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Omega was there at the beginning of the sport in England, before splitting into Western and powerhouse builder, Cameron.
Don Cameron worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company when he, along with a few friends, members of the Bristol Gliding Club, formed the group that built the first modern hot-air balloon in Western Europe. Called the “Bristol Belle,” this balloon tore itself apart on its first inflation, then was rebuilt at Cameron's behest, with the addition of horizontal load tapes for structural integrity. "Bristol Belle" first flew in July, 1967. In 1968, Cameron, with Leslie Goldsmith, founded Omega Balloons. Omega built ten balloons before splitting into Cameron Balloons and Western Balloons in 1970. Western built some good balloons, and won over its share of fans, but never fully became a force, and, according to Don Cameron, closed up operations when Thunder entered the market in '72 - '73. Cameron, of course, has thrived, leading the world in sport balloons and completely dominating in special shapes.
Much of the above is taken from a wonderful history of Cameron Balloons Ltd., which I've been permitted to adapt for these pages. Authored by Mr. Richard Cardy, and first published in Aerostat, the magazine of the British Balloon and Airship Club, this article was kindly offered by Hannah Cameron, daughter of Don Cameron. Check it out here (set aside some time - it's a long read, and well worth it!).
In addition to the aforementioned History of Cameron Balloons, Ltd., I've had some wonderful recent contributions, not the least of which is a beautiful set of photos featuring Don Cameron demonstrating an Omega balloon in 1969. Check them out here. I'm pleased and honored to offer these new additions, but there's still a lot I'd like to have here that I don't. If you have pictures, literature or information that would better honor Omega, Western and the early years of Cameron, please email* me! Together, we're building a page that may, one day, pay fitting tribute to Don Cameron's early work.
*Unfortunately, I've had to implement anti-spam measures. Therefore, when you use the e-mail links on this site, you have to remove "*REMOVE_THIS* from the e-mail address in your e-mail application. Also, I've had some pretty serious e-mail problems lately, with my new address, dave ballooninghistory.com (and my old one, ballooninghistorydevnbave.com). If you've written me and haven't received a response, please try again at my alternate address: dreg.stalliongmail.com.
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IMAGES
Click on any of the images below to open a new window with a MUCH larger
version.
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" ¤ " symbol indicates photo scanned with permission from BALLOONING magazine and the BFA.
Bristol Belle, the one that started it all (spottily colorized by the author). Here it is undergoing a laborious hot inflation (is that Don Cameron at the burner?). When first inflated, it tore itself apart. Don Cameron added load tapes, starting his, and Bristol Belle's storied careers.
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I'm pretty sure this is G-AXJA, an Omega 56 (c/n 5), first flown in July, 1969, later registered in Ireland, which it helped represent in the 1973 Worlds. I have a great page of B+W photos of her here, on one of her first flights.
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Photo: Peter Bish
Western built just over 20 balloons between 1970 and '73, each with 12 bulbous gores. This one, like most Westerns, was a 65,000 cu. ft. model, as was this one, shown in Albuquerque, 1973, and this one.
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Omega's most visible commercial client was Nimble Bread. This hang balloon's intriguing shape is due to its long, sharply-tapered skirt. Here's a shot of the harness, with, I hear, a non-pilot model, artificially suspended.
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A super-short early Cameron skirt. That's a young Rick Behr at the burner of the first Cameron in the U.S. (c/n 39), flying for Buddy Bombard in 1974. Here's another short-skirted early Cameron, c/n 35, that flew in the '73 Worlds.
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An Omega basket (although I can't prove it's not a Western, or even "Bristol Belle"). Note the woven floor and thick dropline - the tanks have clearly seen extended duty.
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Collection of George Garcia Jr.
This was the second Western built (ca. '70), which was, as of the mid-'90s anyway, still airworthy. Here is another early (and little!) Western still flying in the '90s (Collection of George Garcia Jr.), and here's another Western, a Swedish entry in the '73 Worlds.
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In the late '70s the "Gerard A. Heineken" was the largest balloon in the world, and sported this 2-story basket (yes, that's Don Cameron on the upper deck (right).
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Photo by the author
Early Camerons, like most Piccards, had no uprights, creating the condition some called "guillotine burners."
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It's hardly difficult to find pictures of Golli III on the web, but the first shape balloon (1976) does bear mention (Here's another angle).
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Photo: Becky Krieger ¤
Cameron spurred along the low-cost-balloon craze with the Viva. Production began in 1976. This is a '77 model.
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Although long associated with bulbous gores, Cameron has long done a brisk business in flat balloons, like this N-Series, as well (note the Raven Rally's "me-too" skirt-to-scoop conversion).
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Cameron's first flat balloons, the S-Type, were not quite as advanced as the later N-Series. The S-Type was "not recommended for general use as fabric stresses are higher."
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This ad touts a few of Cameron's mid-'70s achievements, including the largest balloon in the world (a record the company broke several times), an innovative solar balloon, and the first hot-air airship. The S-Type ad at left is excerpted from this as well.
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By 1979, Don Cameron had ample reason to smile - his company was thriving - having its most productive year in its history, as ballooning surged worldwide (note the "flexi-rigid" fiberglas uprights, sheathed load cables, and burner looking just a bit ahead of its time).
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