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By Kirsty, September 6, 2010 5:07 pm

While it is easy to focus on the pilots and the passengers in hot air balloons it is worth remembering the other important people who play a vital role in getting the balloon into the air. Guest blogger and former Virgin Balloon Flights ground crew Jess Baughan explains in part one of ‘A Crews View’.

The balloon crew’s job starts as soon as the previous flight has finished with simple things like refuelling the balloon (with most balloons carrying 400 litres of LPG this can take a while), refuelling the inflation fans with petrol, replenishing champagne supplies (or soft drinks) and making sure that the balloon and everything associated with it (trailer & tow vehicle etc) are ready for the next flight.

What happens next is the same for crew and passengers alike, we phone the flight line to find out whether the flight is going ahead and liaise with the pilot to decide what time to set the alarm clock for. In general the crew will start around three hours before the flight so for a 6am flight this means a 3am start.

The first job is to get to the launch site which in itself can represent anything up to two hours of travelling, once on the launch site the crew join up with the pilot, most of the time the pilot will arrive separately to the crew due to very strict restrictions on working hours for the pilots.

Between the pilot and crew a decision will be made on where to set the balloon up and which direction it should face, A lot of the time this decision is based on the way a small helium balloon flies when released from the launch site (weather & wind forecasts are good but not as good as releasing a small balloon and watching what the wind does to it.)

While all this is going on the crew are also meeting and greeting passengers and checking passenger names & vouchers against the flight manifest.

Once the decision has been made about where the balloon is to launch from, the basket is taken off the trailer and laid on its side while the envelope (that’s the balloon part) is laid out in a straight line. It is then attached to the basket itself, while the basket is attached via a quick release system to the tow vehicle.

The envelope is then pulled out to its full width ready for inflation and the inflation fans are used to start filling the envelope with cold air. While the envelope is filling this is one of the busiest times for the pilot and crew as they carry out final checks on the balloon along with preparations for flight.

The envelope is now almost fully inflated with cold air and at this point the inflation fans are stopped and removed. The burners are then lit and fired into the mouth of the envelope to heat up the cold air that is inside. Gradually the temperature inside climbs and the envelope starts to lift. Once there is enough heat inside, the envelope stands straight up and brings the basket the right way up.

Now the basket is standing up the passengers are allowed to climb aboard and are re briefed by the pilot regarding safety (this briefing can also take place before the balloon is inflated depending on conditions on the day). Once the briefing is over the pilot starts using the burners again to create enough lift to carry the basket and all of the passengers. Once there is enough lift the quick release is activated (to separate the basket from the tow vehicle and the magical part of the adventure begins for the passengers as the balloon slowly climbs away from the launch site. The job of the crew is only just beginning…

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By Alex, September 3, 2010 4:35 pm

Another one of our hot air balloon pilots has hit the airwaves to share stories about an exciting career in the clouds.

Brad Smith, who pilots champagne balloon rides in Shropshire, starred on BBC Radio Shropshire’s breakfast show on Thursday.

The adventurous Aussie, who now lives in Whitchurch, spoke about some of his most memorable flights which have taken place all over the world. He spoke about how beautiful Shropshire is from the air and how it compares to many of the more exotic places his soared over.

The feature about Dream Jobs, during show presented by Eric Smith, foscussed particularly on an incredible flight in the Kenya’s Masai Mara when a pride of lions gathered round the balloon after landing.

Brad said: “Ballooning has given me the opportunity to see the world. I couldn’t do another job now.

“The thing I love most is seeing the excitement on passenger’s faces when they experience ballooning for the first time.”

Listen to Brad’s interview (fast forward to 1hr 39 mins)

Join brad on a Shropshire balloon ride from Telford, Shrewsbury or Whitchurch. See our flight vouchers here

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By Kirsty, September 2, 2010 5:00 pm

Andrew and Ayako Watson from Tokyo realised a dream
when they marked their fourth wedding anniversary at 3000ft up in a Virgin balloon during a flying visit to England.

The couple, both 29, have lived together in Tokyo for five years and were visiting Andrew’s family in Richmond, North Yorkshire, when they took the chance to go ballooning.

Andrew, 29, said: “Ayako has always wanted to fly in a hot air balloon. When we decided to go back to the UK this summer, this was the one thing she really wanted to do. The gods must have been smiling on us because the weather was perfect for ballooning.

“It was amazing. We hadn’t expected to travel so far and see so much. The fact that you are sometimes high up, then sometimes low down, gives you a really different perspective.

“Being able to see the world from a completely different point of view was our favourite part. It was so unexpectedly quiet … we were lucky enough to see a herd of deer running through an open field, which was probably the highlight. The air was very clear so you could see even as far as the North Sea over towards Hull.”

It was the first time in a hot air balloon for the pair who said they hope to do it again in the future after the great experience on their Virgin Balloon Flights in Yorkshire thanks to their pilot and crew.

“Martin our pilot and the crew clearly love what they do. They made us feel welcome, and we were made to feel part of the team by helping to inflate the balloon, and look for the recovery vehicles and pack away the equipment once we landed,” added Andrew.

Congratulations on your 4^th wedding anniversary Andrew and Akayo, we hope to see you in the sky again on your next visit to the UK.

Further information about flying with Virgin Balloon Flights is available here.