More Information

Balloons always fly when the air is the calmest. During the Summer months this means the flights will take place early morning and early evening when the winds will be at their calmest and there is little chance of instability caused by thermal activity. As a guideline, typically flights take place shortly after sunrise or an hour or two before sunset. During the colder winter months, it is possible to fly later in the day when the conditions are typically more stable. Whilst it can get cold n the Winter months, these flights can often be the most spectacular, particularly if there is a frost or laying snow. Balloons cannot fly in the rain or in surface winds of greater than 10 miles per hour.

You should wear whatever you feel comfortable in. You should wear the type of clothing that you would expect to wear should you be going for a walk in the countryside on the day in question. There really is no need to over-dress during the summer months. During the winter months it is recommended that thick socks and stout shoes are worn. Waterproof shoes should be worn on morning flights as the grass can be quite wet.
It is recommended that all shoes worn should have flat soles, and that the majority of top clothing is made of cotton rather than man-made fibres.
Taller passengers may find a hat useful during the summer months. No shorts, skirts or open-toed shoes. The landing field might have nettles or thistles!

Yes, there is no problem in taking either a still or video camera with you during the flight. There is always plenty to photograph both prior to the flight and, again, afterwards. We do recommend, however, that you have a suitable soft case with you in which to stow the camera during the landing phase of the flight.

From start to finish we estimate that it can take around 3 hours. The inflation and presentation of the balloon normally takes about 30 minutes. The flight itself normally takes about one hour. Once the retrieve crew have reached the balloon, allowing for 30 minutes to pack away and 30 minutes to drive back to the launch field takes us to around 3 hours. The balloons normally carry sufficient gas for about a 1 hour duration plus a 30 minute reserve capacity.

Again…it depends on the wind speed. Hot Air Balloons travel with the wind and an hour flight is likely to carry its passengers up to 15 miles, somedays more, somedays less. The balloon also flies at different heights. Although the balloon is at the mercy of the wind when it comes to direction, the vertical control of a balloon can be very precise. It is not unusual for an experienced pilot to be able to brush the bottom of the basket across a cut stubble field in the late summer. A leaf picked from a tree top is a very worthwhile souvenir of the flight!

The balloon is followed by a retrieve vehicle and the crew. They are in constant contact with the balloon pilot by radio and should be at the landing site at same time as the balloon. Once the balloon is packed away ( and the champagne drunk ) the retrieve or support vehicle can take you back to the launch field, if required. Your friends are welcome to follow the retrieve vehicle through the 'chase' but they are asked not to drive onto the landowners property when the balloon lands. The retrieve vehicle is also known to make quite sudden stops!

Good question? The simple answer is that nobody knows! The pilot will have done a flight plan before the launch to ensure that the forecast wind direction does not take the balloon towards any unsuitable areas. The pilot also closely follows an agreed 'code of conduct' that is agreed with the Farmers and Landowners Associations. This stipulates that the balloon shall not fly closely to livestock or land in valuable crop. This can include grass at some times of the year. A typical landing site would be a set-aside field away from the farm buildings and animals (hopefully with good access!). Once landed, the pilot, or nominated crew-member, will contact the landowner for permission to recover the balloon equipment. The balloon is then packed away in preparation for the drive back to the launch site.

Without doubt! There are always jobs that need to be done both before and after the flight. If you are asked to carry out a task, listen carefully to the instructions that you are given. An inflated balloon can have around 10 tons of inertia, so if you are told to let go…let go. The pilot and crew are always most welcome of assistance packing the balloon away again at the end of the flight. It also means that the champagne gets opened earlier!

Firstly, there is little or no movement of the balloon basket in flight. We are moving with the wind and the basket and envelope (canopy) move at the same speed. We will only fly in a maximum windspeed of around 10 mph on the surface.

During the past 20 years of flying balloons, we have never had a passenger ask us to land because they didn't like the height. It's a strange phenomenon,, but even those with a fear of heights do not exhibit any discomfort or anxiety in the balloon basket. A fear of heights only tends to manifest itself when the person is physically attached to the ground i.e. on the top of a tower or building, up a ladder etc. It's quite irrational, but once disconnected from the ground, the fear doesn't seem to exist. (You won't catch the Chief pilot of Irish Balloon Flights up a 30 foot ladder but the balloon basket at 10,000 feet during record flights doesn't bother him!).

You'd be surprised the number of times we are asked this question. The likelihood of this happening is almost nil. After all, even on a very calm day, the wind is moving in one specific direction and doesn't turn around 180 degrees during the flight.

The balloon baskets that we use are compartmentalised and there will never be more than 2 or 3 people in each compartment. The balloon envelope is also fitted with 'rotation vents' where the pilot can pull a line causing the balloon to rotate in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. This ensures 360 degree visibility for the passengers.

Ballooning is quite a gentle pastime although it does require a certain amount of mobility on the part of the passengers. Firstly, the passengers have to be able to enter the basket when it is upright. There are steps up the side of the basket to aid entry. The landing of a hot air balloon can be rated on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a very gentle landing where the 'bump' isn't even felt up to 10, where the wind has picked up and the balloon tips over on landing possibly dragging along the ground for a few metres before coming to a halt. If we are carrying elderly passengers we always endeavour to fly them on the calmest of days. If the passenger has any medical condition i.e. brittle bones or other health limitations, we would require the consent of the passengers doctor before taking them on a flight.
Onto a story; a few years ago, we were asked to fly a 97 year old priest and we were naturally cautious. We were assured that he was in good health and, as it transpired, he insisted on helping us pack the balloon away after his flight! After the landing, whilst speaking with the person who made the booking, it turned out that the priest had been skydiving the day before (and gained an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest skydiver!)