How To Prepare Hot Air Balloons For Take Off

Feeling the wind in your hair and having the sun on your face are just some of the perks of flying a hot air balloon. Watching the sun rise and set everyday makes the early morning starts a little more bearable. Especially when preparing the balloon for balloon flights in the morning, as getting the balloon ready is the most important part of the flight. Read on to find out how to prepare for take off.

• Hot air balloons are large machines that have a number of different components that work harmoniously together. Over time however balloons can become faulty or damaged making the balloon a danger to passengers and the pilot. To ensure this doesn't happen, preliminary checks are made of every component including the envelope, which is the name for the balloon part, before all the flights.
• Firstly a suitable launching site must be found. This needs to be a relatively flat area, that is open air and easily accessible by car. TBallooning companies will need to scope out the local landscape around the places they offer as hot air balloon ride spots beforehand. When at the landing site, this is where the burner system is attached to the basket, either hanging it over the outside of the basket or keeping it inside.
• The next step is to lay the envelope out flat. Ground crew will then start to inflate the it using a large, powerful fan, blowing air into the base of the envelope. At this point, any tears or rips in the material that may have been missed in an earlier inspection can be more easily spotted. These air flights cannot occur if there is any damage them
• When there is enough air in the envelope, enough so that is begins to take the shape of a balloon, it's time to blast the envelope with hot air. The burner injects a flame from the base of the envelope, filling it with hot air. And of course what does hot air do? It rises! Slowly, the ground crew will keep filling the balloon with hot air until it is inflated all the way and begins to lift off the ground.
• The ground crew hold the basket down whilst the passengers and pilot climb on board before being blown away! The basket is also tied to the ground crew vehicle so that the balloon will only launch when it is ready to do so. Once everyone is on board, the ground crew release the balloon, and the pilot fires a steady flame into the envelope. As the balloon heats up, it gradually lifts right off from the ground and carries on climbing – all balloon flights will climb to different heights depending on the weather.
• This entire procedure doesn't take long – around 1- to 15 minutes only! Whereas landing and deflating after balloon flights takes a lot longer.

Following the correct procedures before all balloon flights ensures all safety requirements are met. The process is fascinating to watch, especially for those who have never taken a hot air balloon ride before so remember to watch every aspect of it.