Born in Germany in 1967, Allie has spent her life exploring the world and taking others along for the ride. With a Master’s in Asian Studies and a PhD in Tourism and Anthropology, she has been working and travelling across Asia since 1986 and has guided adventurous travellers for over 30 years.
In 2004, after marrying Phil Dunnington, Allie turned her passion for flight into a mission: to help more women take to the skies. She quickly rose to become one of the UK’s leading female balloon pilots, later breaking barriers as the country’s first female commercial flight examiner. Today, she holds a UK and EASA Group D commercial licence and is a qualified Part 66 engineer and instructor, a rare combination in aviation.
Allie is a dedicated board member of the General Aviation Awareness Council (GAAC) and proudly represents the British Women Pilots’ Association (BWPA). So far, she has flown hot air balloons in 123 countries with her recent exploits taking her around East Africa. As a proud new member of the African Section of Ninety Nines, Allie is looking forward to exploring many more African countries and meeting fellow members of the organization.
Allie’s features, articles, TV appearances and documentaries she has been in:-
- Allie’s Website
- Uganda
- Rwanda Civil Aviation
- Interview with Tanzania Civil Aviation
- Tanzania Civil Aviation
- Tanzania Daily News
- BBC article August 2024: Allie Dunnington strives for hot air balloon World record
- Brunei 2024: School welcomes hot air balloon pilot on her record-breaking journey | Borneo Bulletin Online
- Allie Dunnington — Conversation Changers
- “Just Amazing”: An Interview with World-Record Balloon Pilot
- BBC Radio Northampton – BBC Radio Northampton, Balloon Festival: One pilot and 115 countries
- The World’s Greatest Balloon Adventures Documentary, Kenya, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, The Alps, Venezuela
- ARTE/ZDF: Marco-Polo Film. 5 part series: Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Kenya, Venezuela, the Alps.