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By Eve, December 12, 2011 5:18 pm

The number of hot air ballooning photos shared with us this season was higher than ever.  Not only did we see lots and lots but the standard and quality of those images was fantastic too.  So a huge thank you to everyone who shared their amazing images with us!

Receiving a massive 21.5% of overall votes to secure pole position in the Virgin Balloon Flights Annual Photo Competition 2011 was the breath-takingly atmospheric image taken over Longstanton in Cambridgeshire by Sam Tolley.

Sam Tolley's winning image: 1-10 Misty Morning

‘Misty Morning’ also won best in category securing a huge 29.4% of all the votes in Category 1 – Views from the Basket. Well done Sam; you’ve won a £125 Virgin Experience Days Gift Card for your category and overall win!

Sam shared ‘Misty Morning’ with us on the Virgin Balloon Flights Facebook page on 15th October 2011 and we thought it was pretty amazing back then – looks like we weren’t the only ones to think so.

The photo was taken on a morning flight departing from our Cambridge Golf Club (Longstanton) launch site as Sam was looking in an easterly direction whilst about a third of the way through his flight.

You can purchase a flight voucher to fly from Longstanton and appreciate these amazing views that Sam so spectacularly captured, from as little as £89! You can even receive 20% off a round of golf on us!

Runner Up Winners

Huge congratulations also go to our category winners who each win a £25 Virgin Experience Days Gift Card!

Category 1 – Views from the Basket Winner = Misty Morning by Sam Tolley

Category 2 – People and Balloons Winner = Inside the Balloon by John Wells

2-2 Inside the Balloon by John Wells

Category 3 – Images of Balloons Winner = In Essex by Danyelle Motley

3-3 In Essex by Danyelle Motley

Category 4 – The Mechanics of Ballooning Winner = Inflating the Balloon by Helen Lehan

4-3 Inflating the Balloon by Helen Lehan

Each flying season (March – November) we hold a Photo Competition so if you have any ballooning images (of Virgin balloons) that you would like to share, you can find out more here.

Well done to everyone who took part this season and we very much look forward to next year’s competition submissions.

To find out more about hot air ballooning with Virgin Balloon Flights including what to look forward to on the day of your flight visit our website virginballoonflights.co.uk.

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By Alex, June 27, 2011 5:13 pm

We are delighted to announce that Virgin Balloon Flights will be flying at the 33rd Bristol International Balloon Fiesta  later this year.

Three Virgin balloons at Bristol Balloon Fiesta 1995

One of our largest Virgin hot air balloons will be whisking people skywards on Champagne balloon rides from Bristol Balloon Fiesta 2011 between August 11 and 14. 

The world famous ballooning event takes place at Bristol’s Ashton Court, one of over 100 Virgin Balloon Flights launch sites, and features hundreds of hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes including special shapes.

Around half a million people come to watch the fiesta each year and the event gives lucky passengers a rare chance to take part in a mass balloon launch, seeing Bristol from the sky.

You can fly from the balloon fiesta with us by purchasing a special Bristol Balloon Fiesta ride voucher for £180 per person. Existing customers can also take part by upgrading their existing voucher.

Spaces are very limited and are available on a first come, first served basis, so don’t hang about.

Visit the Bristol Balloon Fiesta balloon rides page on our website or call 01952 212750 for more information or to book.

A mass launch at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta

Pilot Mark Simmons, who will be flying from the fiesta, said: “It’s been a few years since Virgin Balloon Flights last took part in Bristol Balloon Fiesta and we’re delighted to be involved again because it’s a spectacular event and a real showcase for ballooning. We’re looking forward to it.”

Bristol Balloon Fiesta includes a host of entertainment for all the family including two spectacular night-glows. Visit the fiesta website for full information.

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By Kirsty, May 27, 2010 8:04 am

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.

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By Kirsty, March 15, 2010 11:13 am

“I could while away the hours, conferrin’ with the flowers, consultin’ with the rain. And my head I’d be scratchin’, while my thoughts were busy hatchin’. If I only had a brain” – Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz

If someone asked me what I thought about when they said ‘scarecrow’, I would most probably acquire a glum felt tone of voice and tunefully (or not) begin with ‘I could while away the hours…’ which is of course the sad song of the Scarecrow from the much loved tale The Wizard of Oz!

Mention this familiar figure of the rural landscape to a resident of Wray in Lancashire, and I’m sure they could tell you they’ve built a few, seen a few and definitely celebrated their being. Every year the Wray Scarecrow Festival runs as part of the village country fair, where residents display their themed scarecrows around the village. This year Virgin Balloon Flights are sponsoring the event with the most super duper scarecrow winning its creators a flight for two over the festival!

Wray Scarecrow Festival 2010

For further information regarding the annual festival please visit the Wray village website. You too can drift above Wray and see the scarecrows from the sky with regional tickets from just £94.99!