Since the resurgence of hot air ballooning in the late 1960’s, balloon designers and manufacturers have used new techniques and machinery to design increasingly complicated hot air balloons. Special shaped balloons are usually commissioned by companies wanting to advertise a brand, but there are a few people who collect unique balloons as a hobby.

Probably one of the most famous hot air balloon collectors was the late Malcolm Forbes (the original publisher of the Forbes 500 magazine), who had a variety of special shaped hot air balloons. Malcolm Forbes would commission a new balloon when he visited a new country, to honour their culture and diverseness. These ranged from a Sphinx for Egypt, an elephant for India and the Santa Maria to honour Spain.

Because of the complicated nature of custom balloon designs, hot air balloon pilots seem to have a love/hate relationship with them. These balloons are often harder to inflate and pressurise consistently, take more room to land because of their shape and take longer to assemble and pack away. But for the pilot it is a great feeling to fly a custom shaped balloon because it handles a lot differently from a standard balloon.

With the advances in hot air balloon manufacture and the incorporation of computer aided design (CAD), there are bound to be even more specially shaped balloons for many years to come.

A hot air balloon flight is an ideal gift for any occasion including anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas and even marriage proposals, and although the 2009 balloon season will shortly be over you can still order one of our fantastic balloon vouchers, which will be valid for anytime during the 2010 balloon season.

Adventure Balloons flight vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase, meaning that you can choose the best date and for your flight; this can be done though the flight availability page on our website.

All of our balloon flight vouchers include the balloon flight, which lasts between 3 and 4 hours with 1 hour of flight time, a full colour gift voucher, a 20 page map guide and information pack and on the day of your flight you will also receive a certificate signed by the pilot and a glass of champagne (over 18’s only).

Balloon flights start from £95 per person for Home Counties flights, with London flights from £185 per person and an exclusive 2 person balloon flight for just £550, perfect for a special occasion or to pop the big question.

Balloon vouchers can be purchased online, over the phone or by post via the printable booking form and your voucher pack will be sent to you after payment has been received. Why not order today and take advantage of Adventure Balloons winter discounts, you won’t be sorry!

Hot air ballooning has become a popular hobby over the past few decades, with people from various different backgrounds and cultures congregating at balloon meets and festivals throughout the world. This resurgence of ballooning is largely due to the accessibility and price of the hot air balloons, which have come down in price dramatically since the introduction of new manufacturing processes and a more competitive market.

Many hobby balloonists use either a one man balloon or hopper balloon, as there is no need to have a balloon crew to help inflate and launch the balloon. These one man balloons usually have a seat and harness that the pilot is strapped to instead of a balloon basket, and the propane tanks are fitted to the seats frame directly behind the pilot. This gives the pilot full control of the balloon, while giving a sense of freedom as they can see everything around them.

A one man or hopper balloon has low maintenance costs and is an ideal introduction to ballooning, with many of today’s commercial hot air balloon pilots having started off in one. Although one man and hopper balloons are usually flow for recreational purposes, there are various competitions and festivals throughout the year in which to participate.

Some companies even use one man balloons and cloud hoppers as a form of advertising, because of the reduced cost and maintenance of running one, and the fact that it can be launched quicker and easier than standard balloons.

South Hampshire has some of the best countryside in the whole of the UK and has been a popular destination for our balloon flights for many years. Not only will our passengers see the beautiful countryside this county has to offer, they will also see the South Coast and the Isle of Wight, as well as landmarks such as Winchester Cathedral and Lasham Airfield.

We have balloon launch sites in Kingsworthy, Micheldever, Winchester and Alton for our South Hampshire balloon flights; the launch site will be chosen on the day of the flight depending on the wind direction to ensure that the balloon will stay clear of restricted airspace surrounding Southampton Airport and the Solent.

Other sights you may see while ballooning over South Hampshire include the River Test, the Mid Hants Stream railway and small villages and towns such as Candovers, Alresford and Whitchurch.

If you book your balloon flight now, you can take advantage of our special offer of £20 off, so there has never been a better time to book!

Hot air balloons have been used as an advertising medium for many years and can be up to 5 times cheaper than traditional advertising types. A balloon can be seen from a distance, so can advertise to many people at the same time, and if the balloon has a unique shape or distinctive artwork this adds to the image of your brand and becomes a talking point for spectators.

Hot air balloons come in many different sizes, from small hopper balloons which carry just a pilot, to large balloons capable of taking up to 16 passengers. Large balloons are ideal for corporate events, whereas smaller balloons are great for tethering at balloon events.

Because a balloon can be packed away into a trailer, it can be transported easily around the country or the world for advertising in different areas. With a fully branded hot air balloon costing as little as £10,000 and with a lifespan of up to 10 years, it definitely is a viable and cheaper option to traditional advertising mediums.

Adventure Balloons has been offering hot air balloon flights over Oxford since 1995, and it has become one of the most popular areas to fly because of its fantastic countryside and historical landmarks. Working closely with the Oxford City Council, Adventure Balloons launches its balloons from Cutteslowe Park and South Park in Oxford, giving the passengers a mixture of countryside and city views, ideal for aerial photography.

Cutteslowe Park is generally used for morning flights and South Park for evening flights, but this is dependent on the wind speed and direction at the time of the flight. During an Oxford balloon flight, passengers can expect to see a vast array of Oxford’s colleges and parks, as well as its historical spires and landmarks such as the Didcot Power Station and the miniature railway in Cutteslowe Park.

Booking your balloon flight through Adventure Balloons has never been easier and can be done on the phone, through the post (with the printable booking form) or online, and with balloon flights starting from just £95 per person there has never been a better opportunity to experience the charm of ballooning.

To launch its new animated movie UP, Disney-Pixar has teamed up with Beatwax marketing agency and flown a hot air balloon under London’s Tower Bridge. The hot air balloon, which had an envelope covered in thousands of balloons and tethered to a barge successfully navigated under Tower Bridge shortly after 5:15am, leaving early morning commuters lost for words.

The 150kg hot air balloon has been travelling across Europe to promote the movie and it is thought to be the first time that a hot air balloon has ever crossed under Tower Bridge.

The new movie ‘UP’, due to be released nationwide next Friday (9th October) is Disney-Pixar’s latest animated comedy and features a retired salesman Carl Fredricksen, who ties thousands of balloons to his home and floats away for an adventure, unaware that an 8-year old kid called Russell has stowed away on the trip.

Although Adventure Balloons can’t offer you the chance to go under Tower Bridge, you can still experience all the sights and sounds of London from one of its hot air balloons. Check out the London hot air balloon flight page for more information.