Meet
Our Pilots

'Riz' was born and raised in Kenya, grew up in Nairobi and travelled widely as a child with his outdoor-oriented family. His flying career began with a fixed-wing pilot's licence, which was hardly used during his time as a camp manager in the Maasai Mara. It was during this period that he met Andrew, and that meeting brought the opportunity to experience the magic of ballooning for the first time.

It didn't take long before Riz decided to become an Aeronaut. He travelled to the world-renowned ballooning destination of Albuquerque, New Mexico, for his balloon training — one of the most technically demanding ballooning environments in the world, given its high altitude and complex thermal conditions. Since 2009 he has worked in Amboseli in south-east Kenya, flying passengers above the abundant wildlife of Amboseli National Park with Mount Kilimanjaro — Africa's highest peak — as the dominant feature of every flight. He has since expanded his operations to cover all of Hot Air Safaris' Kenya destinations. Most recently, he has added a Commercial Helicopter rating to an already exceptional aviation CV.

Born and raised in Kenya, David started as a balloon crew member in 1991 and grew to love the flying experience over the majestic Maasai Mara. His dedication and exceptional ability were noticed early — he rose through the crew ranks to become Crew Chief, managing ground crew teams for the day-to-day operation of multiple balloon flights.

In 2007, he was recognised as a candidate with exceptional abilities and the company he worked for at the time sponsored his full pilot training — first at Gatwick, England, and then in Mondovì, northern Italy, home to some of the finest balloon pilot training programmes in the world. He qualified as a Balloon Pilot and has been flying full-time in the Mara ever since.

David has over 2,700 hours of logged flying time and has flown more than 35,000 international and local passengers combined, including high-profile guests such as Sir Richard Branson. As Head of Maintenance, he also oversees the airworthiness and technical condition of the entire Hot Air Safaris fleet — ensuring every balloon and burner system is maintained to the highest standard before every flight.

Captain Mervin DeSouza is South African and serves as our Head of Safety. He is an ex-Air Force Officer whose background in the Defence Forces gave him an early grounding in the disciplines of aviation safety, operational risk management and high-consequence decision-making under pressure — skills that translate directly to commercial balloon operations.

After his military career, Mervin became a balloon company owner and operator in South Africa — a role that demanded not only exceptional piloting skills, but also the full spectrum of commercial, regulatory and safety management responsibilities that underpin any serious balloon operation. This led him, ultimately, to want to share his unique set of skills with the rest of the world.

His over 25 years of ballooning experience span South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Myanmar, among other locations — giving him a rare global perspective on flying in diverse weather systems, cultural environments and regulatory frameworks. As Head of Safety at Hot Air Safaris, he has built and oversees the safety management system that governs every aspect of our operations, from pre-flight weather assessment to emergency procedures and equipment certification.

Murat Ozdogan was originally a historian with an insatiable curiosity for ancient civilisations — a passion that led him to Cappadocia in Turkey, one of the world's greatest concentrations of ancient human heritage. What he found there changed the direction of his life entirely.

Cappadocia is also the world's most celebrated hot air balloon destination — hundreds of balloons lift above its extraordinary volcanic landscape of fairy chimneys, carved cave churches and ancient underground cities every single morning. The first time Murat saw the balloons rising into the sky above the valley, he lost his heart to the thought of flight. This altered his career plan entirely, and he pursued balloon pilot training with the same intellectual rigour he had previously applied to the study of history.

Now with more than 2,000 flying hours accumulated across multiple countries, Murat is a world-renowned hot air balloon pilot who brings a unique contribution to the team. His academic background in ancient civilisations gives his in-flight commentary a depth and cultural richness that few pilots can match — particularly when flying over the Maasai Mara, where human settlement, wildlife and landscape have coexisted in a relationship stretching back tens of thousands of years. He is experienced in flying in a wide variety of weather conditions and terrains, from the high-altitude thermals of Cappadocia to the complex equatorial wind systems of East Africa.