Frequently Asked Questions

We mainly fly in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and Zepherhills. We schedule flights seven days a week, always at Sunrise when the winds are most calm and the views are the very best!

Sunrise is the best time of day for Balloon flights. Later in the day thermals begin to form and create unstable wind patterns, in the late afternoons we often have Thunderstorms and wind. Sunrise is the most calm time of day for a Great Hot Air Balloon Experience.

We meet about 1 hour before Sunrise, most often meet at a Race Track Gas Station located at 27140 SR-56, Wesley Chapel, it’s just East of I-75 on SR-56. While it may seem an odd place to meet, it is open very early, has clean restrooms, and a variety beverages and snacks. We usually meet 1 hour before Sunrise!

Dress like you’re going to take a walk in the park, and maybe through some tall grass. Check the forecast temperature and dress accordingly. Closed toed flat shoes are best, know that your feet may get wet from the morning dew or a quick dip in a pond! Dry shoes/sox or sandals for the ride home might be a good idea.

Just about anyone reasonably healthy and capable of standing for the duration of the flight can fly in a Hot Air Balloon. You will need to “climb” into the basket, it’s about 36 inches tall with one step. You will also need to “hold-on” during the landing, landing can be extremely calm or a definite “thud and bounce” (we have no landing gear). We discourage anyone pregnant from flying and we do not fly children under 5 years old. If you feel that your health is in question please consult your doctor before scheduling your flight.

We can accommodate up to 4 or 5 passengers in each Balloon, depending on size and weight. Singles & couples are paired with at least one other couple, we always have a great time together! We also offer a “Personal” flight that guarantees you will be the only 2 or 3 passengers in the balloon!

We plan our flight to be in the air for approximately 1 hour, flights often range from 45 minutes to 75 minutes. The entire ballooning experience will last 3 to 4 hours.

Wind Speed, Weather and Landing locations will dictate how long we can fly, safety is always our first priority. We will cover a distance from a few miles to 10 or more miles, depending on the wind speed. All of our flights are unique, we do our best to give you the best flight experience possible.

Light winds and clear skies make for the safest flights. We look at area forecasts, winds aloft reports, aviation forecasts and flags en-route, to determine if the weather is right. We let a toy helium balloon go prior to our flight, by watching the helium balloon rise we can see the wind direction and speed right where we are. We’ll continue to watch the skies right up until we launch, or don’t launch if we sense something isn’t right. We Love to Fly, but we know it’s best when the weather is right!

Most of our flights are surface to 1200 feet. We occasionally go higher for navigational reasons. Some of our most fun flights are right at treetop level, where we can pick leaves or pine cones from the treetops. We may also descend over a lake to do a splash-n-dash, where the basket actually touches the water.

We know pilots who have a fear of heights! It’s a very different feeling standing in a basket and looking at the beautiful views, as opposed to standing on a ladder or a tall building and looking at the ground. I’ve been told it has to do with the perspective view, rather than the height.

All of our pilots hold a commercial LTA (Lighter Than Air) rating issued by the FAA and have many hours of flight experience. All of our pilots are also flight instructors. Our Chief Pilot has been flying balloons for 35 years in the Tampa Bay area, he has flown all over the US and in Puerto Rico and France.

All passengers are required to sign a waiver, minor passengers will also require a parents (or legal guardians) signature on the waiver.

Most people bring a camera or their phone to take pictures, very few people bring binoculars. Make sure your phone/camera is fully charged and you have enough memory/film for the flight. Please know…. we require you to store your camera while landing, you’ll want both hands free to “hold-on” just in case our landing is more exciting than expected.

We do ask that you limit what you carry in the balloon due to size and weight limitations. Some people bring sunglasses, most don’t. If you don’t need a jacket on the ground, you shouldn’t need one in the air.

We certainly hope that you will be able to make your flight, but if something comes up we require 48 hours notice before the flight.

It takes 20 – 30 minutes to set up the balloon and inflate it. We encourage you to help if you would like the full experience. We first assemble the basket, then lay it on it’s side and connect the envelope (balloon). We use a gas-powered fan to fill the balloon with cold air, we then stand the balloon upright by turning on the burners and heating the air inside the balloon.

Simply stated, Hot Air! We use Propane Burners that generate 30 million BTU’s to heat the air inside the balloon. The hotter we heat the air, the higher we go. In comparison, the typical gas grill generates 30,000 BTU’s. Needless to say, we can burn a steak in seconds!

Simply stated, Hot Air! We allow the balloon to cool just a little to descend, we use the burner to control our descent. We can safely descend at 600 feet per minute, we slow that descent rate as we get closer to the ground until we “level off” right at the ground.

We use only the wind to “steer” the balloon. The wind blows in different directions at different altitudes, we use that change in direction to “steer” the balloon. In the Northern Hemisphere, winds typically turn to the right as we rise in altitude and back to the left as we descend. We also know that the winds aloft will come down to the surface as the morning goes on. That’s another reason we fly early, so we don’t hear the pilot say “we lost the left” as they fly past a landing field!

It might be a perfectly beautiful day, but we know that passenger safety is our number one priority. Winds aloft may be too fast, or there may be Thunderstorms too near, to ensure a safe flight. We have extensive experience in evaluating weather forecasts, we use multiple sources for weather information, and we also rely on our personal instincts. Our pilots love to fly, it’s their passion! Our pilots also know it’s well worth waiting for a better day! We have a saying, “I would rather be down here wishing I was up there, than up there wishing I was down here!” You’ll need to trust our experience!

We look at aviation weather forecasts and a few Hot Air Balloon specific apps. Calm winds and Clear skies are required for flight, we also looks at winds aloft to ensure a safe landing. Occasionally our sources will differ from local forecasts, on this rare occasion we will rely on our sources that are specific to our flight needs. Some days it’s a tough decision, but safety is our #1 goal.

Yes, anyone can come along to watch the balloon setup, inflation and launch. They can follow our chase vehicle during the flight, but know that the chase crew’s responsibility is to the pilot and passenger’s. We cannot be responsible for any traffic violations that may be incurred during the chase, and we require that no-one other than the crew drive onto private property (or off-road) to the landing site.