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.