Local Balloonist Anton Kerr is off to the World Championships. (Photo credit – Chris Watson, Farmpix Photography).
Local balloon pilot, Anton Kerr, is heading to the little European country of Slovenia, to compete in the World Hot Air Balloon Championships in September.
When Anton stepped back from running his successful cafe a few years ago it seemed like a strange decision, but years later it looks like the right call. Despite some Covid-19 setbacks the years of honing his skills flying commercially in the family business have paid off.
In 2019 Anton qualified to compete in the World Championships due to be held in 2020. Covid-19 struck and the Worlds were deferred, so Anton used the downtime to develop a tracking and wind reading app to assist in competition flying.
And now, the World Championships are on and Anton and crew, Corey Knight and Richard Thomas are almost there.
“It’s a huge mission, starting with the logistical challenges in getting us and the gear there. So much so that I’ve started thinking flying the balloon will be the easy bit. It’s close now and I can’t wait until we are there and the little guy from the bush can take it to the big guns,” said Anton.
If you can help Anton with the massive cost of shipping his racing balloon there and back, he would really appreciate it.
Everyone in Canowindra wish him all the best as he mixes it with the best 105 pilots in the world.