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Series 10: Flying without Wings

Llandovery hot-air balloon pilot Laura Davies is preparing for the most important flight of her life. \n\nFor years, ballooning was at the heart of Laura’s family, but it was her husband, Arwel, who was the pilot. When Arwel died in a car accident in 2021, Laura could not imagine flying without him. For a year, she stayed firmly on the ground, her two children asking her what would happen to daddy’s balloon. \n\nBut watching Arwel’s balloon sit empty was painful. The balloon belonged in the air. If it was going to fly again, Laura slowly realised she would have to be the one to make it happen. \n\nDespite her grief and the demands of raising two young children alone, Laura made a life-changing decision: she would learn to fly her late husband’s balloon herself. It was a huge challenge. Training brought setbacks, frustration and painful memories, but Laura kept going for her children and for Arwel, determined to keep the family legacy alive. \n\nIn 2025, she qualified as one of the few female hot-air balloon pilots in Wales. Now a pilot in her own right, Laura has brought Arwel’s balloon back to the skies above their home in the Towy Valley. But one flight still matters more than any other. \n\nThis documentary follows Laura in her final week of preparation before a local hot-air balloon festival created in her husband's memory with the help of Arwel’s best friend Ian Jones. It will be her first festival flight as a pilot and a chance to honour the man who brought ballooning into her life. We hear from Laura’s trainer, veteran Jonathan ‘JD’ Davies, on her journey to take to the skies, and from Arwel’s father, Eirian Davies, infamous for crashing his hot-air balloon into local pylons! \n\nAs the festival approaches, Laura reflects on the loss that changed her family forever, the courage it has taken to step into Arwel’s place and the hope she has found by carrying on what he loved. \n\nBut ballooning depends on the weather, and the Welsh skies can be unforgiving. Even a small change in the conditions could stop Laura from taking flight. After everything she has overcome, will she get the chance to make this deeply personal flight for love, family and legacy?

Source: BBC 2