Book a Hot Air Balloon Ride and Gift A Loved One the Experience of a Lifetime

Experiences play an important part in helping human emotions go to a high or a low. We are naturally attuned to enjoy good experiences and detest bad ones. When you do something for the first time there are a lot of emotions that are invoked such as joy, excitement, curiosity, wonder and loads more. A hot air balloon ride combines all this and offers an exhilarating experience like no other.

What makes it special?

As kids at some point or the other it was our dream to fly, the kid in us is called upon during special moments that enchant us. The experience of hot air ballooning is one such experience which fulfils that dream of flying. Although you may have been on an aeroplane, you don’t truly experience flying unless you feel the cool breeze kissing your face, and you are out there inhaling the fresh air above. Ballooning is the perfect opportunity to feel the exhilaration in our senses.

Booking a balloon flight in UK

The British school of ballooning is a premier organisation offering hot air balloon flights over Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Hampshire. Our pilots have clocked over 3,000 hours of flying time and are experts at what they do. This enables the passengers to just enjoy and leave the rest to us.

Tit Bit: The British school of ballooning is the longest running ballooning company in the UK

You can choose from the fleet of different sized balloons, a trip can constitute of 2 to 16 passengers. Safety is our top priority and this is why clients come back to experience ballooning repeatedly. Gift a once in a lifetime experience to someone special, celebrate your next anniversary in the air, sounds magical? It’s even better in person. Get in touch with The British School of ballooning for details on the next scheduled hot air balloon ride in UK.

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Explore Nature’s Beauty with Hot-Air Balloons!

Everyone loves exploring, as a kid it was our inmate ability to be curious about things around us. But as time goes by and we get stuck in the routine of the modern world we tend to forget what’s out there past the horizon. The beauty of the sunset, the lushness of the green and the kiss of the wind, well what if we told you all this can be experienced while you are floating in the sky. Yeah you heard that right, hot-air balloon rides provides one with the opportunity of being in touch with nature.

As a Recreation and sport

Many records have been set up to many thousand kilometres and continents have been crossed in these balloons. There is always someone looking at setting a new ballooning record. Festivities and races which involve hot-air balloons are famous in the UK.

At a given time a hot-air balloon can carry from 2-20 passengers. Romantic hot-air balloon rides are popular among newly wedded couples. Balloon rides in the UK is responsible for attracting tourists and people looking to do something different and enthralling.

When it comes to ballooning as a sport, competitive events like spot landing and “hare and hound” races attract many spectators, providing a colourful and grand experience. 

Hot air balloon rallies

Balloon rallies may consist a few or up to a hundred balloons on display.

British School of Ballooning established for over 25 years offers enchanting balloon rides in the UK.

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The science and characteristics of Hot Air Balloons

In aeronautics, the definition of a balloon is an unpowered aerostat that floats due to its buoyancy. A balloon may be free, moving with the wind, or fastened.

(Buoyancy in balloons: An upward force exerted by air that opposes the weight of the balloon)

The balloon is based on three crucial principles of buoyancy which are:

• The Archimedes’ principle
• Boyle’s law and
• Charles’ law

Fuel:

Straw and alcohol solutions were used as fuel for heating the hot air balloons in early 19th century; today liquefied propane is exclusively used for hot air balloons.

The burners use vaporizing coils to heat the fuel, the coils are made out of stainless steel or copper. The burners are generally suspended at the mouth of the balloon, and most balloons have a secondary burner as a backup.

Skin of the Balloon:

The skin of the balloon is created from materials such as nylon, polyester and a few others. They are made to resist tension from both internal and external factors. High altitude flight balloons use polyethylene or polyester film.

Flight:

The buoyancy of the hot-air balloon is regulated by heating the air in the balloon. Even a degree’s increase in temperature can vary the flight pattern of the balloon in a big way.

When the altitude is changed during a hot air balloon ride, it adjusts according to the air currents. It’s normal for up to 30 degree wind direction difference to occur within the first thousand meters of the flight. However box winds (full circle of wind direction) can occur too. Today’s modern navigation and communication technologies such as GPS, radio and satellite communication allows us to control the flight of a balloon to exact predication and control.

For hot air balloon rides in UK visit http://www.hotair.co.uk/

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Hot Air Ballooning Over the years and how it’s still a big draw today

The imagery that is painted in our minds when we think of a hot air balloon ride is one of colour and adventure. Hovering over land in a big balloon with a bird’s eye view on the landscape, the experience is almost like poetry. Apart from the fun value, the hot air balloon has a rich history and they are still popular today.

Early days (Unmanned)

Unmanned hot air balloons were used china as early as 220–280 AD to carry navigational and guidance lanterns for military purposes. The first balloon flight that was recorded in the UK before King John V, it was orchestrated by Bartolomeu de Gusmão on August 8, 1709

Manned flight

On October 15, 1783 the first manned flight was showcased by Etienne Montgolfier by making a flight in a hot air balloon from the Reveillon workshop’s yard in Faubourg Saint-Antoine. A few weeks’ later passengers were taken on a ride. The first known modern military use of the hot air balloon was in 1794 when the French used them as observatory platforms.

Modern usage:

Today’s commercial hot air balloon rides in the UK and around the world use a heat source situated below the balloon. Modern rides are primarily used for recreation and leisure today. In 1991 the 'Virgin Pacific Flyer' balloon made a record breaking flight by completing the longest flight in a hot air balloon. The pilot travelled in a hot air balloon stretching 74 thousand cubic meters (2.6 million cubic feet) covering 7,671.91 km from Japan to Northern Canada. The balloon was and remains the largest ever built.

For balloon rides in UK visit http://www.hotair.co.uk/

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A short history of the Hot Air Balloon

Air balloons were one of the first inventions to fly through the air. The history of the hot air balloon goes back further than most people believe. Unmanned hot air balloons can be seen throughout Chinese history. These were Kongming lanterns which were airborne lanterns for military signalling. The first documented air balloon flight took place in Lisbon, Portugal. This hot air balloon was created by Bartolomeu de Gusmão.

The first hydrogen unmanned balloon was flown in 1783. It was invented by Jacques Charles and the Robert Brothers. The balloon was small and could only carry 9 kg. A few months later, the first manned balloon flight took place in Paris. In 1785, Jean-Pierre Blanchard flew across the English Channel.  Later the same year he did a return flight from Dover to Calais. Hot air balloons would later become a part of warfare. Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, there have been many instances where balloons were used effectively.  This gave rise to an air force being needed by most countries. During World War 2, barrage balloons were inflated over London to obstruct the Luftwaffe air attacks.

The first modern hot air balloon built in the United Kingdom in 1967 was called the Bristol Belle. As the 20th century rolled on, the need for the hot air balloon became obsolete as a mainstream form of transport. It transformed into a novelty attraction as many people embarked on hot balloon air rides across the countryside for relaxation and pleasure. The modern air balloon is far more sophisticated than the original.

British School of Ballooning, the UK’s longest running hot air balloon company provides balloon rides in Sussex, Surrey and throughout the South of England. Ballooning nowadays is safe for everyone. It is actually the safest form of aviation. Pilots have the same testing patterns as regular pilots. People can enjoy the open air and lovely views of the countryside by taking hot air balloon rides. For more information, please visit www.hotair.co.uk

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