Mathieu RUBY pilot Art Montgolfières

I'm originally from the Loire Valley region of France, and I've been watching hot-air balloons ever since I was a child. Watching them float in the wind has always been a dream of mine, and my personal story has gradually grown up around balloons and the Art Montgolfières family;

My very first professional experience was with the company's manager, because it started out as a friendship with Charles, the founder.

We met on the school benches and started out together as crew members in 2003. We were very attracted to this activity and were able to finance our studies by doing some reunion work. Being a crew member is a great way to learn all the secrets of the balloon, and to be in direct contact with the passengers;

In 2005, Charles set up Art Montgolfières and asked me to develop the company alongside him. Initially, we were "multi-hatted", from sales to booking advice, while continuing to make ground recoveries. Naturally, aerostation soon occupied all my thoughts, and in 2008 I began training to become a pilot.

It was a wonderful adventure and I fell in love with this activity. Everything appeals to me: nature, the company of people and, of course, flying! Contact is essential for me. Flying is a dream and being able to share it with other people is a real pleasure.

Other young pilots joined us, and today we form a fine team united around the same values. I've also continued to perfect my piloting techniques, training on balloons of different sizes and in different regions: the Loire Valley, Auvergne, Italy, Anjou and Ile de France. Today, I'm a base manager in the Paris region, in Moret-sur-Loing, a little haven of greenery just a stone's throw from Paris.

Transmission is a strong value for me, so after several years as a captain, I've been an instructor since 2019, the year I obtained this new license.

I'm becoming increasingly passionate about my job as a hot-air balloon pilot. Technically speaking, electronics are now available to refine retrievals, and flights are increasingly precise, even if the wind is still the master of direction. Nature is rich, and as beautiful and impressive as ever under the nacelle, offering the most beautiful of spectacles. Each season brings a different landscape, and each flight is a renewed pleasure;

I'd be delighted to welcome you, chat, share an exceptional moment and maybe even hear you laugh at my little jokes.