How Do Hot Air Balloon Pilots Plan A Flight?

Ever wondered what goes into planning a hot air balloon flight? Well, it’s not just about deciding, “Hey, I think I’ll go flying today,” setting up, and then taking off (though that would be nice!). There’s actually a lot that an aeronaut (hot air balloon pilot) has to think about before they even arrive at the launch site. We’ve broken it down into four key steps:

Step One: Watching the Weather The planning process often begins about a week before the flight, as the pilot keeps a close eye on the weather forecast for any changes. They're looking for the perfect conditions: light winds, dry weather, and clear skies, free of clouds or fog. If it’s rained in the days leading up to the flight, landing can become tricky. Flooded or soggy fields mean retrieval vehicles could get stuck in the mud—definitely something they want to avoid (we don’t want to ruin relations with our local farmers!).

General Weather Forecast on XC Weather

Hot air balloons rely on different wind directions and speeds at varying altitudes to "steer" the balloon. This means the pilot has to keep an eye on winds at multiple levels, not just at ground level. It may seem calm on the surface, but at 1,000 feet, you could be absolutely barrelling along. Heading into unfamiliar territory at speed in an aircraft you can’t steer? Definitely something to avoid!

The pilot typically monitors winds from the surface up to about 2,000 feet, unless they’re planning to go much higher. This gives them a good idea of where they’ll be heading and how fast they’ll get there—but it’s still just an estimate. Typically, you would aim for wind speeds no faster than around 8 knots (9 mph), as this gives the pilot optimal control of the balloon.

To get a solid picture of the forecast, the pilots at Scotair Balloons typically rely on the Ballooning Forecast from the Met Office, along with apps like XCWeather and Windy.

MetOffice Ballooning Forecast. Note: we'd typically be looking for speeds not much faster than 10 knots.

The same forecast on Windy.com

Step Two: Finding A Launch Site Once they have an idea of where they're heading and how fast they'll be getting there, the next step is to find a launch site that gives the optimum space to manoeuvre—without heading into tricky areas or no-fly zones.

To do this, a pilot would consult their OS map and an aeronautical chart. These tools will provide all the relevant information about the airspace and surrounding area to help ensure they don’t accidentally fly into areas where flying is difficult or prohibited.

Once they are confident they've found a launch site with plenty of room for a smooth flight, there are a few final checks to make. First, they have to make sure the field is large enough to accommodate the balloon, clear of obstacles, and safe for takeoff. And most importantly—a pilot must always get permission to fly from the landowner!

Inflating the balloon on the launch site.

Step Three: Finding Our Track

Alright, so they have their starting point—now it’s time to figure out where they’re going. Although it’s only an estimate, the method for plotting your flight path is surprisingly simple.

Using the OS map, the pilot marks their launch site. Then, based on the wind directions they identified earlier, they would draw two lines to form a V shape as well as marking prominent features within it.

The area inside the V shape gives them an estimated flight path and the prominent landmarks help with navigation, especially when flying in unfamiliar airspace. Once again, this is only gives them an estimate, but it’s a handy tool.

"The V" drawn on an OS Map with key landmarks noted and highlighted. The pilot will mark these on their map and look for them during the flight to get their bearings.

Step Four: Final Calculations

Now it’s time for the part everyone dreads: the maths.

With a bit of number crunching, the pilot determines how much fuel is needed for the flight, making sure to account for some spare incase of emergencies. Using a load chart—a specially designed tool that helps calculate how much weight the balloon can safely carry—the pilot works out the total weight of the balloon, passengers, equipment, and themselves. This is compared to the balloon’s maximum capacity to determine its lift potential.

A load chart for calculating potential lift for a hot air balloon

Why does this matter? An overweight balloon is inefficient and unresponsive, making it harder to control, while an underweighted balloon can be overly buoyant, making it tricky to bring back down to the ground smoothly. Striking the right balance is key!

Once the numbers check out, the pilot alerts their crew that they're good to go, get everything ready, and take to the skies!

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