OT Tell us a bit about yourself&hellip
Rudolf Richard Hofer I am from Bavaria in South Germany. I&rsquove been piloting fixed-wing planes for 37 years and hot-air balloons for 21. I&rsquove also been training pilots for 19 years now.
OT What was it like to fly at the Pushkar Fair
Rudolf Richard Hofer It was great. The colours, people, old temples, it is all very new to us.
OT How did you begin flying hot air balloons in the first place
Rudolf Richard Hofer One day a parajumper friend of mine asked me if I&rsquod like to go meet a prospective sponsor, who wanted to buy a hot air balloon. I refused at first. I was already a pilot by profession and flew gliders as a hobby. Why would I want another aero sport in my life But he didn&rsquot give up and after six weeks of persistence, I agreed to go with him for the meeting. The sponsor bought us the balloon right away. Now we had a balloon but no pilots &mdash neither of us knew how to fly them My friends decided that since I already had a few pilot licences, I should be the one to train.
OT What was it like
Rudolf Richard Hofer The first flight was great and then there was no looking back. I wanted to keep flying them. Soon we got another sponsor for our second balloon, the third followed and now I run a hot air ballooning company with eight balloons. Initially, we travelled only in Europe for ballooning festivals in France, Italy, Norway&hellipalthough we met people from countries like Japan, China, Russia, Canada, Thailand and USA. Eventually, we got an invitation for a festival in China, and we started travelling around the world.
OT The most unforgettable flight&hellip
Rudolf Richard Hofer I got a chance to fly over the Great Wall of China 17 years ago. That was our first big trip away from home and also the most memorable. Hundreds of people gathered when we landed. We didn&rsquot understand each other&rsquos language, but it didn&rsquot matter. Over the years, we&rsquove been inviting the Chinese pilots for our festivals too.
Another special flight was over Antigua. We could not land at a place that was easily accessible and were stuck there for three days until the rescue trucks paved their way to us. Also, flying over the mountains is always dramatic. In the winters we fly from Germany to Italy, a distance of 280km. The snow-covered landscape is breathtaking.
OT How do you refuse requests for a free flight
Rudolf Richard Hofer Well, it&rsquos expensive. So we can&rsquot take the whole village/town [where we land] for a ride. But I am sure they do many interesting things I can&rsquot be part of either.
OT If you see a beautiful place or monument, do you return to it by road Do you miss real contact with people and places
Rudolf Richard Hofer No, never. You see so many beautiful things. It is not possible to return to all. I feel you can see and experience more from the vantage point of a hot air balloon. And the best part about ballooning is that you can fly really low and deep. Sometimes you can even hear people talk on the street. I don&rsquot think we miss much, really.
OT Is it dangerous
Rudolf Richard Hofer No, ballooning is very safe unless you do something stupid. The danger is after you land and the passengers leave, especially the pretty women. I am heartbroken till I fly the next pretty passenger
OT Where do you go next
Rudolf Richard Hofer Dubai.
OT Flying with the sheikhs
Rudolf Richard Hofer Well, a sheikh friend invited us. I told him to come along on the balloon. But he says no, he will watch over us from his helicopter
