Have a Safe Flight
The team here at Sun Fun has had some interesting safety questions from sky shy clients who were preparing for their first balloon safari. Naturally, once you’re up in the air a feeling of peaceful wonder immediately takes over. Our pilots just smile as the questions drop away and that look of awe spreads on the faces of our holidaymakers. More than one of our expert pilots will tell you that this is why they love their work. It’s a feeling so much more personal than traveling in a noisy helicopter or a frantic airplane, but, let’s take a look at those safety questions and how the balloon works its magic.
Operating on the basic premise that ‘hot air rises’ a hot air balloon functions on reliable and time honoured scientific know-how. Many people practice hot air ballooning as a recreational sport, revelling in the feeling of freedom and relaxation. This traditional mode of flight has a proven safety track record and is certainly more secure than some forms of more modern aviation.
To properly examine the safety of hot air balloons, it would be helpful to understand how they work. Sporting a large bag called an envelope which is attached to a sturdy gondola, the air in the bag is heated with the assistance of an open flame. As the air is heated, the balloon rises. The pilot controls the ascent by manipulating a valve which restricts or opens up the flow of air. At the conclusion of a flight, the pilot gradually lets out enough air, causing the balloon to drop gracefully to the landing area.
Hot air ballooning is performed by travelling with the wind, though the pilot has some control over their direction via their altitude due to various air currents running in different directions. Generally, the best time to fly is in the early morning hours as wind speeds are still low. Lower wind speeds make hot air balloons a great deal safer, and the flights are more enjoyable, since the balloon gently coasts on its path rather than being buffeted along.
So the weather does play a major role in ballooning safety and we will ensure that we avoid extreme weather patterns during our flights. Our pilots are gifted in being able to tell good flight weather from bad at the very first signs of a change in climate – a sense developed by years of practise and extensive knowledge of the area. That’s not something that you get with your pilots licence, although they have those as well. For these few reasons and so many more, balloon safaris are perfectly safe and provide an experience that can’t be found anywhere else in the sky.
