Bristol Balloon Fiesta this year was a particularly special celebration as it was the 30th Anniversary since the very first fiesta.  Russell Collins, Cheif Pilot of High Road Balloons, took part in the fiesta flying a Cameron Concept 90 sized balloon advertising the 'Complete Eyecare Formula' artwork, an eye care solution for AMO.  (Advanced Medical Optics).  Though the weather was changeable and altogether not amazing this year we still managed to tether the balloon for the TV cameras and got some good coverage from the BBC and ITV - this was great value for the client.

We made 2 balloon flights across Bristol City and put on quite a show with the mass launches.  With big name balloons such as:  House of Fraiser, Sloggi, Monster.com, EDF Energy, Discovery Channel and many many more, over 100 hot air balloons in total 

This is the 3rd year Russell has been involved with Bristol and he thoroughly enjoys the balloon flights and the chance to get together with hundreds of other balloonists.......if you saw something at Bristol that gets you excited about ballooning and you want to find out more or come for a hot air balloon flight then you should get in touch with us at High Road Balloons.  Equally if you have or work for a company that you think could benefit from the fantastic aeriel adevertising opportunities that a hot air balloon affords - particularly at these kind of events - then by all means get in touch.  info@highroadballoons.co.uk   Rememeber that balloons are huge and unmissable and unlike other forms of advertising people tend to get their cameras out and take pictures or home movies.

We are heading for the weekend that holds Northampton Balloon Fiesta (August 15th to 17th) where there will be upto 80 hot air balloons.  Over the summer months there is a balloon fiesta / meet every weekend and indeed over the winter months there are plenty around the world.  If ballooning is what you like then there are some great opportunities out there for you!!

High Road Balloons have just uploaded a movie "What a Lovely Hot Air Balloon Flight" to You Tube.  It's based on our lovely flight we did with Mike and Chris Hart in the VIP balloon which we wrote about below.  Follow this ballooning link to watch the movie.

Enjoy ;-)

I have found this website which feeds you reviews and links for other websites based upon your interests.  I have listed our blog site with 'Stumbleupon' hoping to find more blogs and websites based upon a shared interest....hot air balloons and flying.  I think what happens is people rate this site by clicking the link below, then the network of common interest builds?  I have added it as a bit of an experiment - if people are looking for sites about hot air balloons then hopefully High Road Balloons will be able to direct them to some interesting stuff - like our website:

www.highroadballoons.co.uk a site full of information about taking a hot air balloon flight and booking vouchers.

Lets see if this experiment will work?

http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://blog.highroadballoons.co.uk for blog

http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.highroadballoons.co.uk  for website

So - you have been on a helicopter ride, what next? Ballooning.  A parachute jump was fab, but what else can you do?  Ballooning.  Hired a classic car for the day and want to do something else fun?  Try ballooning.  Want to find something extra cool and fun to do, ballooning.  Had enough of searching for that ultimate gift idea - a hot air balloon flight voucher is what you need.  We often hear our passengers say, "I've done a bungy jump, had a flying lesson, been on a track day" and "I've always wanted to go in a hot air balloon".  High Road Balloons see our ballooning experiences as a once-in-a-lifetime treat, or if you're really lucky more than once! A hot air balloon flight is a 3-4 hours full experience.  It makes for an early morning exhilarating activity or an evenings entertainment to look forward to.  Some companies call it a 'Red Letter Day' along with the airplane flight lesson, track day, parachute jump, swimming with dolphins, spa day etc.  High Road Balloons specialise in hot air balloon flights, so your experience is in our hands - we are truly passionate about ballooning and want to share our love of the sport with others.  We believe we can offer the best hot air balloon experiences in the whole of the UK. 

If you are looking for something to do in the West midlands - this is where we are based - contact us and we can get you booked in for your dream flight.  Or visit our website to book online - follow book balloon flights to add vouchers to your shopping basket.  www.highroadballoons.co.uk or call 01527 857 013

High Road Balloons are holding a Hot Air Balloon event at Shenington Gliding Club.

'Balloons and Gliders' is a grass roots hot air balloon and gliding meet where we will be flying 2 slots on Sunday 20th July.  We will be flying at dawn and dusk - and during the day gliders will be taking to the skies.  If the weather is good on Saturday 19th July we will launch the event with an evening flight.

All balloons are welcome, there is no entry fee and gas is at cost price.  What we are trying to achieve here is a great day - with some good flights and the opportunity to swap some balloon flights for gliding.  If we can take some of the Shenington Gliding Club members up in our balloons, they will return the favour and take some balloonists for a flight.

We went gliding the other day at Shenington and it was really good fun.  We had a aero-tow each, rather than a winch launch.  The aero-tow is rather gentle, 'The ladies way' they call it. I loved it.  We released at about 2000ft and went off to find some thermals.  This was quite an unusual feeling as us balloonists avoid the bumpy clouds entirely!  We were soaring round and round up and up then down and round....you get the gist of it.  Searching for the big lift.  We certainly found some on a few occasions.  Gliding from big lumpy cloud to another - trying to keep the lift and stay in the air.  With no engines it was quite an bizarre sensation.  The landing was very exciting too - descending steeply and keeping the speed up, I was quietly wondering if this was normal?  The ground came very close very quickly - but my pilot Jane was fantastic.  She rounded out at the bottom and we flew horizontally for a little while then she gently bumped it down.  I must say it was far gentler than any jet plane landing i have ever experienced - especially with Easy Jet!

So - my general feeling about gliding is - try it, you might like it! I did. Come along to the 'Balloon and Gliders Grass Roots Meet' being held at Shenington Gliding Club on July 19th and/or 20th for some fun and 'swappsie' flying. 

Mary and the gang at the Gliding club are super friendly and are really keen to get more people to experience gliding - like the High Road Balloon Team, they are passionate about their sport / activity and like to share the experience with others.  The club house has a fully stocked bar and we are hoping to have a BBQ on the Saturday night and during the day on Sunday - weather permitting.

If you are interested in coming along or if you want  to know anything you can,

call:  01527 857 013 email: info@highroadballoons.co.uk or take a look at balloon events on www.bbac.org

If you want to turn up on the day (with or without balloon) you can find us here: Shenington Airfield, Oxfordshire, OX15 6NY

There is plenty of space for camping and caravans - if you want to come on Saturday and be ready early for a dawn flight, the club has good facilities - toilets and showers.   We look forward to seeing you - all welcome.

What a lovely hot air balloon flight - the High Road Balloons team had the genuine pleasure of taking Mike and Chris Hart of Northampton for a VIP flight from Walton Hall & Hotel on Monday evening.  Conditions were perfect and the visability was excellent.  A small gathering of interested spectators gathered to watch and wave Mike and Chris off into the skies.   Reaching altitudes of upto 3,500ft above mean sea level the flight afforded beautiful views of Warwickshire and even as far as the Malvern Hills.  The balloon tracked eastward and landed safely and gently near the lovely village of Kineton.  The balloon was greeted by local residents who were interested in having a good look at the balloon and even helped us pack away!  A big thank you, always much appreciated. 

Mike and Chris have had nothing but kind words following their experience and sent us an email to say,

Thanks to Mike, Chris and the villagers of Kineton for making this flight one to remember.  What a lovely high Road Balloons hot air balloon flight.

;-)

www.highroadballoons.co.uk

The hot air that makes a balloon round and gives it the lift required to carry all that weight is not just warm - it's hot.  The temeprature at the crown - thats the highest point in a balloon - is around 100 degrees C, the same as the boiling point for water!

So, where does all this heat come from?  The burners.  They work on a similar principle to a gas stove, although a hot air balloon burner system uses liquid propane which is vapuorised in stainless steel heating coils before it is ignited at the jets by a pilot flame.

Just as balloons come in different sizes burners do too.  A bigger balloon will require a greater power to lift it.  The pilot uses the burner to heat the throughout the balloon flight and part of the trill in ballooning is the loud woosh of the burner.

The balloon basket has reamined virtually unchanged since the eighteenth century.  There have been technical applications to the burner, the envelope and the flight control systems but there has been little advance on the comfort of a wicker basket - in recent years some modern variations have appeared and in the early days some gondola styles were tried out. 

A typical balloon basket is made of rattan and willow and a plywood floor is usually fitted.  The edges have a rawhide binding, with padding and a suede trim on the top for comfort, protection and handling.  Stainless stell wires and upright supports are built into the structure of the basket for extra strength and support.  These wires and/or uprights are used to attach the burner frame.

Hot Air Balloon baskets come a variety of shapes and sizes, with abilities to hold up to 20 passengers during the flight.  The bigger the basket, the more compartments it will have.  A small  balloon sized 77,000 cubic feet could carry pilot plus two passengers in an open square shaped basket, however a commercial operations balloon sized 210,000 cubic feet could carry pilot plus eight or nine passengers in a rectangle shaped basket with multiple partitions or sections. 

The basket remains the traditional element in modern ballooning with romantic and evocative images of wicker and rattan.

The envelope is the balloon shaped fabric part which holds the air and floats above the basket.  Only 2 types of yarn are suitable to make the fabric of hot air balloons: nylon (polyamide) and Dacron (Polyester).  Dacron can withstand higher temperatures, but Nylon can be made stronger and lighter.  Our Hot air balloon envelopes are made from Nylon.

Woven fabric has a mesh like structure which allows air to be passed through it - a balloon needs to retain the air so the fabric is coated with a material which seals the fabric.  Polyurethane is commonly used with hard-wearing minerals added such as silicone or a synthetic rubber called 'neoprene.  This coating is applied under pressure by a machine.  All coatings contain ultraviolet inhibitors to slow down and delay the degredation caused by sunlight.

Typical balloon fabrics weigh between 1.2oz and 2.4 oz per sqaure yard.  These fabrics have  tensile strengths of 40 to 100lbs per inch wide strip.

An infinate variety of shapes and designs can be achieved by the designers and manufacturers of hot air balloons.

We are having a summer sale and have reduced our already greatly priced hot air balloon flight vouchers.go to www.highroadballoons.co.uk to see our summer sale deals.

High Road Balloons are now even greater value - considered the best in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Northamptonshire for a great hot air balloon flight and adventure.

High Road Balloons have various hot air balloon flights options for you when it comes to getting you in the air.  Full details and online booking can be found at www.highroadballoons.co.uk

We have 2 balloons.  Both are available for private charter.  Our smaller 2 passenger balloon has been proven quite popular for anniversaries, birthdays and wedding hire (we have had many marriage proposals in our balloons) or for many other occasions you can think of! 

We also have an 8 passenger balloon which can be chartered for families, corporate hire and functions, parties or groups of friends.  We may be able to arrange for us to come to your village or town if you can get together 8 people for a hot air balloon flight.  We could take-off from your village green or recreation park (permissions required) or even your land if you have space.

If you would like to buy one, two or any number up to 8 vouchers then there are options regarding which type of voucher you choose:

An 'Anytime Flight Voucher' is valid Monday through to Sunday (including Bank Holidays).

A 'Midweek Flight Voucher' is valid Monday through to Friday (including Friday evening but not Bank Holidays.

A 'Standby Flight Voucher' is valid anytime but you are unable to book a specific date.  We would call you with 48 or 24 hours notice that we have a flight.  You would be able to decline our dates on up to 5 occasions.  For full details of prices and online booking please visit our website www.highroadballoons.co.uk

A hot air balloon is made up of components that fit together.  The crew will prepare the balloon for a flight at the launch site and will happily explain how a balloon works.  Firstly there is the 'basket' which is made from wicker.  This is the part of the balloon which the passengers stand in during the flight.  The basket also hold the flight cylinders or 'gas tanks' and of course the pilot.  Once the basket is off-loaded from the trailer and put in the correct postion for the direction of flight (balloons travel in the same direction as the prevailing wind) the 'burner' is fitted.  This is the part of the balloon that changes the gas into fire and heats the air in the balloon thus providing lift.  The burner is attached and the balloon basket is laid on it's side.  At this point the 'envelope' is unveiled.  This is the fabric part of the hot air balloon (the balloon shaped part) which attaches to the burner frame.    The envelope is stretched out and filled with cold air by means of an 'inflator fan'.  The air enters the envelope at the 'mouth'.  This is the big opening at the bottom of the envelope.  The cold air helps the fabric of the envelope lift and become more of a balloon shape.  Once the envelope is sufficiently filled with cold air the pilot lights his burners and gently heats the air inside.  At this point the air expands and so does the envelope.  The air becomes warm enough that it rises - lifting the envelope up and making the balloon stand up.  The hot air balloon is now ready to fly.  Once the passengers are loaded and the pilot has completed his safety checks the restraint line is released and the balloon floats gently above and is carried in the direction of the wind.

Each hot air balloon flight lasts approximately one hour and with the very nature of ballooning each one is unique.  There are many different options when it comes to buying a 'flight voucher'.  It largely depends upon when you want to fly, in which size balloon and how many people you want to buy vouchers for.  You can book online at www.highroadballoons.co.uk or call us for more information or if you would like to speak to one of us about the options available to you.