Meeting

The adventure starts when our flight team meet you at the launch site. Your pilot and crew will arrive in a large Land Rover towing a trailer. This trailer contains all the equipment necessary for flying including the balloon, basket and inflation fans.

Whilst you and the other passengers check in with one of our crew your pilot will assess the local weather conditions using helium filled balloons to gauge the current wind direction and speed.

Preparation

After an introductory briefing by your pilot you will be invited to assist with preparing the balloon for flight. This involves unloading the basket and "envelope" (the fabric part of the balloon) from the trailer and spreading the envelope out on the ground.

Please do not worry if you feel unable to participate or would prefer to simply watch or take photographs, however it is advised that you stay within the vicinity of the balloon to listen to the required safety briefing and be ready to climb into the basket on the pilot's signal.

Cold Inflation

Once the crew have connected the envelope to the basket and, with your help, spread it out on the ground, large petrol driven fans are placed at the mouth of the balloon (the opening at the basket end) and used to fill the balloon with cold air.

You may notice some of the crew working on the "crown" of the balloon (the opening at the top of the envelope). The crew use velcro tabs to fix a large flap of fabric called the "parachute" over the opening. Once the balloon is fully inflated this will be held in place by the pressure of the hot air.

Using the "parachute lines" that run down the inside of the balloon the pilot can make controlled descents by opening the parachute and "dumping" or releasing hot-air.

Hot Inflation

When the envelope is suitably fat with cold air the pilot will use the burners to heat up the air inside and the balloon will stand upright. At this point the pilot will signal the passengers to climb aboard the basket using the steps at either end.

The pilot will then carry out some final checks and tests on the equipment and begin heating the balloon in preparation for take-off. During this period friends and family can take photographs of you in the basket.

Takeoff

When everything is ready there will be a couple of continuous "burns" to get the balloon off the ground, the rope "tethering" the basket to the Land Rover will be released and the flight begins!

You will gently rise above the trees and houses as the balloon is carried with the wind. Passengers often remark on how stable the basket feels and your brain can often be fooled into thinking you haven't left the ground at all!

Flight

The pilot is positioned in the centre of the basket so that the controls of the balloon can be accessed easily. The pilot will be happy to answer passenger's questions on how the balloon operates. Our pilots try to provide a variety of flying experiences by varying the height at which the balloon flies.

Every flight is unique. You may be treated to a spectacular view from just below the clouds or a low flying tree-top dash. With any flight you have the opportunity to view some of the most beautiful and varied landscape and natural habitats from a different perspective.

Retrieve

Following the progress on the ground the retrieve crew try to keep up by navigating the many town and country roads. This is an adventure in itself. If your friends or family wish to follow in their own car they too will appreciate the skill (or pure blind luck) that plays a big part in retrieving a balloon!

After about an hour in the air the pilot will start looking for somewhere suitable to land. As the balloon moves in the direction of the wind the pilot has very little control over where this is, but this is all part of the fun, especially for the retrieve crew!

Landing and Return

The balloon lands usually with no more than a bump and a small bounce; at worst the basket may tip on its side but passengers are protected by the basket and its well padded rim. There we are joined by the retrieval crew and we celebrate the flight with a glass of champagne and presentation of a flight certificate.

If family and friends have followed in their own transport, passengers may depart from there. We return all other passengers to the take-off site. The return journey is not part of the balloon adventure, but no charge is made for it. The whole adventure takes between three and four hours from when we meet until we return.