About Us
Many great people who made industry successful, have also been adventurous. Danger is out there, but you have to live with it - that’s part of the spirit you should have in the industry.
Per Lindstrand
Per Lindstrand
Founder and Inspirer of Lindstrand Technologies
Swedish-born, Per Lindstrand is a remarkable aeronautical engineer, pilot and adventurer with world-wide recognition for his achievements in breaking through the boundaries of lighter-than-air technology. He has held every absolute world record for hot air balloon flights in terms of distance, duration and altitude, and is particularly known for his series of record-breaking trans-oceanic hot air balloon flights and for his attempts to be the first to fly a Rozière balloon around the earth with Sir Richard Branson and Steve Fossett.
Per has received numerous awards for achievement and his outstanding contribution to the aeronautical industry including the Royal Aero Club’s Gold Medal presented by Prince Andrew in both 1989 and 1991. The Royal Aeronautical Club’s Britannica Trophy was presented to Per by Lord Brabazon in 1988 and America’s most prestigious flying award, the Harmon Trophy, was given to Per in the White House by Vice-President Quayle in the White House. Per also features in the Guinness Hall of Fame.
Per not only flies balloons, but all other aircraft as well. He holds an airline transport pilot licence for airplanes and helicopters and a commercial licence for auto-gyros, airships and gliders.
Per’s numerous world record attempts have been crucial to the continuous innovation of his company.
“We use our record flying as our testing ground”
Per Lindstrand
Per’s aeronautical career began in the Swedish Air Force and after gaining a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, he spent some time working for SAAB Aircraft in Sweden and Lockheed in the USA. Per moved to England in 1978 to start up Colt Balloons Ltd., and has remained here ever since, becoming firmly rooted in Oswestry where his family home is located.
Per’s interest in becoming a balloon manufacturer stemmed from his desire to extend the frontiers of balloon technology, as he observed there was a market opportunity to build and sell a properly engineered product.
Colt Balloons (and later Thunder & Colt) became internationally acclaimed for its engineering excellence, a reputation that continued when Per founded Lindstrand
Balloons Ltd (LBL) in December 1991.
Based in Oswestry at its purpose-designed 40,000ft2 factory, the company, now renamed Lindstrand Technologies Ltd, designs, manufactures and repairs airships, aerostats, gas balloons, passenger carrying aerostats and a whole host of leading-edge fabric engineered products.
For the past few years, Lindstrand Technologies has diversified its business developing a range of quality inflatable buildings and structures and providing a bespoke design and manufacturing service to clients worldwide.
In addition, with its highly skilled workforce, all with experience in the lighter-than-air industry, Lindstrand Technologies Ltd can provide a full consultancy, design, build and management service for special projects.
Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson,
Trans Pacific crossing