Hot Air Balloon Questions and Answers

I am afraid of heights can I still fly? This is probably the most asked question by passengers. Hot air ballooning is a very gentle sport which moves at the speed of the wind usually no more than five miles per hour. The only sensation of movement is when ascending or descending through various layers of air movement. At different altitudes winds may travel in different directions, this is how you steer the balloon. For a few seconds you feel a slight breeze on your cheek but then the balloon becomes the wind.  There is no sway or movement of the basket. Most people who are afraid of heights completely loose their fear once we are in the air.

Will I get air sick? Standing in the basket is like standing on the kitchen floor at home, there is no feeling of movement. See the paragraph above for complete description of the sensation. If you are very sensitive the pilot may elect to land, and you will disembark and be picked up by the balloon crew.

Why start early in the morning? For safety reasons balloonists fly when the winds are the calmest. As the day heats up winds will increase which can make landing your hot air balloon more difficult. Balloonists are trained to do high wind landings and you will be thoroughly briefed before take off how to prepare for this type of landing should the weather conditions change. The experience of sunrise from a hot air balloon is worth getting up early. Some balloon companies offer flights just before sunset which provides little wind.

Where will we land? No one knows not even the pilot. The best we can do is judge from the other balloons flying around us which direction the wind is blowing at different altitudes. We decide the direction we want to head and go to that altitude. How far will we go? Again it depends on the wind speed and direction. How will we get back to the balloon launch site? That is one reason for the chase vehicle. Our crew follows us on the ground as we stay in radio contact with them we determine if our ground support crew has access to our landing site. If not, we may change our landing site several times for suitable access. After the balloon is deflated and packed up for transport we all load into the chase vehicle and drive back to the launch site.

On a personal note this blog is a take-off from my original "Full of Hot Air." Not only will I address ballooning questions I will also share balloon adventure stories. I love sharing some of my life's more interesting experiences including several major bicycling tours. Until my next post...

We will continue with more balloon questions on a future blog.  Capt'n Clyde