploring places with the family when out on the road at balloon events.

Something people may not know about you:
I went to collage in Monterey, California to try and make it as a professional golfer. Unfortunately tore a tendon in my wrist so had to give up that dream. I soon after joined my fathers balloon company in the UK.

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Sean Kavanagh - Pilot

Age: 47
Location: Sydney, NSW Australia
Occupation: Balloon Manufacturer
Number of years ballooning: All of them
Number of years competing: 24
Favourite place to fly: Japan

Past results:
2003 Australian Champion, 15th Place 2004 World Championship and an unreasonably large collection of 2nds and 3rd in various major events in Australia and Japan.

Most memorable moment in a competition:
Riding a giant prize cheque for 1,000,000 yen through Narita Airport like Happy Gilmore

Any superstitious habits when competing:
Not really although I do block Windows updates on my navigation computer so I don't get any nasty surprises on the launch field.

Best thing about ballooning:
Meeting new people and making friends around the world. Seeing the world from a different angle and having the time to enjoy the view....except when competing then there is only targets and markers, adrenaline and the red mist of war.

Favourite thing to do when not flying:
Kite surfing! Sun, wind and water after a sleep in and lazy breakfast. It is the perfect antidote to ballooning and frosty mornings.

Something people may not know about you:
In 2007 I did my first Sydney To Hobart Yacht race and we won our division. The same year we won the Sydney to Port Stephens ocean race. I decided yacht racing was too easy and went back to Ballooning which just seems much harder.

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Andrew Robertson - Pilot

Age: 44
Location: Sydney, NSW Australia
Occupation: Software Sales
Number of years ballooning: 40 (20 as a pilot)
Number of years competing: 18
Favourite place to fly: Tochigi, Japan

Past results:
4th at most Australian Nationals since 2003 (with a 3rd in there somewhere)

Most memorable moment in a competition:
Winning my first task at a Worlds at Battle Creek in 2012.

Any superstitious habits when competing:
Not really supistitious, but I have a favourite playlist that I listen to pump myself up.

Best thing about ballooning:
Getting to travel to interesting places and hanging out with the friends I have made over the years.

Favourite thing to do when not flying:
Kayaking and taking the dog on long walks with the family.

Something people may not know about you:
I used to play A-grade Real (Royal) Tennis for many years until the only court in Sydney closed. If you thought ballooning was a small, eccentric sport, try Real Tennis.

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The Team