During the winter months the good old British weather is not really suited to hot air balloon flights, so we try to use our balloons and baskets in a more innovative way. Our exclusive Happy Birthday Balloon has a small basket that takes up to 4 people and is often used in film and advertising work.

The latest project we have been involved with is the new McCain’s television advert for their Homefries chips. The basket, which features near the end of the advert, has three singing nuns one of them holding a bowl of Homefries chips.

All the roof top footage was shot in a large West London studio with lots of extravagantly painted landscapes and scenery, and of course a few green screens used for superimposing. The balloon basket was suspended from a crane, not the way we like to do it, we prefer a balloon but we’ll let them off.

Adventure Balloon’s very own director, Kim Hull got to have a bit of the lime-light, as he was interviewed by Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2. With over 25 years of experience in piloting hot air balloons, Kim was invited to talk on BBC Radio 2 as part of their “High Flying Jobs” series of interviews on Chris Evans drive time show.

During the interview Chris becomes very excited about ballooning, even asking how long it takes to become a pilot and how much a hot air balloon costs. Could we be seeing a Chris Evans branded balloon over the Surrey countryside in the near future? Only time will tell.

To listen to the interview click here or go to the news page on the Adventure Balloons website.

Its spring and the 2008 ballooning season has started for us here at Adventure Balloons. Flights from the Home Counties normally start at the end of March or the beginning of April. The season runs till early November and sometimes longer if ground conditions permit. Season times for London are slightly different and start on the 22nd April and run until the 14th August.

You can book your balloon flight up to 60 days in advance on the date availability page or by phoning the office and gift vouches can be bought at any time.

Hot air balloons work on the simple principal that warm air rises. Warm air is lighter than cooler air and when contained in the balloon or the envelope as it’s known in the business, it produces lift and thus propelling the balloon upwards. To ensure the balloon stays in the air it must be continuously heated using gas burners.

To move the balloon upwards the pilot uses the burners to deliver regular burst of fire to maintain a stable flight. As hot air rises very little of it is lost through the bottom of the envelope.

To bring the balloon downwards there is a valve at the top of the envelope called the parachute valve. The valve is a round piece of fabric connected to a chord which is runs down the centre of the balloon to the pilot. If the pilot wishes to decent they simply pull the chord to open the valve, letting the hot air escape and bringing the balloon downwards as the hot air cools. The balloon can also be brought back down by using the burners less frequently this has a similar effect to the parachute valve bringing the balloon to a gentle decent.

For more information about ballooning check out Adventure Balloons website.

Now is the ideal time to book a balloon flight with us. Adventure Balloons offer wonderful flight experiences with champagne toasts. What better way to explore the unique British countryside than from the higher perspective of a hot air balloon?
Adventure Balloons provide hot air balloon flights over Berkshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Oxford, Surrey and London so there are plenty of flight locations for you to choose from.

With many years of flying experience you can be confident that all of our hot air balloon flights are not only safe but highly enjoyable. You may be celebrating a Birthday or that extra special anniversary. Why not book a flight with Adventure Balloons for that truly memorable experience?

There are many beautiful places that you can choose to launch your hot air balloon flight from and Adventure Balloons now offers flights from Essex. This is the perfect way, if you live in Essex, to see your home county from the sky as you float by in the hot air balloon.

The launch sites are located across the county and have been specifically chosen to avoid the areas of controlled air space that surround Stansted Airport. The hot air balloon launch sites are in Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester, Billericay, Brentwood and Kelvedon, so you have plenty of choice of where to fly from.

Going up in a hot air balloon is a wonderful experience and will be enhanced if you can see from the air recognisable landmarks that you have so often seen from the ground. If you are interested in booking an Hot Air Balloon flight in Essex then get in touch with Adventure Balloons.

Don’t forget that our balloon flights over Kent start in April. So make sure you book that flight as soon as possible. The flights over kent are availaible weekdays from the month of April to October time. You can of course order a balloon flight voucher from us which is valid for 12 months and costs just £145.00

Our balloon flights over Sussex start at the same time and are availaible from the same dates with a price tag of £145.00 too.

Do you need an extra special balloon flight? Then Adventure Balloons is your answer, we can cater for ANY special requirements you may have for a balloon flight. Remember that literally any outdoor event can benefit from a balloon being there as it adds that extra bit of glamour.

If you have any special ideas that you would like to include for the flight do not hesitate to contact us directly on 01252 844222 where we will of course do our best to help.

Our exclusive 2008 balloon dates start on the Thursday before Easter on the 20th March so don’t delay in calling us with any special requirements. The Home Counties flights run to Sunday the 2nd November this year or longer if the conditions are ok.

We not only offer an online balloon flight booking service. We also offer a printable balloon flight booking form. It basically ask for very simple details of the person(s) flying. There is another box for the address of the person who you want to send the balloon gift voucher to.
The balloon flight details are also required and there are simple boxes to fill in for options like champagne balloon flights in the home counties or a balloon flight in London.

Payment information will be needed to, remember that this form can of course be faxed to us and will require your contact details as well as a signature.

A birthday is a special event for anyone and deserves to be celebrated in a special way. To make a birthday more memorable why not take a fantastic flight in our unique “Happy Birthday Balloon”. The balloon is specially decorated with a big slogan to make sure that no person from the ground forgets that it is your Birthday.
Our Birthday hot air balloon is the only one in the UK of its kind. About 8 years ago we began running the Happy Birthday Balloon flight service, so we are well aquainted with most people’s requirements for the flight and know how to make it the most memorable Birthday experience you will ever have.

Not satisfied with delivering just a few passengers with the Happy Birthday Balloon flight we have now taken delivery of a balloon that will let 16 passengers enjoy the experience all at once. Just book the flight online or contact us directly to secure your place on this amazing balloon trip.