Guide to Hot Air Balloon Safety



Many people are needlessly concerned about hot air balloon safety. In the hands of an experience pilot and crew, a hot air balloon ride can be both safe and exhilarating! Read on to learn more about hot air balloon safety.

Actually, hot air balloon safety is primarily a matter of choosing your balloon ride provider wisely. Make sure that the company you choose has qualified pilots, and crews experienced with giving hot air balloon rides. If so, then there really should be no worries about safety.

Modern hot air balloons are designed with safety in mind. The balloon envelope is most always made from a fire-resistant, sturdy rip-stop nylon. The basket in which the passengers ride is usually made from wicker, which is extremely sturdy. The third major component, the burner, is there to make the balloon rise. Should it give out, the balloon will gently glide back to earth. Especially on commercial balloons designed to carry passengers, the pilot usually has at least an altimeter, directional speed gauge, and GPS positioning device at his disposal, and many are equipped with a radio for communications.

Balloon accidents are really quite rare, and usually involve a sudden downdraft or side draft in bad weather, which can cause the balloon to hang up in power lines or crash into trees when landing. Experienced pilots will not fly in bad weather, for just these reasons. Rarely, a burner will give out, leaving the pilot to use his or her experience to glide the balloon to a safe landing by slowly releasing the air from the envelope.

Many people don't realize that a hot air balloon pilot must be certified by the FAA before being allowed to fly. Pilots are trained that before ever taking a balloon up, they must perform a thorough safety examination of all equipment as well as carefully checking weather and wind conditions, which are very important parts of ballooning safely.

The pilot controls the balloon's vertical motion, and the wind does the rest. The wind moves differently at various altitudes, and pilots use this to advantage. Even though ballooning is simple in theory, a pilot must have advanced knowledge about the behavior and effects of wind and altitude. Most balloonists fly at low levels of no more than a few thousand feet. However, you can sometimes find flights that attain higher altitudes, up to as much as 10,000 feet, where you can experience flying through the clouds!

A critical part of hot air balloon safety is the crew on the ground. Not only do they help check and set up the equipment, they follow the balloon while it is in flight, both to give an extra measure of safety, as well as to meet the balloon upon landing so passengers and equipment can be collected.

If you're thinking of taking a hot air balloon ride, put your safety concerns aside and go for it! It's safe, fun, and exciting!

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