Due to the terrible weather the south of England has had over the past few weeks, very few hot air balloon flights have been made. But with the recent good weather the balloons are once again rising into the sky and taking passengers on their once in a lifetime experiences.

With over 10 different locations throughout the Home Counties and London, Adventure Balloons gives you the widest range of launch sites in the south of England. Whether you want to fly over the tranquil countryside of Kent and Sussex or fancy seeing the historical landmarks of London from a different perspective, you can with Adventure Balloons.

Booking your Hot Air Balloon Flight has never been easier, you can book through the website, or if you prefer over the phone or fax. Alternatively if you would like to pay by cheque, you can print out a booking form and send it back to us at the supplied address.

It is somewhat ironic that when predicting the weather for hot air balloon flights, the Met Office uses another type of balloon, commonly known as the weather balloon.

These helium filled balloons are fitted with a radiosonde, a unit that measures atmospheric conditions and relays them to a fixed receiver on the ground.

There is an average of 4 to 5 weather balloons launched from each of the hundreds of weather stations UK wide, and consist of a balloon, parachute and various instruments used to measure temperature and humidity.

Initially the weather balloons were filled with hydrogen, but this is highly flammable and the Met Office now uses helium which is much less hazardous.

When a weather balloon is launched it is tracked by radar and wind speed and direction is measured as it rises through the atmosphere. The balloon expands as it rises and when it reaches about 7000 feet the pressure bursts the balloon and the instruments float back down to the ground on the end of the parachute.

The data is then collected, wind speed and direction is calculated and the temperature and humidity are used to determine how much cloud is likely to form throughout the day. This in turn is relayed to the hot air balloon team that will decide if the weather conditions are right for the balloon flight to go ahead.

Since hot air balloons move with the air and are not directly steered by the pilot, the weather is a vital factor in making a decision on whether to fly or not. Before the launch, the pilot will be in contact with the weather service to find out about the wind conditions and climate around the proposed launch site.

Another consideration on the part of the pilot is ground conditions. Although not as important as the climate and wind conditions, if the ground is wet the basket might churn up the field on take-off and reduce the likelihood of the landowner giving you permission for further flights.

Hot air balloons need stable winds to operate efficiently and flights are made either early morning or evenings depending on the sunrise and sunset. At these times the weather is cooler and the balloon flies better due to the hot air producing more lift. It is not advisable to fly during the daytime, because as the earth heats up it produces thermal pockets of air that can cause turbulence when in a balloon.

The weather is always of the upmost importance, as storms are very hazardous for balloons with the possible threat of a lightning strike. Even rain is a problem, because it reduces visibility and damages the balloons fabric. Pilots tend to fly when the weather is near ideal and when the skies are clear and wind conditions are close to normal.