Throughout the hot air ballooning season we receive comments, suggestions and messages of thanks from customers who have flown or are waiting to fly with us at Virgin Balloon Flights. Reviews are much appreciated as the good ones let us know we’re going in the right direction and, occasionally, the not so good ones help us to improve.
Generally the feedback we get is very good like this message from Kyle Barrett and Narelle Summers after their recent flight over York
‘Thank you so much for our wonderful morning from start to finish. Thank you to Martin our pilot and crew. We managed to capture some wonderful pictures we thought we would share with you.’
Virgin hot air balloon over York
Airborne Adventurers Kyle and Narelle
- Balloon shadow over Yorkshire
Understandably some passengers experience frustration with the ‘great’ British weather which comes through in some customer reviews. Ballooning is a very weather dependent activity and sometimes flights have to be cancelled because of this or other factors outside of our control. Some of these conditions may be high wind speeds, poor visibility, unusually wet ground conditions, low cloud, rain or snow. We know that having flights cancelled can be frustrating, particularly as sometimes conditions can look and feel fine on the ground, but can be unsuitable at height, or the conditions are forecast to deteriorate.
Our highly-experienced pilots base their decisions on the latest forecasts from the MET office and local airports and they will always proceed with a flight if it is safe and possible to do so. Occasionally the weather forecasts we are given prove to be incorrect. This may mean that either we have to cancel a flight at the launch site, or a flight is cancelled when conditions would potentially have been flyable. Obviously weather forecasting is not an exact science, but it is this careful consideration of conditions which makes ballooning such a safe activity.
Many people fly on their first attempt but for others it can take a few tries. It really is down to luck and each year is different. So hot air ballooning can take a bit of patience, but the more bookings you make the quicker you’ll get airborne and we can assure you it will be worth the wait. It is also important to point out that the expiry date on vouchers is a ‘book by’ date, not a ‘fly by’ date and we will always look to extend balloon flight vouchers if people suffer cancellations near to their expiry date. So keep your reviews coming in and, if you have any questions, please get in touch.
So it’s coming close to that time of year again where we shower our Dads, with love and praise for doing such a wonderful job at turning us into who we are. The celebration of the number one man in our lives should of course reflect how appreciative we are of him being just so great. A voyage in a Virgin hot air balloon is just about the best present any Dad could hope for, we think!
So, send him on the adventure of a lifetime to see the world from the sky in an experience like no other. Let him soar into the clouds and glide over one of 100+ launch sites across England, Scotland or Wales.
Dad can enjoy a pilot greeting, registration and safety briefing before being invited to help with the inflation of the balloon ready for lift off. With around an hour in the air and transport back to his original launch site we have everything covered to keep Dad happy this Father’s Day.
Top off his journey with a glass of Champagne and a personalised certificate signed by his pilot and endorsed by Sir Richard Branson. Give all this and more to Dad for as little as £94.99 per person.
A question we are often asked here at Virgin Balloon Flights is why we don’t offer hot air balloon rides in the middle of the day. We offer a number of different voucher options which all include only early morning or evening balloon flights. The answer? Simple science! 
First of all, the basis of how a balloon works is actually pretty easy to understand with the theory being that hot air rises. To make the balloon ascend, the pilot heats the air inside the nylon envelope (this is the actual balloon) which makes the air less dense and therefore lighter than the air that surrounds the balloon. The amount of buoyancy or lift the balloon gets depends solely on the difference in temperature between the air inside the envelope and the atmospheric air surrounding the balloon.
So why can’t this happen during the day? When conditions are calm, hot air balloon pilots can finely control the altitude of the balloon by heating or venting the air inside. But during the main part of the day the sun heats the ground and causes something called thermals. These columns of rising warm air spiral skywards and displace the air above causing up and down drafts which can sometimes affect the pilot’s level of control.
This process can also cause the mixing of calmer, slower winds closer to the curvature of the earth, with the generally faster paced winds higher in the sky. This ‘mixing’ can lead to strong gusts and unpredictable conditions.
Conditions do vary during the year and sometimes cooler temperatures at the start or end of the season (in March or October) allow flights at different times. These are what we call ‘Day’ flights. But generally we fly AM and PM hot air balloon flights from our 100+ launch sites throughout England, Scotland and Wales as this is when conditions are at their best.
So it’s not that we want to get you out of bed early or keep you up late for any reason other than to give you an unforgettable Champagne balloon ride.
Join us on an airborne adventure with national Virgin Balloon Flight vouchers from as little as £109 per person.
A county jam packed with such eclectic landscapes, Dorset is a truly irresistible place to start an airborne adventure with Virgin Balloon Flights. Well known for its spectacular picture postcard scenes of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage site, Dorset’s contrasting inland backdrop consists of a quintessentially English countryside sprinkled with chalk landscapes.
With three different areas to choose as your launch site you really can see more of Dorset from the sky with Virgin Balloon Flights. You may choose Blandford Forum a small market
Simon Redman, Virgin Balloon Flights pilot for Dorset
town on the River Stour beaming with Georgian charm and as refreshing as the ‘Badger’ beers it’s famous for, or Shaftesbury , one of the oldest, highest towns in England might take your fancy to view idyllic Dorset. If history floats your boat then Sherborne is the place for you… with not one but two castles to spot from the sky a hot air balloon ride is the best way to see them.
Home to the highest proportion of conservation areas in the country, a hot air balloon ride over Dorset really is an experience of a lifetime. Our Dorset pilot Simon Redman will showcase the county’s areas of outstanding beauty from a whole new perspective, creating memories to last a lifetime at around 3000ft above the south west of England.
Top off your Virgin Balloon Flights voyage over Dorset with a glass of champagne and a certificate endorsed by Sir Richard Branson for as little as £94.99 per person.
Throughout the hot air ballooning season we receive comments, suggestions and messages of thanks from customers who have flown or are waiting to fly with us at Virgin Balloon Flights. Reviews are much appreciated as the good ones let us know we’re going in the right direction and, occasionally, the not so good ones help us to improve.
Generally the feedback we get is very good like this message from Kyle Barrett and Narelle Summers after their recent flight over York:
‘Thank you so much for our wonderful morning from start to finish. Thank you to Martin our pilot and crew. We managed to capture some wonderful pictures we thought we would share with you.’
Understandably some passengers experience frustration with the ‘great’ British weather which comes through in some customer reviews. Ballooning is a very weather dependent activity and sometimes flights have to be cancelled because of this or other factors outside of our control. Some of these conditions may be high wind speeds, poor visibility, unusually wet ground conditions, low cloud, rain or snow. We know that having flights cancelled can be frustrating, particularly as sometimes conditions can look and feel fine on the ground, but can be unsuitable at height, or the conditions are forecast to deteriorate.
Our highly-experienced pilots base their decisions on the latest forecasts from the MET office and local airports and they will always proceed with a flight if it is safe and possible to do so. Occasionally the weather forecasts we are given prove to be incorrect. This may mean that either we have to cancel a flight at the launch site, or a flight is cancelled when conditions would potentially have been flyable. Obviously weather forecasting is not an exact science, but it is this careful consideration of conditions which makes ballooning such a safe activity.
Many people fly on their first attempt but for others it can take a few tries. It really is down to luck and each year is different. So hot air ballooning can take a bit of patience, but the more bookings you make the quicker you’ll get airborne and we can assure you it will be worth the wait. It is also important to point out that the expiry date on vouchers is a ‘book by’ date, not a ‘fly by’ date and we will look to extend balloon flight vouchers if people experience cancellations near to their expiry date.
So keep your reviews coming in and, if you have any questions, please get in touch.
Flying the flag for England in the World Cup Sue, Brogan and Camilla from Virgin Balloon Flights
The St George’s Cross will be soaring high in the sky above England throughout the football World Cup as Virgin hot air balloons fly the flag at several thousand feet.
Virgin Balloon Flights will be showing their support for the national team during the 2010 FIFA World Cup by displaying England flags on the baskets of all balloons flying over the country.
The large red and white flags will be in place from England’s first game against USA on Saturday, June 12, for as long as they are in the competition out in South Africa.
The hot air balloons, which take people on pleasure flights from locations throughout mainland Britain, are likely to be in the air during some of England’s matches and bosses had considered playing them on radios during flights or event rigging up flat screen televisions in the basket.
But Virgin Balloon Flights’ spokesman Alexander Ferguson said: “We’re sure that some people will be taking champagne balloon rides with us to escape all of the World Cup hype so we won’t be broadcasting the matches during flights. However, we wanted to do something and we have a unique opportunity to show our support at several thousand feet.
“This is the first time we’ve done anything like this and we’ll be proud to fly the St George’s Cross flag on all of our balloons in England for as long as we are in the competition. Hopefully they’ll reach the final and bring the Word Cup trophy home.”
Virgin balloon flying the England flag
After the USA, England will take on Algeria on June 18 and Slovenia on June 23 before progressing to the second stage if they successfully finish first or second in the group.
Virgin Atlantic is providing the England team with its own plane which will fly direct from London Heathrow to Johannesburg on 2 June, ready for the kick-off. The Airbus A340-600 will carry Fabio Capello the England Manager and his 23 man squad along with its key support team.
The Virgin Group has published its first report on corporate responsibility and sustainable development which features some of the work we’re doing at Virgin Balloon Flights.
Virgin Group's Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development Report
What is it?
Well, it’s a story that highlights the enormous range of corporate responsibility and sustainability issues the Virgin companies face operating in so many different sectors, and what we’re doing about them. Usually reports like this can be pretty dull and not many people read them so instead, we’ve put the customer at the centre of the story to make it more relevant to the reader. We’ve described different aspects of our customers’ lifestyles and the sustainability issues associated.
Where does Virgin Balloon Flights fit in?
We’re proud that what we do puts smiles on people’s faces, makes dreams come true and contributes to the well-being of thousands of airborne adventurers each year. However we know we need to do much more by considering the wider impact we have on people and our planet. We are at an early stage of this journey but we are committed to taking practical steps towards a more sustainable future and doing business like there is a tomorrow.
Read the Relax and have fun and chapter to find about the exciting work we’ve been doing with The Forest Trust (TFT) and Worn Again plus what others like Virgin Wines, Virgin Media and Virgin Books have been up to.
Other things we’ve done at Virgin Balloon Flights include:
In 2009 we switched our balloon flight vouchers, gift wallets, souvenir brochures, envelopes, letter heads and compliments slips to FSC accredited 100% recycled paper and card.
So far in 2010 we’ve raised nearly £1,000 for charities including Virgin Unite, MacMillan and the British Heart Foundation and donated balloon trips to be auctioned for other good causes.
You can also check out the latest stories about things we’ve been doing for charity and for the environment.
Tatiana (left) and her Mother at DESS graduation
Virgin Balloon Flights is delighted to introduce Tatiana Prudence Eboua a new sustainable forestry student at the TFT Centre of Social Excellence and the second person we have sponsored.
Following Raphael Tsanga’s recent graduation, 30-year-old Tatiana is hoping to follow in his footsteps at the centre in the Congo Basin and to help protect the tropical forest in the future
Just a few weeks ago our eager new scholar, from Libreville, Gabon, started her course after making it through a vigorous interview process. Already the proud possessor of a Masters Degree in Anthropology and a Post Masters specialisation in ‘Economy & Sustainable Forest with Environmental Resource Management,’ Tatiana believes the CSE can aid “…a solution to the problem of environmental degradation and allow the populations in the country to have a better quality of life.”
Arriving at CSE
Here at Virgin Balloon Flights we believe in supporting the forests alongside the wellbeing of real people in developing countries to enable education and therefore conservation of our natural world. Since 2009 we have been donating £1 for every ton of carbon our business created annually to the TFT’s Climate Tree Initiative choosing specifically to support the CSE project.
Tatiana is confident she will gain the qualifications through the CSE to successfully help manage forest economic objectives as well as ensuring health and safety and cohabitation are significantly improved.
“When I join active work life, I would like to evolve in a setting allowing me to stay in contact with humans and nature, and the training at the CSE offers me this opportunity. I want to be a social officer, to
Off to fetch water, a reality of life at the CSE
help the promotion of an improved cohabitation between the different stakeholders, implicated in forest management and conservation (governments, companies, workers, populations) with the main objective for respect and acknowledgments of principles, criteria, indicators and social, environmental as well as economic objectives of forest management”
“My message to Virgin … in helping the CSE, it is humanity as a whole that you are preserving. Thank you.”
We look forward to keeping you up to date with Tatiana’s progress through her classroom and work based study over the forthcoming months!
Exploring Somerset from the sky is an experience of a lifetime topped off with a glass of bubbly in the “Land of Summer” countryside. What better way to see this south west county, than jumping on board a Virgin hot air balloon and riding the skies at around 3000ft.
Of course we’ve numerous Somerset launch sites so you’re never too far from home and with this summer threatening to be a scorcher, now couldn’t be a better time to take advantage of our regional south west tickets, from as little as £94.99 per person!
You may choose to start your airborne adventure from Bristol or the beautiful city of Bath boasting heritage, Roman remains and a possibility of floating over the epic Stonehenge. Or, you could pick a start point further south and fly from the famous festival town of Glastonbury or take off from Ilminster, Yeovil or Taunton perhaps.
Where ever your hot air balloon ride begins from; there is no better way to explore Somerset’s best bits than from the basket of a Virgin hot air balloon.
Store away the scrumpy, crack open the champers and take to the skies!
-
-
Flying above Glastonbury Tor
-
-
Over Bath looking North
-
-
Flying above The Royal Crescent
-
-
Royal Victoria Park
Hot Air Balloon Launch Sites, Hot Air Balloon Rides, Hot Air Ballooning, Hot Air Ballooning Tickets
| 
ballooning in the south west, Bath, bristol, Glastonbury, hot air balloon rides over Somerset, Ilminster, Taunton, Yeovil
Comments (0)