Our balloon adventure starts either:
- early in the morning, around sunrise
- or in the late afternoon, about 2 hours before sunset.
We will help determine a sunrise or sunset flight at the time
of scheduling.
- Meeting the Day of the Flight
- The Launch Site
- Prepping for the Ride
- While in the Air
- The Landing
- Returning to the Launch Site
- Insurance Requirements
Meeting the Day of the Flight
A specific meeting point and time
will have been arranged to make it convenient for passengers
and flight crew to get together.
The location of the meeting point will be very easy to find
and a short distance to the launch site.
The Launch Site
Once at the launch site, personal vehicles will be
parked where they will remain during the flight. Our chase
truck will
bring the
balloon and its passengers back to the launch site at
the end of the flight.
Prepping for the Ride
Now let’s get down to business. Last
minute wind and weather checks are performed to ensure a safe
and enjoyable flight. The
passengers are given a complete briefing on what they can expect
and what is expected of them. Ballooning is a hands-on activity!
Passengers are expected to perform hot air balloon duties, including
holding the mouth of the balloon open during inflation and getting
in when instructed. The duties are not strenuous but are part
of the experience!
- The gondola, or basket, is unloaded from the truck.
- The envelope, or fabric portion, is unloaded and attached
to the basket.
- We bring the fans out. We use two gasoline-powered fans
to inflate the balloon. At this time everyone is in position
and
briefed on what is about to happen.
- When the fans start, we
have between 5 and 10 minutes until the balloon is inflated
and ready to fly away.
- While the fans run, the pilot and crew
complete their preflight inspection of the aircraft, walking
around the envelope to secure
the parachute top and inspect the fabric.
- As the envelope
nears complete inflation, it is lying on the ground like
a gigantic beach ball.
- The pilot lights the burner and with a rush
of heat, flame, and noise, the balloon lifts off the ground.
It is now ready to take on its passengers and gently drift
into the air. The addition of the passenger weight has to be
offset
with heat to create the buoyant condition we call lift off.
This initial heating usually takes about two to three minutes.
Once
the balloon is buoyant the amount of heat needed to maintain
level flight, or to climb, is much less. A couple of shorter
burns per minute suffice.
While in the Air
The weather conditions affect how high we can
go. Favorable winds at higher or lower altitudes can
encourage or inhibit
us from going to several thousand feet-- It all depends on the
day. When we fly over unpopulated areas, it is possible:
- to skim the treetops,
- touchdown in lakes and ponds,
- or fly through a hayfield at grass top level.
You will see wildlife and geography in a way you never have before.
Practice landings are very common and if conditions permit
two or three of these will be done to get you ready for the one
that
is guaranteed at the end of the flight.
The Landing
After we have been airborne for about an hour, the
pilot will select a landing field and land the balloon. The
chase truck
will meet us there, the balloon will be loaded onto the truck,
and passengers and crew will load up and return to the launch
site. The truck is a crew cab with seating for seven, so
there is ample seating for the passengers and crew.
Returning to the Launch Site
Back at the launch site, we will enjoy a ballooning tradition
that has gone on since the beginning of manned flight.
We will celebrate the flight with a champagne toast (sparkling
cider
is available). For morning flights, there is ample time
to
go to breakfast then get on with your day. For evening
flights, we complete the flight by sunset, leaving time
for a late
dinner.
Visit Area Info for ideas
of other things to do. If you have any questions visit
our FAQs or contact us by phone
or by email.
Insurance Requirements
Insurance requirement dictate that you must sign the assumption of risk form before the flight which will be also available at the launch.
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