General Information
Welcome to the adventure of Hot Air Ballooning! Ballooning is
filled with beauty, spectacle and excitement. We know you will have
a fabulous flight.
Weather: Ballooning is strictly a fair weather--light wind
activity. Generally a balloon launch is not possible when the wind
speed exceeds 10 mph. This is why balloon flights occur around dawn
or a couple of hours prior to sunset when winds are usually lightest
and the air is the most stable. If weather conditions cause a postponement
of your flight, we will be happy to reschedule.
Equipment: The design and structural integrity of our balloon
system is carefully regulated by the FAA. The fabric of a balloon
is periodically tested for strength and porosity. The propane burner
system provides the heat source for heating the air and generates
enough heat to warm hundreds of homes for several hours! The basket
is designed to be extremely strong but still be flexible enough
to absorb the stress of a bumpy landing.
Pilots: Our pilots are certified by the FAA as commercial
balloon pilots and are qualified to carry passengers for hire.
Landing: As with airplanes , the most critical phase of
balloon flights are takeoffs and landings. The absence of any real
directional control means that landing areas must be in the direct
path of our balloon, and that path is determined by the air currents
around the balloon. As a result we sometimes have to deal with natural
and man-made obstacles. At times we must descend rapidly in order
to clear an obstacle and still land in a small landing area. It
is very important that passengers properly follow the pilot’s
instruction to avoid bumping into objects in the basket or other
passengers.
Summary: We hope this information has been helpful to you.
While most balloon flights are very gentle, we want to make you
aware of those rare occasions when bumpy landings can occur.
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