Is
it fun to ride in a hot air balloon?
Is
it safe to ride in a hot air balloon?
Is
it scary to ride in a hot air balloon?
What
kind of weather can we fly in?
How
much heat does the burner generate?
How
many people will the balloon carry?
Are
there age limits for passengers?
Why
are your balloons named "Fluffy" and "Dreamboat"?
Is
it fun to ride in a hot air balloon?
Most people enjoy flying in a hot air balloon. It is much
different from flying in an airplane. Balloons travel much slower than an
airplane, which gives you more time to enjoy the scenery. Balloons can also fly
much lower than airplanes. When traveling across areas away from buildings and
people, balloons can fly as low as a few inches above the ground or treetops,
or as high as a few thousand feet.
Is
it safe to ride in a hot air balloon?
Balloons enjoy an excellent safety record. Because we only fly
when the wind is light, traveling the same speed as the wind, the chances of
being injured are slight.
Is
it scary to ride in a hot air balloon?
While each person has a different fear threshold, almost
everyone enjoys balloon flights. The scariest part of a balloon ride can be the
landing. If the wind is light, the landing is a very gentle settling back to
the ground with the balloon still standing above the basket. If the wind speed
increases while we are in flight the basket might lay over on its side as the
balloon fabric is laid on the ground. This usually leaves the passengers
giggling as they climb out of the basket. We try to avoid “lay-down” landings,
but our Iowa weather sometimes has a mind of its own!
Most rides last roughly an hour of flight time. Total time for
your experience will probably be between two and three hours counting setup
before, and pack-up time after the balloon ride.
That depends on what area we are flying over. FAA regulations
require a minimum altitude of 1,000 feet over the highest obstacle when flying
over congested areas like towns. In non-congested areas like rural settings
regulations require us to stay 500 feet from buildings, vehicles, and people
except when taking off or landing. Over areas like crop fields and timber, we
can fly as low as a few inches above the landscape.
Dress so you will be comfortable standing outside for an hour or
so. There is no wind chill involved since we are traveling with the wind. Of
course before and after the flight we will be subject to whatever wind is
present on the ground. We recommend sturdy shoes with a low heel, long pants
(there are a lot of thistles in Iowa), and clothes appropriate to the time of
year in Iowa. Remember if you are on an evening flight the temperature may cool
down quickly around sunset.
What
kind of weather can we fly in?
If the winds are light and there is no precipitation, we can fly
year-round. Balloons perform very well in winter – we have flown in -10
degrees F temperatures.
How
much heat does the burner generate?
The two burners on our balloon Dreamboat can produce up to 88
million BTUs of heat.
Our balloon Dreamboat is a Firefly 8 model. It takes 105,000
cubic feet of air to fill the envelope. Fully inflated it stands almost 70
feet tall and 65 feet in diameter.
Our balloon Fluffy is a Firefly 8B-15 model. It takes 90,000
cubic feet of air to fill the envelope. Fully inflated it stands about 63
feet tall and 60 feet in diameter.
See our pricing page.
Year-round, weather permitting. We offer rides in the evening
Monday through Friday, and Saturday morning and evening. Due to thermal
activity during mid-day, we only fly for the first two or three hours after
sunrise and the last two or three hours before sunset.
Anywhere in central Iowa, except within 10 miles of the Des
Moines International Airport. If you want to fly over your home or some other
landmark, we will try to make that happen.
How
many people will the balloon carry?
We are insured to carry six passengers and the pilot. We are
limited by the laws of physics to a passenger weight (not counting the pilot)
of between 600 pounds in hot weather to 1100 pounds in cool weather. (The crew
chief said that is the weight on the scales, not the weight on your drivers’
license, whatever that means...)
Are
there age limits for passengers?
No, but just like the signs say at amusement parks: “You must be
at least this tall to ride this attraction.” We require our passengers be able
to see over the side of the basket, which is 35 inches tall, without standing
on their tiptoes. For safety reasons we cannot allow children to fly with us
who would require being held up to see outside the basket. We have carried
passengers as young as 3 and as old as 92! Some small children like to use
hearing protection so the roar of the burners does not frighten them.
Balloon trading cards are a popular way for balloonists to tell
a little about their balloons and themselves. Balloon cards are about the same
size as baseball cards, and generally have a picture of the balloon on one side
and information about the balloon and pilots on the other.
Why
are your balloons named "Fluffy" and "Dreamboat"?
Each balloon traditionally has a name. The balloon’s name is a
reflection of many things, including the color and patterns of fabric of the
envelope, the owner’s personality or taste, etc. While trying to decide on a
name for our balloons, we pondered many “serious” names but could not decide.
Finally, in frustration, one of us blurted out “Well, it’s big and pretty and
fluffy!” After laughing about it, we decided to just settle on “Fluffy” as the
name. It reflects our desire to have fun with the balloon, and not take life
too seriously while we are ballooning. As an addition to the balloon, we also
carry a small stuffed toy model of the three-headed dog “Fluffy” from the Harry
Potter movie aloft with us whenever we fly! You will find the stuffed Fluffy
attached to the burner support uprights on Fluffy.
Dreamboat got her name in a similar fashion. Because flying is a
dream we love to share with our crew and passengers, and because some pilots of
smaller balloons call ride balloons barges, we came up with Dreamboat (We liked
it better than "Dreambarge") Our toy mascot
in Dreamboat is a stuffed toy "Sully" from the movie Monsters, Inc.