Taking that first step to organising your dream hot air balloon flight can be rather daunting! But you’ve done well to make it this far. Many people only dream of experiencing a hot air balloon ride, but you’re taking steps to make this dream a reality! Before you book a flight with a ballooning company however, it is essential that you learn a little about them and their history so that you can be absolutely sure that not only are you safe, but you’re sure to get the most enjoyable experience.

Adventure Balloons a flight company who cover the locations Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex. If any of these locations tick your box, then read on! We have been operating since 1985, so that’s 26 years of experience in perfecting the art of flying balloons and pleasing our customers. We now know exactly what it is that makes our customers smile, and how to make sure they’ll have the most magical and exhilarating experience! As the largest company in the UK to offer balloon flights from so many locations, we now have an impressive fleet of seven hot air balloons which are designed to carry from four to sixteen passengers so that you can enjoy an intimate and romantic flight or an exciting birthday bash!

Here at Adventure Balloons we are the UK’s only passenger balloons flights company who have a Happy Birthday balloon which means you can offer your friends and loved ones the most unique birthday surprise! With a choice of our 2-4 person balloon for exclusive flights and 16 person balloons for birthday party groups, you can organise exactly what you’re looking for from your birthday event.

To order online couldn’t be easier, you simply select your desired location, the amount of spaces you’ll need and then click “check availability” for a list of dates to choose from. It really is as easy as that. However if you have lots of questions or you’d just like to book your flight with a human being rather than a computer, then please feel free to call us on 01252 844222.

Did you know that the first successful hot air balloon flight involved a sheep, duck and a rooster?  On the 19th September 1783, the French scientist Pilatre de Rozier launched the famous “Aerostat Reveillon”, the world’s first hot air balloon with the sheep, duck and rooster as the only passengers on this maiden flight.  Up until now, no hot air balloon flight had been successful, but this time round, the Aerostat Reveillon remained in the air for 15 minutes before crashing back down.  A few months later, the first manned hot air balloon flight was finally accomplished.  On the 21st November, the two French brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier flew for 20 minutes in their balloon which they launched from Paris.  This successful manned flight was the start of a new era in air travel. 

Hot air balloons require heat for them to become airbourne, a very basic scientific principle that Pilatre de Rozier and the Montgolfier brothers used.  But balloons do not have to use heat to ascend.  Gas can be used instead.  Just over a week after the Montgolfier’s accomplished the first manned balloon flight, Professor Jacques Charles made the first gas balloon flight from Paris.  He managed to stay airbourne for 2 hours and travelled to heights of up to 2000 feet before landing 27 miles away in the small town of Nesle.  Charles became the first person to see two sunsets in one day, having made a first landing to let out his co pilot Aine Roberts.

In 1785, the English Channel was considered the first step to long distance travel.  The first crossing over the Channel was accomplished by French balloonist, Jean Pierre Blanchard, and his American co pilot John Jefferies.  Pilatre de Rozier attempted this feat in the same year and was tragically killed.  His hot air balloon exploded half an hour after takeoff due to the experimental design of using a hydrogen balloon and hot air balloon tied together. 

Since the late 1700’s, more and more ballooning records have been made.  In 1932, Swiss scientist named Auguste Piccard was the first to achieve a manned flight to the Stratosphere reaaching a height of 52,498 feet, setting a new altitude record.  A new altitude record was set in 1935 where the gas balloon “Explorer 2″ reached incredible heights of 72,395 feet.  In 1960, yet another altitude was set, this time by Captain Joe Kittinger who made a parachute jump from a balloon that was at a height of 102,000 feet (19 Miles!).  He even broke the sound barrier with his own body!

The Double Eagle was the first balloon to cross the Atlantic in 1978.  It was a helium filled model,and it carried 3 passengers, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman. They set a new flight duration time at 137 hours.  Three years later, the Pacific crossing was achieved in the balloon “Double Eagle V”, flying for 84 hours and a distance of 5,678 miles.  3 years after this, Captain Joe Kittinger flew 3,535 miles on the first solo transatlantic balloon flight, setting yet another record. 

So has a round the world flight been accomplished?  Yes, it has!  In 1999, the first around the world flight was completed by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones. Leaving from Switzerland and landing in Africa, they smashed all previous distance records, flying for 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes. Incredible!

Over the past 50 years, more and more ballooning challenges have been set and more and more records have been broken.  What will be the next challenge?  What will be the next record?  We will just have to wait and see…

For over 200 years, hot air balloon flights have been inspiring wonder and awe across the globe.  Many individuals have attempted to break new records in regards to balloon flights and for many years, the greatest challenge was to cross the Atlantic ocean.  As with all challenges, once it has been completed, the challenge evolves, getting increasingly more difficult.  Once the Atlantic challenge was accomplished, enthusiasts wanted to know if it was possible to fly around the world.  Well, it was!

Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of Great Britain accomplished this incredible feat in 1999 when they launched their balloon from Chateau d’Oex in the Swiss Alps to successfully land in Africa after 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes.  They travelled a jaw dropping 42,810 kilometres with out the need to re-fuel!  After these two inspiring men managed to circumnavigate the world, what could possibly be done to better this?  What about completing this achievment solo?

On the 19th June 2002, Steve Fossett launched his balloon “The Spirit Of Freedom” from Northam, Western Australia in an attempt to be the first soloist to circumnavigate the world.  He managed this astounding feat in just 14 days, 19 hours and 50 minutes, beating the original time taken to fly around the world by over 5 days!  I guess I would be more in a hurry to get home too if I was travelling alone!  Since 2002 when Steve Fossett accomplished his solo round-the-world flight, no one else has managed to repeat his success or the success of Bertrand and Brian.  I wonder what will be accomplished next…

Adventure Balloons are a popular balloon flight operator who have been offering passenger rides since 1985.  When we started out, passenger balloon flights weren’t as common as they are now and therefore demand for hot air balloon rides with Adventure Balloons grew fast.  3 years after we began taking passengers for breathtaking flights across the skies, a four person balloon was purchased soon followed by several other balloons.  We now own over 8 balloons including the UK’s only “Happy Birthday” balloons.  Our most recent purchases have been two sixteen-passenger Linstrand balloons designed in our house colours. 

Our balloons are designed with safety being of paramount importance.  Our larger hot air balloons have internal partitions which separate the pilot and fuel from the passengers and ensures that you are in the best safety position for landing.  Our flights fun from mid March until late October at dusk and dawn when the wind is at its calmest and good wind direction and speed as well as good visibility is required for a flight to go ahead.

To experience the wonders of a hot air balloon flight with one of the most popular balloon operators in the country, simply purchase a flight voucher from our website and select your ideal location where you would like to take to the skies.

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.

Hot air ballooning is the oldest form of flying and can be traced back to its pioneers, who conducted the first manned balloon flights way back in 1783. A hot air balloon works on the principal that hot air rises; the balloons envelope (the fabric dome shaped structure) is filled with hot air and once enough air is inside the balloon it lifts off into the sky.

Nowadays, the balloon is filled using balloon burners, which use propane to heat the air inside the balloon; to keep the balloon in the air, the pilot must fire the burners regularly to maintain a steady flight.

One piece of a hot air balloon that has hardly changed since the late 1700’s is the use of a basket to carry the balloons passengers. Modern balloon baskets are still woven, but are now made from a combination of Kooboo and Palambang cane, which is extremely strong and flexible and able to withstand multiple take-offs and landings.

Due to the advances in technology, hot air balloons now come in many shapes and sizes from standard balloon shapes to uniquely shaped balloons, used to advertising and balloon festivals.

The hot air balloon has been around for over 200 years and is one of the first ways that man took flight. The first hot air balloon flight took place on September the 19th 1783, called the Aerostat Reveillon, the balloon was launched by the French scientist Pilatre De Rozier.

Because it was the first flight and no one knew what was going to happen, Pilatre De Rozier decided the flight would be unmanned and put a sheep, duck and rooster in the basket instead. The balloon flight was a success, staying in the air for 15 minutes before coming to ground, and thus beginning the ballooning revolution.

It was not till two months later that the first passenger balloon flight took place. On November the 21st 1783, two brothers named Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier launched their balloon from Paris; the balloon flew over the city for 20 minutes before landing just outside of Paris.

Since its humble beginnings, hot air ballooning has always been an ore inspiring sight and still invokes a sense of history and nostalgia even today.

Hot air ballooning is the oldest form of flying and has always caused a sense of ore and inspiration as these huge structures take to the sky.

The first official hot air balloon flight was launched on the 19th September 1783, by a French scientist called Pilatre De Rozier. The first flight was unmanned, but onboard was a duck, a rooster and a sheep; the balloon flew for around 15 minutes before coming back to the ground.

It wasn’t till two months later, November 1783 that the first successful manned balloon flight took place. This time the balloon held two French brothers, Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier who flew for 20 minutes over Paris.

It is due to the endeavours of these early aeronauts that we can enjoy the delights and splendour of a modern hot air balloon flight. Why not book your balloon flight today, or treat a loved one to the unforgettable experience of a balloon ride.

Hampshire has a long association with ballooning history and was the home to the Government Balloon Factory situated in Farnborough from 1905 to 1916, where it built balloons for the British Army. Although the manufacture of balloons stopped in 1916, the plant at Farnborough continued to build fixed wing aircraft and is now the setting for the world famous Farnborough Airshow.

Adventure Balloons offers balloon flights in Hampshire from its exclusive launch sites at Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney and Old Basing. The launch site will depend on the wind direction on the day of the launch. Special considerations are also in place to ensure that we stay out of Heathrow Airports airspace.

There are many aerial attractions to see when taking a balloon flight over Hampshire including, the Duke of Wellington’s house Stratfield Saye, the police training facility at Bramshill and small villages and towns such as Crondall, Overton and Hook.

It wasn’t until 1978 when the Atlantic was finally crossed in a hot air balloon. Three people piloted the balloon, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman and flew 3,120 miles in 137 hours. The balloon was called the Double Eagle II and has now become a part of balloon history.

All three pilots had several years of aviation experience between them, including hot air balloons, airplanes and gliders. Abruzzo and Anderson had attempted the Atlantic crossing the year before in 1977 but failed as the balloon crashed into the sea off the coast of Iceland.

The balloon launched on the 11th August 1978 from Presque Isle an Maine, and the first 5 days went as planned. On the sixth day the atmospheric conditions caused the balloon to drop 19,500 feet to its lowest point of just above 4,000 feet, which is known as the Big Drop. Luckily the sun heated the envelope and the balloon was able to rise to a safe level.

Once they had passed Iceland they knew that they had done it, and on getting to France started their decent. A transcontinental balloon had never landed on dry land before and upon landing the pilots had made balloon history.