Taking a hot air balloon ride can be both exciting and inspiring and will be remembered for years to come. Adventure Balloons offers passenger balloon flights across the South East of England including Kent, Sussex, London and North Hampshire.

Adventure Balloons has a range of launch sites in North Hampshire including sites at Hartley Wintney, Basingstoke and Old Basing. These sites have been specially chosen to give the balloons passengers a great view of the surrounding countryside, towns and villages, as well as keeping the balloon away from restricted airspace surrounding Heathrow and Farnborough Airports.

Balloon flights over North Hampshire give passengers the opportunity of capturing some great aerial photography with such sights as, Moundsmere Manor, Stratfield Saye (the Duke of Wellington’s house) and Wellington Country Park, as well as many small villages like Odiham and Overton.

The hot air balloon is the oldest form of flying and is based on the principle that hot air rises. Many people had tried and failed to build a balloon capable of carrying humans, until the 19th September 1783 when Pilatre De Rozier (a French scientist) launched his famous balloon the Aerostat Reveillon. The first flight was deemed so dangerous that instead of humans onboard, Rozier sent a sheep, a rooster and a duck; the maiden flight was a success and the balloon stayed in the air for 15 minutes before crash landing.

A couple of months later on the 21st November, two French brothers Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier became the first people to fly in a hot air balloon. They launched from the centre of Paris and flew for approximately 20 minutes before landing; the dawn of the hot air balloon had started!

1785 saw the first successful flight over the English Channel. Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard and American John Jefferies successfully navigated the English Channel marking a historic benchmark in long distance ballooning.

Modern ballooning has changed a lot from these early pioneering crafts, but they still use the same principle of pumping hot air into a balloon envelope to create lift. Although the hot air balloon is not used for long distance flights anymore (this role has been taken by airplanes), ballooning has become a popular recreational past-time with hundreds of thousands of people experiencing its delights each year.

Adventure Balloons has been operating its passenger balloon flights since 1985 and gives its customers the chance to see some of the most beautiful aerial views that the Home Counties and London has to offer.

One of the most popular counties to have a hot air balloon ride over is Hertfordshire because of its rolling countryside and fascinating landmarks. Adventure Balloons has a range of balloon launch sites in Hertfordshire including Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Stevenage all providing great views from the balloons basket.

To provide passengers with a safe and enjoyable flight, the launch site will be chosen depending on the wind speed and direction on the day of the flight; this ensures that the balloon does not fly into the restricted airspace surrounding Luton Airport.

During a balloon flight over Hertfordshire you may see such landmarks as Hatfield House, the WWII Airport at Bovingdon Village and the London Skyline, as well as small town and villages like Hatfield, Tring and Leighton Buzzard.

The British School of Ballooning is offering a £1,000 reward for information which leads to the return of one of its hot air balloons that what stolen. Thieves made off with the 60ft burgundy and cream balloon from a barn in Chelmsford, Essex sometime between the 1st and 7th September; the balloon had been stored there between flights.

Police are still trying to trace the hot air balloon, which is used by the Sussex-based company for passenger balloon flights and training new balloon pilots.

In a statement released by the British School of Ballooning, the company said that the balloon could be dangerous in untrained hands, saying: “The balloon is a registered aircraft and can only be flown by a trained pilot”.

Adding that, “If the thieves started to try and do anything with it, it could be very dangerous. It is full of gas so if it was put in the wrong place it could prove deadly.”

Police are encouraging anyone who has any information about the theft to contact the Essex Police on 0300 3334444 or the British School of Ballooning on 01428 707307.

Being a hot air balloon pilot needs skill and knowledge of weather and wind conditions. Before the balloons launch, the pilot will be in contact with the local weather station getting relevant information on wind speeds and climate changes in the surrounding area; this ensures that the weather conditions are ideal for ballooning and the balloon can be launched.

Because a hot air balloon works on the principle that hot air rises, to make to balloon ascend the pilot fires the balloons burners to fill the envelope with hot air; the longer the pilot fires the burners the higher the balloon rises into the air.

To make the balloon descend the pilot lets out some of the hot air; this is done in two ways, either by using the burners less frequently or by pulling the parachute valve. The parachute valve is a circle of fabric that overlaps a cut out at the top of the balloon envelope, when the valve is opened it lets out some of the hot air making the balloon descend towards the ground.

Because a hot air balloon is not manually steered by the pilot, but travels with the wind, the pilot must use their knowledge of the wind to their advantage. Wind blows in different directions at different altitudes, so to manoeuvre the balloon to different locations the pilot will ascend and descend to the right altitude and ride with the wind.

Experience the oldest form of flying by booking your hot air balloon flight today! Long before the Wright brothers built the first successful airplane, the hot air balloon was the only way to fly, but generally reserved for the rich. Now you can experience a balloon flight for yourself with flights from just £95 per person!

Berkshire has always been a popular flight location for balloonists because of its stunning scenery and is a great day out for all the family. Adventure Balloons has three balloon launch sites in Berkshire including, Prospect Park and Kings Meadow in Reading and an alternative site at Padworth Village.

From these unique launch sites you can expect to see large country estates like Hardwick House and Mapledurham and fly over small villages such as Goring, Wokingham and Streatley. You may also get the chance to see boats travelling on the River Thames as well as Reading’s football ground the Madjeski Stadium and the site of the Reading music festival.

A hot air balloon flight is a great day out, and wherever you fly from you will have a special experience that will be remembered for a long time to come.