Thunder & Colt Balloons

Thunder & Colt is the merger of Thunder Balloons (started in the early 1970s) and Colt Balloons (former Colting Balloons) after acquisition of Thunder by Colt in 1980. It was founded in Oswestry, using some locally available subsidies.
Thunder & Colt was the first company to build a pressurized Hot Air Airship developed the largest hot air airship in the world, the AS-261, to drop an observation platform in the canopy of tropical rainforests. In 1993 the ship was fitted with a larger replacement envelope manufactured by Lindstrand Balloons and has since been known as the AS-300. The main advantage of Thunder & Colt's current airship line is that all models feature internal catenary curtains for load suspension like real helium airships. This improves the aerodynamic shape and stability of the envelope.
At the 1996 Hot Air Airship World Championships in Aosta, Italy, the first three places were won by Thunder & Colt airships with the fourth place being held by a GEFA-FLUG AS 80 GD which features a standard T&C gondola and is also built at the T&C factory in Bristol, England.
In 1994 Thunder & Colt Ltd went into receivership with unpaid debts of around £1.4M. Before the failure, Per Lindstrand, its managing director, had left the company and had set up Lindstrand Balloons Ltd. After the failure, some employees formed a new company, Sky Balloons Ltd.
From the beginning Sky Balloons Ltd. sold very cheaply and were refinanced a number of times. The final owner sold the company to Cameron Balloons Ltd. for a fraction of his initial investment. When the prices were raised to a break-even level, sales dried up. The Sky operation was used as a satellite sewing shop for a while, but when work levels declined it was closed.
The financier of Lindstrand Balloons Ltd was discontented having seen a substantial loss on his investment and sold his 67% interest to Cameron Holdings Ltd. (CHL, the parent company of Cameron Balloons) for about a quarter of what he had originally invested. Per Lindstrand held the other 33%. Although relations were amicable, both parties preferred to have their own business and, in 2003 the company was split: Per Lindstrand became 100% owner of Lindstrand Technologies Ltd. and CHL became 100% owner of Lindstrand Hot-Air Balloons Ltd.

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Thunder & Colt 90 A

 

Thunder & Colt 90 A, registration PH-ABS, built 1993, serial number 2383
Nijmegen, Netherlands, 27 February 2021

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