Balloon pilot on top of the world after award

Experienced hot air balloonist Lindsay Muir, from Bishop's Castle, was the only British representative competing in the second Federation Aeronautique Internationale Women's European Hot Air Balloon Championship held in Frankenthal, Germany, last Saturday.

She beat 24 other top flyers in a series of flights and a total of 19 challenging tasks which required the pilot to 'steer' the balloon through the air to targets on the ground.

During the European championships Mrs Muir secured a total of 13,952 points, a comfortable 700 points ahead of runner-up Daiva Rakauskaite, who comes from of Lithuania.

Competition judges said each task required a huge amount of skill to anticipate wind speed and direction with very fine control of the balloon's altitude.

Mrs Muir, 55, has been flying for 20 years and has competed in numerous ballooning championships.

She previously held the British title and won the Women's World Cup three times.

Mrs Muir, who flies for Telford-based Virgin Balloon Flights, said this result was particularly satisfying.

She said: "I was one of the most experienced competitors and I felt that there was a lot of expectation on me to win.

"I have competed in many competitions, but to win this one meant a lot. I remember just giving my husband a huge hug when I won.

"Competition flying and doing champagne balloon flights for passengers are miles apart.

"In competitions, the balloon is smaller and much more responsive to change in height and wind direction and there is the pressure to hit the targets.

"When I'm flying my passengers the balloon is much, much bigger and I concentrate on entertaining them and making sure they enjoy the flight."