The morning peak hour with just the right altitude

THERE'S little need to advertise when you sell hot-air balloon flights in Melbourne. Most commuters stuck in morning peak-hour traffic have glanced up longingly into the clouds and seen them pass by.

Tim Steiner once did that himself years ago before deciding on a career with altitude. Since 1992, he's clocked up 2000 flights as a pilot for Global Ballooning. Business is booming and, with the holidays looming and the recent collapse of rival company Peregrine, things look to get even busier.

"It's an amazing sensation flying above the buildings and seeing the joy it brings to people," he says. "The variety is what I love. The variety and the uncertainty and the adventure."     Read Full