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Balloon flight times are typically 45 minutes to an hour
in duration,
depending on the wind speed on the morning of your flight, weight in the
basket, and ambient temperature. But please plan
on being our guest for about 4 hours so as to allow time
to inflate the balloon, fly, repack the balloon, and toast our successful
balloon ride.
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Each of our flights includes the pilot and the
members of your personal party. You will not be flying with strangers.
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Balloonists in the
Houston area fly year round. However, Texas Air Adventures, LLC only
flies on weekend days with winds less than 8 mph. Out of respect for your safety,
we also do not fly on days
with rain, fog, low cloud cover, or on the day after a very hard
rainstorm, as the ground conditions may be too muddy for landing.
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We prefer to fly at
daybreak, as the air is more stable and the winds are calmer
than at later points in the day. Balloons do not usually fly in the
middle of the day because of the heat, shifting winds, and thermals.
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We meet at the West Oaks
Mall at daybreak. The exact launch site will vary depending on the
wind direction and the time of sunrise. Our pilot will select the
departure site considering the wind direction and the availability of good
landing sites in the direction of the flight.
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Balloons land somewhere
down wind of where they take off. The pilot is responsible for
selecting a suitable landing spot for the balloon and the chase crew will
advise the pilot if landing spots in consideration provide easy access for
the chase vehicle. Balloons have landed in such things as parking lots, golf
courses, fields, ballparks, schools, back yards, front yards, streets,
roads, airports, and even boat docks. Part of the
adventure of ballooning is not knowing your destination prior to departure.
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Most flights take place
between 500 and 3,000 feet.
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We recommend that
passengers wear comfortable hiking boots and layered clothing so they can either remove
excess clothing or add additional clothing to reach optimal comfort.
It is also best to wear trousers/pants instead of shorts - as landing fields
may contain berry or briar patches that could scratch bare legs.
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9. How far does the balloon travel?
The distance traversed is dependent upon the speed of
the wind. If the wind is blowing at 7 miles per hour, then the balloon
will travel 7 miles in a one-hour flight.
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In the early days of
ballooning (dating from 1783 and the first flight of the Montgulfier
brothers) hot air balloons typically landed on rural farmland. Sometimes,
in self defense and out of fear of
an encounter with aliens, the resident farmers attacked the balloon with a pitchfork. The early
aviators thus began carrying bottles of champagne onboard their balloons to
prove that they were fellow French men, to pacify the farmers upon
landing, and to celebrate the conclusion of a safe and beautiful flight. Out of respect for tradition, most balloonists still
perform champagne or juice toasts after their flights.
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Yes, the flying of hot air balloons,
like airplanes, is governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In fact, the process of getting and maintaining a hot air balloon license is
very much like process for getting/maintaining a fixed-wing pilot's license.
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Blew Bayou
is approximately 60 feet across (at the widest point) and 60 feet tall.
The Blew Bayou envelope holds 90,000 cubic feet of air and
weighs (empty) about 225 pounds. The Chameleon envelope holds 105,000
cubic feet of air and (when empty) weights approximately 295 pounds.
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Propane. We carry
approximately 45 gallons of fuel onboard.
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Since the
balloon moves at the same speed of the wind, passengers in the basket feel
no sensation of movement. The ground will simply drift by under you,
providing a very unique aerial perspective of the area (and great photo
opportunity). Between
"burns" the flight is typically serenely quiet.
Interestingly enough, sound carries vary differently above
ground. The barking of dogs below seems to be up in the sky around
you, and you will be able to hear people on the ground speaking in a normal tone.
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When most people refer to a "balloon"
they are actually referring to the part of the balloon known as the
envelope. Balloon envelopes are typically made of rip-stock nylon or
polyester fabric. The fabric of the envelope is sewn to or around a
tape or rope that will bear the load placed on the envelope by the basket
and its contents.
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The walls of the basket
are usually woven from rattan wicker. Most baskets also contain a
support framework made of wood, aluminum, steel, cable, rope or a
combination of these materials. Baskets are designed so that the
weight inside the basket, i.e. fuel tanks and passengers, is transferred
directly the the load tapes or ropes of the envelope. Rattan wicker is
used most often for the basket walls because it is light in weight while at
the same time being strong and flexible.
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Since a balloon is quite
unwieldy on the ground, it generally takes three to four
people (working together) to inflate and launch a balloon. To start the
process, the envelope is stretched out on the ground and then attached to
the basket. A gasoline-powered fan is then used to quickly blow cold air into the
envelope. The inflation process is completed with the bursts of hot
air from the burner. As the hot air rises to the top of the envelope,
the balloon becomes upright. The pilot will continue to add
bursts of hot air (from the ground) until he/she determines that the balloon is
ready to take off.
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The balloon's burner heats up the cold air that
has been blown into the envelope by the cold inflation fan. As the air
in the envelope is heated, it expands and become less dense. This causes the air inside the envelope
to weigh less than the surrounding (or
ambient) air. Once the weight of the entire balloon system, including
the fuel and passengers, is lighter than the surrounding air that is
displaces, the balloon will lift off of the ground and begin to fly.
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When the burner is not in
use, your flight will be very quiet and serene. (Aloft there is not
even any wind noise because if the wind is blowing, you are moving with it. You may, however, hear conversations of people on the ground or dogs barking
in the distance.) However, when the burner is "on", it is very noisy
in the basket.
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Not really.
Because the balloon ascends with the warmer air in the envelope and descends
with cooler air, the pilot can control the flight of the balloon vertically,
but not horizontally. The pilot can change direction of the flight
only by ascending or descending to a current of air moving a different
direction, leveraging the Coriolis effect.
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Balloons our equipped
with an altimeter to indicate altitude, a variometer which shows rate of
climb or descent and a temperature gauge to
show how hot the fabric is at the top of the balloon. Each
propane tank has a fuel gauge and some systems have fuel pressure gauges.
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A balloon flight is very
gentle and stable and because you start from the ground and gently lift up.
The sensation is very different from fixed wing aircraft flight and is unlikely to cause vertigo.
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Some consider hot air
ballooning to be one of the safest forms of flying. However, there are
inherent risks with all sports and this one is no exception.
Balloonist accidents are typically related to encounters with power lines or hard landings that cause broken
bones or muscle sprains. Some individuals wear bicycle helmets or
kneepads to minimize the impact of a potentially hard landing, which cannot
be avoided if the winds suddenly increase.
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Oxygen is only required
by the FAA if you fly at or above 12,500 feet (mean sea level) for a given time (30
minutes). As our flights do not exceed 3,000 feet, we do not
carry oxygen on board.
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Texas Air Adventures strictly does not allow smoking in or around the
balloon as propane is highly flammable.
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For your own safety,
Texas Air Adventures strictly does not fly with pets in the basket.
You are certainly welcome to bring your loved ones to watch the launch
and landing processes.
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Not really. For
each 1,000 feet we ascend, it will be about 3 degrees cooler in the air then
it is on the ground. So, for the most part, you will feel no
difference in the temperature aloft versus on the ground. However, as
we fly in the coolest part of the morning, it is advisable to wear personal
clothing in layers so you add or remove clothing to be comfortable before,
during and after the flight.
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Rarely. Because of
it's size, a balloon is easy for birds to see and to avoid. Also,
birds, like ground animals, are frightened by the sound of the burners.
However, if a bird did fly into the balloon, it would bounce off.
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No, the
FAA does not allow alcoholic beverages to be consumed during flight.
Moreover, for your safety, we would not want to bring any glass bottles
onboard. Upon request, the pilot will provide you with bottled
water (in plastic bottles) prior to the flight.
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30.
Can I Take My Children?
We encourage families to participate in hot air
ballooning. There are, however a few issues to consider in determining
if children may fly.
1)
The sides of the basket are approximately 4' high; therefore the
children who have yet to reach this height will not be able to securely
hold on, much less enjoy the beautiful views.
2)
FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations do not allow
parents to hold or carry their children during the flight.
3)
Another consideration is that the burners (which are directly over your
head) will be burning flames 10' - 15' feet at any given times.
This can frighten young children.
With these disclaimers understood, our
recommendation is that children over the age of 8 should be old enough to
safely enjoy the flight. We recommend that you review your individual
situation with our customer service agent. And, we require that both
parents co-sign the liability release waiver of any passengers less than 18
years of age.
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31. Can
Anyone Fly?
Guests must be 8 years of age or older and
physically able to climb into the basket, securely hold the top of the
basket and independently brace their body for the impact of landing, walk
back to the basket from the landing location, and absorb normal risks (which
may include, but not be limited to) injury or fatality from flight, ground,
or landing operations, injury in remote place without medical facilities, or
damage to personal property or equipment). Individuals that are
pregnant, have artificial arm limbs, or are under treatment for any
infirmity (such as, but not limited to, osteoporosis, back problems, chronic
ailments, or any other injury of any type that could be affected by a hot
air balloon) should not fly.
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32.
How High Can We Go?
Houston area balloon flights typically fly
within a profile between 600 feet to 2,500 feet above sea level. Note:
Even those with a fear of heights generally need not be concerned, as you
will not experience any vertigo feelings since you are moving with the wind
(which means that there is no rocking, swaying, or other feelings of
movement. This also means that you should not worry about taking
motion sickness medicines.
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