Hot Air Balloon FAQS – Everything you need to know

Is ballooning SAFE?

Balloon flights are very safe. Hot air balloons have no moving or mechanical parts that could fail. Their technology is simple; hot air is lighter than cold air. Balloons “trap” a large volume of hot air inside the envelope (the “balloon” part of the aircraft), which keeps us afloat. Powerful burners operated by the pilot keep the air hot inside the balloon at the desired temperature. By further heating it or allowing it to cool (or releasing air to speed up the reaction), the pilot can ascend or descend at will.

Altitude control in a balloon is very precise, and the pilot will navigate the winds at different heights (or layers) to steer the aircraft to the desired landing spots. Every burner in a balloon has its own supply of fuel (propane), and if any burner has a problem (which is very, very unusual), the balloon can continue flying safely with the remaining burners.

True, balloons are at the mercy of the winds, so they cannot do what the winds do not allow. This can sometimes result in landings at unscheduled locations, and this is when you might see the media showing the occurrence as an emergency. This is not really an emergency, as the pilot will still have chosen to land where he did, and he will always have his passengers’ safety in mind.

Take-offs and landings are generally very gentle. There are days when either the inflation or the landing occurs in moderate winds. This makes the experience more of a sport, and you will see how busy the pilot is and clearly what this sport is about. No matter how windy it is on the ground, once the balloons are flying, the sensation in the basket is ALWAYS gentle. We are part of the wind. We do not go “through” the air; we go with it. No turbulence, no wind is felt in the basket during the flights. The experience is PEACEFUL.

What goes up must come down!

Landings are generally very gentle as well. Sometimes, due to a small landing field or windy conditions, the pilot must bring the basket down with a bit of a bump to stop it, and on occasions, we have what we call a “drag” landing. The balloon hits the ground and is dragged over it as it deflates. We can end up with the basket tilted sideways, and it is often considered the most fun part of the whole adventure. In every circumstance, whether slow or fast, your pilot will show you and you will all practise the safe landing positions before the balloon takes off.

Do balloons only fly at dawn? Can I not fly in the middle of the day?

Hot air balloons fly when the weather is relatively calm and there is no turbulence. Unlike a glider, hot air balloons fly when the sun is low over the horizon, because they avoid thermals and being airborne during thermic conditions. The best weather for ballooning normally occurs either in the early morning or in the evening, when the sun goes down (it is the sun’s heating of the ground that creates the thermals). Coupled with this, balloons prefer cool air, which is why you will generally see them flying very early, when there is enough light to see. The first hour after the sun rises is generally the coolest and calmest moment of the day. In Australia, commercial flights generally happen only in the early morning.

What do I need to wear to go ballooning?

The simple answer is to dress for an outdoor activity. Be PRACTICAL in every sense. Ballooning tends to be a hands-on experience, and you can get a little dirty on various tasks, especially when helping to pack the balloon away after the flight. Avoid expensive clothes and whites if possible. Above everything else, be practical with what you wear on your feet. The fields are damp most early mornings, the grass might be wet after some rain, and, if flying in the countryside, balloons might land in paddocks with cattle. Yes, you know what happens after a cow has finished its digestion! Not only do you not want to ruin your best pair of shoes, but you also do not want to start your morning with cold or wet feet… this can ruin the whole experience. Bring a small bag if you like, with spare shoes or socks if you need to go straight elsewhere after the flight. Our crew will be happy to look after the gear in our minibuses. Sturdy shoes or boots are best, but runners are generally ok as well. Wear socks, avoid city flats, and above all else, no high heels, please!

What happens if the weather is not good for my balloon flight?

The pilot will decide not to fly if the conditions are not suitable. This can be because it is either too windy, too unstable, or there are low clouds or rain. Balloon flights are often cancelled, so it is best to have some flexibility. If your flight is booked, you can easily reschedule for another day of your choice.

How do you steer a balloon?

The simple answer is… You cannot, yet we do! Balloons go up and come down, and their altitude control is extremely precise. This allows the pilot to ascend and descend, using LAYERS OF WIND at different heights and the direction in which these “rivers of wind” are flowing. Experienced pilots can navigate these winds with great precision and therefore take the balloon to where they prefer to land that day. There is also some physics at play: In the southern hemisphere, the upper winds normally have a slightly stronger “left” component compared to the surface winds, and the pilot will use this. This is because of the CORIOLIS EFFECT caused by the rotation of the Earth. Maybe too long to explain here, but if you are interested, ask your pilot on the day of your flight. They will gladly explain this to you.

Can children fly?

Children older than 6 can fly. In ballooning, children are considered small people aged between 6 and 12 years. Those aged 13 and older are considered adults, the same as with airlines. Why don’t we fly small children? Mainly because they cannot see over the edge of the basket, but there is another reason: Small kids don’t tend to contemplate the same way an adult does. They do not think along the lines of “what a beautiful sunrise!” or “look at the light over those buildings!” kind of thoughts… so they enjoy the inflation and then do not really enjoy the flight itself. An idea, if you want your children to participate? Have a family member or friend look after your children when you are going ballooning, and get them to come to the flight to see mummy and daddy (or either) go ballooning, and then they can CHASE the balloon and try to be there for the landing. The driver simply needs to stay in touch with the balloon retrieval crew, who will be in radio contact with the pilot and will drive towards the landing areas. The kids will love the experience and find it fun.

Can old people fly?

Yes, of course, and we love having older passengers fly with us. Not long ago, we flew Lorna, born and bred in the city of Geelong, on the day of her 100th birthday! Family and the media on board made for a great morning. The limitation is that people need to climb in and out of the basket with little help, so we cannot carry passengers with certain disabilities. If in doubt, please call us on 1800 BALLOON (22 55 66), and we will explain what we can or cannot do.

Do balloons take off and land in the same location?

Very unlikely, but sometimes they do. Hot air balloons float with the wind, so from the launch site, they will drift and land somewhere downwind. They land at the same location as the launch site only when there is enough STEERAGE in the winds at different altitudes to allow this to happen. The retrieval crews will follow the balloons and have radio contact with the pilot, so they will normally know where to pick everyone up.

How far do the balloons fly?

The distance a balloon flies depends entirely on the speed of the wind. Most commercial flights last about one hour, and the distance they travel depends on how far the air (or the wind) moves in that time. It can be just a few kilometres, or, especially if the upper winds are strong, as far as 30, sometimes 50 kilometres.

Do you feel height sick or have vertigo in a balloon?

Most generally, the answer is NO, YOU DO NOT FEEL HEIGHT SICK in a balloon, even if you are afraid of heights. This is a difficult one to explain. Strangely enough, from a balloon basket, no matter how high you are flying, you do not have the feeling of DEPTH that you have, for example, if you are looking over the edge of a tall building. It constantly surprises passengers how safe they feel once they are in the air, even though they thought they would be a little scared before the flight. No, you can lean on the side of the basket quite comfortably and enjoy the views in a feeling of safety, with no need to worry.

Is it cold in a balloon during a flight?

You do not feel any colder during the flight than on the ground. Why? Because the balloons do not travel THROUGH the air, they travel IN the air (the wind). There is no WINDCHILL FACTOR, and the burners are above your head, keeping you warm. It can be chilly, yes, because we meet early and are outside before the sun comes up, so make sure you check how cold the morning will be and dress appropriately. Again, it is important that you do not get cold feet, as the fields can be damp with early-morning dew or after some rain. Use good outdoor gear.

How does a balloon fly?

Hot air balloons rely on differences in air density for lift. By heating a large volume of air (the air inside the balloon ENVELOPE), the air becomes less dense as the molecules expand and air escapes from the mouth of the balloon. Simply explained, the air is DISPLACED from the balloon.

Once it displaces enough air, the whole aircraft weighs less than the air it has displaced, and this will cause it to rise or take off.

But does the air have weight? Yes, it does! You don’t notice it because you are used to it, but you feel it when the air moves and you say, “it is windy” (what you feel is the weight of the air pushing you from the side). In standard conditions, air weighs 1.225 kg/m³ (a little over 1 kilogram per cubic metre). This is about 1/1000 the weight of water. If a commercial hot air balloon, for example, weighs 1800 kg (that is, the weight of the complete aircraft plus the weight of maybe 10 passengers), it needs to displace 1800 kg of air to become buoyant. By heating a large volume of air inside the envelope, the air becomes much less dense than the cooler air outside. That is why balloons are so large. A 10-passenger hot air balloon envelope holds around 6800 m³ of air!!!

When was the first balloon flight, and what is some history?

Are you curious about the origins of hot air ballooning? Here are some interesting historical facts about ballooning:

• November 21, 1783: The first manned, untethered balloon flight took place in Paris. It was built by the Montgolfier brothers and piloted by Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis D’Arlandes. They became world-renowned pioneers of ballooning and the first humans ever to fly.
• A tragic beginning: The first “long-distance” balloon ride was attempted in 1785 by a French scientist seeking to cross the English Channel. Unfortunately, the balloon exploded an hour and a half into the flight. The design was then altered, and later that year, a French and an American balloonist completed the voyage.
• Used during wartime: Did you know that hot air balloons were used as essential tools in various wars from 1794 to 1945? They were used in missions that involved not only transport but also surveillance and improved communication.
• For the people of Melbourne in 1858, it must have been as mind-blowing as watching a man land on the moon. On 1 February, the English-made balloon Australasian was partially filled with coal gas at the Melbourne Gas Works at Batman’s Swamp. Thirty men transported the balloon by horse and cart to Cremorne, where the 60-foot (18 m) high craft was topped up at Coppin’s gasometer. A faulty valve left only enough gas for the balloon to carry one passenger. Charles Brown, one of the two English pilots, decided to stay on the ground, and Joseph Dean went up on his own, making the first recorded crewed balloon flight in Australia. Large crowds watched from vantage points on Yarra River steamboats, and the roads, paths and other elevated points around Richmond were jammed with spectators. The balloon floated for about 8 miles (13 km) and landed ‘somewhere on the other side of Heidelberg’.
• On August 11, 1978, a group of three adventurers became the first people ever to cross the Atlantic in a balloon. Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman were aloft in a helium balloon named Double Eagle II for 137 hours.
• In 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones piloted the first successful non-stop circumnavigation of the world in the balloon Breitling Orbiter 3. They set off on 1 March 1999 from Château d’Oex in Switzerland and landed in Egypt after a 45,755-kilometre flight lasting 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes.

You can read more about how pilots steer the balloon in our post How Do Hot Air Balloons Steer?.

Ready to book your own flight over  Melbourne, the  Yarra Valley, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula, or the  Avon Valley near Perth ? Visit our  booking page or call 1800 BALLOON (22 55 66).