FLIGHT INFO

Occasionally the winds can prove somewhat fickle and the pilot may make a decision to cut a flight short; fortunately this only happens on the odd occasion. On the other hand you may find yourself in the air for well over an hour. The distance travelled will depend on wind strength and direction, anywhere between 5 miles and 15 miles.

You will receive a safety briefing, all pre-flight checks will be carried out and then we are off.
On a typical flight we will ascend to 2,500 feet after take off where the pilot will take note of the wind speeds and directions at different altitudes. This process gives the pilot the information he requires to put the Balloon into a suitable area landing.

The Balloon is now pressurised, still lying on the ground, and ready for heating. The fans are turned off and the burners are ignited. The main burner is opened and a flame up to 15 feet in length shoots into the mouth of the Balloon. Within a few minutes the Balloon will have risen to a vertical position and will be ready for boarding.

This is a brief run through of a typical Balloon flight. For more detailed information please see the Frequently Asked Questions.

The preparation of the Balloon is simple. We position the basket, attach the burners then tip them over in the direction of the wind and anchor them to one of our Santana 4x4’s. The envelope is then positioned in front of the basket and attached to the burner frame using steel cables. Once firmly attached the envelope is stretched out in front of the basket ready for inflation.
The Balloon is first filled with cold air. Two large fans are positioned at either side directed into the mouth of the Balloon. While the Balloon is inflating the Pilot and crew will fit the deflation system at the top of the envelope.