Being the true leaders that we are, in 1993 Adventure Balloons updated their hot air balloon baskets by incorporating new seats for additional comfort and safety. However it was only from 2007 that the Civil Aviation Authority recognised this major contribution to balloon flights safety and so went on to recommended that other balloon rides operators in the country should follow suit in order to avoid foot, ankle and general lower limb injuries to passengers upon landing which can sometimes come down with a bit of a ‘bump’. Trust Adventure Balloons to start a trend, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Also incorporated into this newly designed basket as required by the CAA, is measures to support the head in case of a bumpy landing. We have also added large stainless steel footwells to avoid passengers slipping on entry and exit from the basket and then no other than the “Bladerunner” landing system which was of course developed by our very own Kim Hull.

“We are proud of our passenger safety record since fitting seats to our balloons in 1993 and pleased that the CAA has finally realised the great benefit of fitting them and look forward to other balloon operators using them” says Chief Pilot Kim Hull.

2007’s addition to our superb fleet of exceptional balloons included the featured 16 passenger balloon from no other but the Lindstrand Factory where we can be absolutely sure of the highest quality and standards. You will see the above discussed additions featured in the mentioned balloon pictured above. We take pride in the complete enjoyment and comfort our passengers receive when flying with us, this is clear to see from the picture!

For bookings and more information visit the site, or simply call us 01252 844222.

Lindstrand Balloons has a proven and renowned track record of project management, and also boasts the highest available approval rating from the British CAA and the American FAA, and EASA, for the manufacture of lighter-than-air craft! And with the advent of pan-European legislation for balloon maintenance this year, who better to do the checks and walk us through any needed changes than the Managing Director of Lindstrand Balloons himself!?

Due to their high levels of excellence, Lindstrand Balloons make all of our balloons that way ensuring the absolute highest quality aircraft. Then each year their trained inspectors thoroughly check over our fleet of hot air balloons making sure they are up to the British CAA, the American FAA, and the EASA standards. Adventure Balloons have been working as a technical partner with Lindstrand Balloons since they started in 1993, and were in fact one of their first customers.

When Simon Forse the Managing director came to inspect our balloons back in 2009, we were delighted to be told that the burner we’d purchased back in 1993 was in excellent health! Simon was curious to know how many flights it had done since it left the factory and so was obviously more than satisfied when we told him it had flown for 15 seasons with hardly any major replacements! With this he asked if he could put an advert in the UK’s balloon magazine about the burner and of course we were more than happy for him to go ahead! Any publicity’s good publicity right!

So bear in mind that while other balloon operator’s may boast modern equipment, our partnership with Lindstrand Balloons ensures even more than that. Our teams combination of the most modern and the most reliable equipments makes for a ballooning experience you can trust.

For more information about Adventure Balloons or Lindstrand Balloons, please call us on 01252 844222, or simply visit the website where you will find a wealth of information to answer a full range of customer enquiries. For bookings call us on the same number, or simply book online for fast and easy payments and date availability checks.

Hot air ballooning is all about the weather! Being a completely weather dependent activity, specific date bookings can never be guaranteed. So where many of our balloon ride passengers fly on their first attempt, you’ll also find that equally as many will first undergo a few attempts. You will need to have a certain degree of patience when it comes to taking your flight; the more bookings you make the quicker you will get your chance, but worry not, we can safely say that the experience is always worth the wait.

As the UK is positioned on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean it means that traditionally we have low pressure weather systems in the winter and more high pressure systems in the summer. Higher pressure weather normally brings blue skies, light winds and little rain, where as the lower pressure systems tend to bring storms, rain and strong winds. For this reason, hot air ballooning seasons run from April to October and it is thought that the best time to fly is between July and August.

Flights tend to take place at sunrise or sunset as this is when the wind can be a little lighter. For the flight to go ahead, winds must be less than 10 miles an hour during the hour after dawn or before dusk and so careful monitoring is always required! Don’t panic however; we always let our passengers know well in advance. We use forecasts and rely on this information to be able to make the decision to call the flight on, however sometimes this information can be incorrect and so on rare occasions we have to cancel at the launch site.

It is actually very simple to predict if the wind is going to be very light or too strong and often it can be seen some days ahead as high or low pressure weather systems approach. If suitable conditions can be seen ahead, we will text passengers of available spaces and sometimes even put on additional flights.

Visibility is the trickiest to predict and is certainly the main culprit in terms of error in weather forecasts. With various weather conditions such as mist, fog or low cloud being rather subtle and varying from mile to mile, our balloon pilot’s always ensure they access the most up to date information and even rely on local knowledge.

Ballooning in the rain is frankly not an option. When you consider that the top of the balloon reaches nearly 100 degrees Centigrade (the boiling point of water), it will come as no surprise that when the rain falls on the balloon, its cooling effect is sure to have a consequence! If the balloon cools it will descend rapidly and so the pilot has to put in extra heat from the burners to compensate for the heat loss. The whole ordeal is bad for the balloon fabric and makes the balloon much harder to control; what’s more, packing the balloon away while it’s wet is not the greatest idea! So it is basically a case of watching the weather radar closely to see where the showers are forming, where they are tracking and if they are beginning to die away.

As I’m sure you can now gather, there are plenty of weather conditions to be mindful of, so if you’re booking your balloon flight, remember, if it’s cancelled, it’s for your own safety! However your patients will always be rewarded when it comes to hot air ballooning – Adventure Balloons will certainly guarantee you one of the most magical experiences you could ever have.

In order to keep a hot air balloon afloat, the air inside the envelope needs to be kept hot.  Hot air balloon pilots use a burner which acts as the balloon engine.  It propels hot air up into the envelope to make the balloon rise. There are many different varieties of burner available – single, double, up to quad systems.

Propane is the most commonly used fuel in modern hot air balloons.  Highly compressed liquid propane is stored in cylinders in the balloon basket. When the pilot starts the burner, the propane flows to it and is ignited by a pilot light. As the flame burns, it heats up the metal in the surrounding tubing and when the tubing becomes hot it heats the propane flowing through it. This process changes the propane from a liquid to a gas before it is ignited. The gas makes for a more powerful flame and an overall more efficient fuel consumption. 

There is a wide variety of burner systems available, which differ mainly in the number of burners included.  The double burner, which is made of two burner coils, is the most popular burner used, but if a more powerful flame is required, a triple or quad burner system can be used.  A single burner can be used if the envelope is small, such as with cloud hopper balloons. 

Balloons are astounding pieces of equipment and everyone should experience a hot air balloon flight at least once in their lifetime if they can.  Adventure Balloons offer fantastic flights so why not purchase a flight voucher today?  Before you know it, you will see the burner in all its glory as you take to the skies on your very own hot air balloon flight.  

Are you one of those people who like to understand how something works before placing your trust into it?  I am one of those people and when it comes to flying in a hot air balloon, I would like to understand the concepts of how a balloon actually works before getting into one and taking off.  Balloon flying is based on the simple scientific principle of warm air rising and cooler air sinking.  Hot air balloons are incredibly large and need an awful lot of hot air to make them rise.  For example, to lift 450kg worth of weight you would need almost 65,000 cubic feet of heated air! 

Hot air balloons are made up of three parts;  the envelope (which is the balloon fabric), the burner (which propels the heat up inside the envelope) and the basket to hold the pilot and passengers in.  When the burner is used, propane gas heats up the air inside the balloon which causes it to rise.  In order to make the balloon descend, hot air is allowed to escape the balloon through a valve on the top of the envelope.  This valve is attached to a cord which the pilot will tug on to allow the air to escape.  Balloons move in the direction of the wind but as you travel higher through the atmosphere, air currents and wind direction changes.  If the pilot wishes to move the balloon in a particular direction, the pilot will ascend or descend the balloon to the appropriate level and then ride with the wind.  This is however limited to the variation in wind direction on the day which may only be 10 degrees and may not be consistent.

Now that you know how a balloon works, why not book your dream flight today so you can experience the wonders of flying for yourself?  Adventure Balloons have several fantastic locations to choose from and with limited discounts on their flight vouchers, you’d be mad to miss it!

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.

The burners are like the engine room of a hot air balloon, they shoot hot air into the balloon envelope, which makes the hot air balloon rise. There are various types of balloon burners such as single, double, triple and quad burners that are used depending on the size and weight of the balloon.

Modern balloon burners use propane as the fuel because it has much more efficient fuel consumption than many other types of fuel. The propane is stored as a liquid in metal cylinders inside the balloons basket and is connected to the burner with a durable metal tube. As the burner is ignited it heats the metal tube slightly changing the liquid propane into a gas, this produces a more powerful flame and helps the hot air balloon to rise efficiently.

Once the balloon envelope is filled with the hot air, it is time to rise up into the sky and enjoy the Birdseye view of the surrounding landscape.