first hot air balloon

Hot air balloon flights are easier to take these days because there are many companies who offer hot air balloon flights in many regions. All of these balloon ride companies have trained pilots who are ready and eager to take you along for your first balloon flight.

Riding along in such hot air balloon flights gives you an amazing opportunity to take some fantastic hot air balloon pictures. The views from standing inside the basket, are on a clear day, quite stunning and so much different to a view you may get from any other aircraft.

The way a balloon works is quite simple really, hot air rises and cold air sinks and this is why a burner is used to increase the air temperature inside the envelope of the balloon . As the temperature inside the balloon envelope rises so does the balloons altitude. Many balloonists like to take flight in the early hours, when the temperature is a lot cooler, this makes flying a balloon so much easier.

The envelope of the balloon is flame resistant and there are many colourful designs and shapes that you have seen. At large balloon festivals the balloons simply fill the sky with wonderful colours and are quite an amazing sight.

The direction that the balloon will fly is dependent on the wind direction, however, during hot air balloon flights a pilot can find wind that travels in a different direction. The air in the sky moves in layers and the layers move in different directions. So a balloon pilot is not completely out of control a skilled pilot can virtually put a hot air balloon where he or she wants.

A very important part of the ballooning team is the ground crew, known as the chase crew who will follow the balloon. The chase crew will keep in touch with the pilot of the balloon. When the pilot lands the balloon it is then the chase crews job to ask the landowner if they can retrieve the balloon.

Hot air balloon flights can include balloon races, the term race is not quite correct really. The idea behind a balloon race is to land a weighted marker closest to a predetermined location. Many pilots are that good with there hot air balloon flights that they can sometimes land the weight within inches of the set target. This is a good example of how far ballooning has come since that first hot air balloon flight.

Whatever people think about hot air balloon flights there is no doubt that interest in this great pastime is on the increase which can only be a great achievement to those first few pioneering balloonists. Now with many companies offering hot air balloon flights within many peoples budgets this recreation can only get better.

I would urge anybody to give it a try.