Frequently asked questions - hot air ballooningCall us: (051) 312 325You probably have specific questions. You can find the frequently asked questions about ballooning below. If this does not answer your question, please feel free to contact us with your question... Your questions
Our answersWhy do I only see hot air balloons in the morning or in the evening? Hot air balloons can only fly in stable air. During the day, the sun heats the earth, which creates thermals. In the morning or in the evening the heating of the is almost not active, which gives stable air. How tall is a hot air balloon? Hot Air Balloons may be up to 29 meters tall! Where are hot air balloons made of? Balloons are made of ripstop-nylon. This is nylon with a coating for the heat. The basket is made of rotan. The burner and cylinders are made of inox. What about vertigo during a balloon ride? Hot air ballooning is very gentle and stable. You start from the ground and gently lift up: you don't feel this in your stomach. The sensation is very different from fixed wing aircraft flight and is unlikely to cause vertigo. Balloon flight times are minimum 60 minutes to 80 minutes duration, depending on the wind speed and flight direction. Please plan on being our guest for about 3 hours so as to allow time to inflate the balloon, fly, repack the balloon, and toast our successful balloon ride. We recommend that passengers wear comfortable clothing (sportive clothing) to reach optimal comfort.Also don't wear high heels, we recommend shoes with flat soles. Do you need a license to fly with a hot air balloon? Yes, hot air ballooning, like airplane-flying, is governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Passengers must be 7 years of age or older and physically able to climb into a hot air balloon basket. How high can we fly with the balloon? During a normal hot air balloon flight, we can go to 4500 Ft in the region where we fly. This is the highest possible altitude for hot air balloons in Belgium. With airfields in the neighborhood, we are limited: maximum altitude is limited depending on the area where we fly. We never know the place where we will land in advance. The wind blows the balloon, and we cannot really steer. We can calculate in which region we will land, but we can never predict the exact landing location. For every 1000 feet that we will climb, the temperature will decrease with 3 degrees Celsius. Probably you will not really feel a difference with the ground temperature. You are in a balloon with a lot of hot air inside (around 100 degrees Celcius), which also gives some heath to the passengers. So it will not be too cold up there. We recommend to wear the same cloths, that you would also wear when you're at the ground. How many people can fit into a balloon? We have a fleet of 7 hot air balloons, our smallest balloon takes between two and four passengers and a pilot, the biggest balloon can take up to 11 passengers and a pilot. We accept following payments: We will take Cash or you can pay us via bank transfer. Smoking in or around a hot air balloon is strictly forbidden! This is because the propane is highly flammable. What happens to friends and family who are not flying in the balloon? Your friends and family are welcome to watch the hot air balloon activities. It is also possible for them to follow our retrieving vehicle when the balloon flies, allowing some moments to take pictures and videos of the balloon flight. After the flight, we also offer drinks to them. Yes, there is no problem in taking a camera with you during the flight. We do recommend, however, that you have a suitable soft case with you in which to slow the camera during the landing of the hot air balloon ride. We make hot air balloon flights in Belgium. Our company is located in the west part of Belgium. We fly often in Bruges (near Ostend), Ypres, Kortrijk, Roeselare, Ghent, Lille, Tournai. For groups we are able to come to more places in Belgium. Please contact us for more details. How can a hot air balloon fly? Hot air balloons work on the very simple principle that hot air rises, because it is less dense ('lighter') than the normal cold air. A balloon has a set of burners to heat the air, which fills the fabric of the envelope and causes 'lift'. As the air is heated, the lifting force overcomes the force of gravity and causes the balloon to fly. The balloon will not rise forever though since the air in the envelope will eventually cool causing the balloon to descend. As the balloon rises the air pressure also decreases. This means that there is less cool air to support the balloon and it will begin to drop again. By varying the temperature of the air in the envelope the balloon’s altitude can be controlled. This is the reason why hot air balloon pilots need a long training program to be able to exercise this. Why is the basket made of wicker? The wicker basket has proven to be very strong and is flexible. This ensures the safety of the passengers during the hot air balloon ride. It also has a very light weight. The rotan is sometimes woven around a steel frame, which helps to support the upright posts upon which the burner is mounted. The top of the basket and the uprights are usually padded and covered in suede or leather. A choise of champagne, beer or soft drinks is available after the flight to celebrate our beautiful trip. I don't have someone who can pick me up at the landing site, is this a problem? No problem if you don't have someone to pick you up at the landing site. We often work together with taxi companies that can pick you up at the landing site. The additional price can be paid to the taxi company, and depends on the number of kilometers that the balloon traveled during the flight. But in general you can count on about 50 - 60 euro for a taxi drive.
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